The Stranger

Welles' third film is a shamefully-underrated drama set in a small provincial town in Conneticut where an ex-nazi teacher (Welles) is being tracked down by an an inspector (Robinson) from the Allied War Crimes Commission.

Perhaps the bad reception of the film might be attribued to Welles' own dismissal of The Stranger. In his own words: "[It] is the worst of my films. There is nothing of me in that picture. I did it to prove I could put out a movie as well as anyone else." One has to admit that Welles' evaluation of the film has some basis especially if one considers the problems of the script. But it remains far fetched when applied to the whole of the film which occasionally reveals the strengths which have established Welles as one of the greater directors of our time. Welles depicts magnificently the conservative atmosphere of the town and the climate of suspicion the arrival of the inspector generates. There are moments when he displays forcefully his directorial skill such as the scene of the murder in the woods or the climax in the clock tower.

The performances are superb throughout the film with the teacher feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the arrival of the inspector. Edward G Robinson provides a brilliant sketch of the confident inspector while Loretta Young's fine performance as the teacher's innocent wife completes the central acting trio. The camerawork from Russell Metty has become legendary and The Stranger despite all of its flaws remains - especially in aesthetic terms - such a unique film that one is tempted to make the bold assertion that it is among the director's finest accomplishments.

Review by Spiros Gangas
Taken from EUFS Programme 1993-94