This movie was OK to me . Not my type of movie. A little slow but it does have a good context behind the whole thing and some good parts like the juicy details they speak upon one another in secret and great actors as well. This movie also had good lighting and camera angles as well.
... View MoreAs usual for Orson Welles, The Stranger was a beautifully created piece. He seemed to express an interest for silhouettes shown in unconventional ways, not just the typical black shadow we think of today. Mr. Williams standing in the gym with the smoke wafting around him and the moonlight on his face each time he makes a phone call. Mary's shadow on the wall as her husband walks in the house also adds an admirable touch of suspense. It was a gorgeous noir, and I expected nothing less for a Welles film.
... View MoreAnother terrific film and performance by Orson Welles, as he plays a sinister criminal in this film. Welles utilized fade in and out, as well as dissolve cuts for his transitions. Since this is a noir film, there was a great amount of low key lighting, but high key was used too. Welles really likes to use the low angle and high angle shots, as the shadows on the character's faces that are created from these shots gives them a more evil presence. His usage of music was great as usual, with the more non-diegetic intense music picking during action sequences. There was a lot of close ups and medium shots, over shoulder shots, as well as tracking shots. One scene in particular used a crane for a tracking shot, following the detective as HE follows a man from a distance. Overall, the performance by Welles was phenomenal, with the sinister and calm nature of his delivery when describing how he just killed a man, and very intense sound of tick-tock to add the suspenseful notion that time is running out during a pivotal scene. If you are a Welles fan, no reason to skip this one.
... View MoreOrson Welles master in his art of movie making made this movie using many of his techniques from Citizen Kane. The entire movie is filled with the use of shadows. It makes everything very dark and hidden much like the character Orson himself plays. Orson Welles also uses mirrors extensively allowing us to see two peoples reactions at the same time. Its one of those odd techniques that Orson excels and it seems he likes using them. Orson also uses clock as a motif throughout the entire movie because Franz Kindler has an obsession with clocks. The use of music really drives the scenes. It affects your feelings more than you even realize. What happens throughout makes you wonder why he would do the things he does. He murders his old friend, his dog, attempts to murder his wife. However when you realize he was a Nazi you can understand that he is nuts and nothing he does is rational. Edward G. Robinson as the detective was an excellent choice. Orson seems to attempt to explain the rationale of the Nazis and he shows how their views eventually collapse. Orson Welles made another very complicated and well written film but it wasn't as big a hit as Citizen Kane was.
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