Obsessed with staging the perfect crime, Alfred Hitchcock discovers in Patricia Highsmith’s novel, Strangers on the train, a solid source of inspiration. He adapted it in 1951, a year after its publication, using another big name in detective fiction: Raymond Chandler. As their collaboration soured, the filmmaker eventually decided to work with other co-writers, namely Chancey Ormond, as well as his favorite screenwriter, Ben Hecht (uncredited).
Titled L’Inconnu du Nord-Express, the film follows the meeting of a tennis champion (Farley Granger) and a mysterious stranger (Robert Walker in his last film) who offers him a strange deal: he will get rid of his difficult woman if the latter undertakes to destroy her in return. own father Believing he’s dealing with a madman, the tennis player ignores him… until his wife is found murdered.
For his first independent American production, Hitchcock reaches nothing less than one of the pinnacles of his career. The script plays on all his favorite elements: action, tension, manipulation. We encounter great Hitchcock motifs (in addition to the theme of perfect crime, human frailty, innocence caught in the circle of hell, duality, repressed homosexuality…) and a brilliant analysis of the relationship between good and evil.
Finally, the film achieves perfection in its editing effects, visual discoveries (let’s mention the famous final scene in the center of fun, which is one of the most difficult memories of Hitchcock), as well as black and white photography, flawless. . Oscar-nominated director Robert Burks, who will collaborate with the director many times, is also nominated for an Oscar.
on AlloCine, Unknown to Nord-Express Holds a solid average press rating of 4.8/5. “One of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films” (fight), “classic” (dawn), “Alfred Hitchcock’s Masterpiece” (L’Humanité) – can be read among critics. On the public side, it is also a success as the film has an average audience rating of 4/5.
Unknown to Nord-Express By Alfred Hitchcock with Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker…
Tonight on Arte at 9 o’clock.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
