THE STRANGER (1946) **1/2 If you're having a discussion with someone who (knows anything about him and) doesn't think that Orson Welles is one of the great black & white directors, I give you permission to terminate the conversation as rudely as you wish. I, however, would probably continue, as I enjoy talking to nut cases. If he seems a bit overly-determined to impress with shadow flourishes, and even if they might strike you as just a little derivative from say Hitchcock, it doesn't change what he accomplishes and gets away with. It's a very impressive looking film. Somehow, though-I would say-for reasons that I'm neither technically nor psychologically equipped to explain, the imbalanced shots don't increase the tension as they do for Hitchcock when he's well. The plot is credible enough, and I can't point to anything wrong with the pacing, but it doesn't build and sustain so much as wax and wane, however gently. If some of the clues are a bit obvious; even detectives were more gullible back then. You can't blame the actors: Welles, Edward G. Robinson and Loretta Young are all top notch, and all lend and adapt themselves well to what Welles is trying to do as director. Robinson's facial incongruities and asides are spectacular, in that understated way. So if you like this film better than I do, you probably just watched it better!
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