In 1951 Alfred Hitchcock staked his territory in Hollywood as 'the master of suspense' with psychological thriller Strangers On A Train. A sinister Robert Walker forces Farley Granger into a murderous scheme after a chance meeting in this "ruthlessly delicious" film, which paved the way for Hitchcock's definitive body of work; Dial M For Murder, The Wrong Man, North By Northwest, I Confess and Stage Fright are also available (along with this title) in The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection.
Train Of Thought
Rent-a-film-historian and sometime director Peter Bogdanovich always guarantees an academic slant to any Special Edition DVD, and this is no exception. He takes the lead in A Hitchcock Classic, a documentary exploring the underlying themes and psychological trickery that makes Strangers On A Train as relevant now as it was over a half a century ago. Other film critics, biographers and intellectuals help dissect the plot, while only briefly referencing the actual process of making the film. Even then, Hitchcock enthusiasts won't be surprised by any of the behind-the-scenes trivia - like the revelation that the script was still being written as the film was shooting.
Conversely M Night Shyamalan infuses a childish glee in his 'Appreciation' of the film, picking upon key scenes (such as the fairground murder) to illustrate the various devices that Hitchcock employed to manipulate and thrill his audience. Fans of the thriller genre will find this particularly instructive while Shyamalan makes for an endearingly enthusiastic guide through this murderous maze.
Bogged Down
Kasey Rogers aka Laura Elliot, otherwise known as Miriam - best known for being strangled by Robert Walker - retraces her experiences of working with "Mr Hitchcock" in The Victim's POV. Surely there was nothing Mr H liked better than to torture a beautiful lady and Rogers was no exception - recalling how she was made to fall down dead on a concrete floor for countless takes. On top of that, those eerie milk-bottle spectacles rendered her completely blind for most of the shoot. It's a brief but evocative interview that adds much-needed nostalgia value.
Showcasing home video footage of the great director alongside interviews with his granddaughters, The Hitchcocks On Hitch also aims for nostalgia but without having anything to do with the film. The same goes for the quite frankly baffling minute of archive footage wherein Hitch stands by a train posing with bewigged history buffs for no particular reason. Surely an introduction of some sort is in order here!?
Bogdanovich is back for the audio commentary as part of a patchwork of other film historians, veteran moviemakers and actors. Generalisations abound although there is some scene-specific commentary for pivotal scenes with Hitchcock himself voicing his thoughts in excerpts taken from a 1963 interview with (who else?) Peter Bogdanovich. However, this mostly involves Bogdanovich telling Hitchcock what the film is about with Hitchcock mostly agreeing. "Wasn't Bruno a homosexual?" asks Bogdanovich. "Oh, yes. I think so. Yes." mutters Hitchcock. So there it is.
A so-called "preview version" of the film is also included in the package, although you may be hard pressed to spot the differences. In fact there are hardly any genuine moments of surprise on this DVD, although it does provide a detailed examination of a film noir classic.
EXTRA FEATURES
