Strangers on a Train

"It starts with a shriek of a train whistle... and ends with shrieking excitement!"

1951 1h 41m EN

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 1,946

CrimeThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A charming psychopath tries to coerce a tennis star into his theory that two strangers can commit the perfect crime by exchanging murders—each killing the other’s most-hated person.

“It starts with a shriek of a train whistle... and ends with shrieking excitement!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Farley Granger
Guy Haines
Ruth Roman
Anne Morton
Robert Walker
Bruno Antony
Leo G. Carroll
Senator Morton
Patricia Hitchcock
Barbara Morton
Kasey Rogers
Miriam Haines
Marion Lorne
Mrs. Antony
Jonathan Hale
Mr. Antony

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Raymond Chandler, Czenzi Ormonde
Languages: French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William H. Ziegler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Farley Granger and Ruth Roman and Robert Walker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. Robert Burks behind the camera. Dimitri Tiomkin scores. William H. Ziegler cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.
375 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
5Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor William H. Ziegler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Farley Granger and Ruth Roman and Robert Walker carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "It starts with a shriek of a train whistle... and ends with shrieking excitement!".
10IMDB entry: tt0044079 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 30 themes, including "infidelity", "island", "based on novel or book", "perfect crime".
12Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Burks
Original score: Dimitri Tiomkin
Editing: William H. Ziegler
Makeup / hair: Gordon Bau
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,200,000
Box office: $7,000,000
Return: 583% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Strangers on a Train (1951)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Alfred Hitchcock

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CharlesTheBold2017-03-12
The "strangers on a train" are Guy, a successful athlete in an unhappy marriage, and Bruno, an amoral playboy. Bruno suggests a perfect crime whereby Guy can get rid of his wife without being suspected, and he convinces himself that Guy has agreed to it. Bruno is obviously evil, but what about Guy? Is he is respectable as he claims? Is his wife that bad, or is Guy really a social climber who wants to be rid of his unfashionable spouse in order to acquire a trophy wife? Does he send mix signals to Bruno because he really wants Bruno's plot to succeed? The notion of hidden, shadowy evil is what gives this thriller its power.
CinemaSerf2024-08-22
★ 7/10
Tennis pro "Haines" (Farley Granger) is quietly travelling in the club car of a train when his neighbour "Bruno" (Robert Walker) strikes up a conversation. It all seems innocuous enough, the former man is an accomplished player and it seems to him that this is a fan, of sorts, who just wants some company as he drowns his journey in Scotch. What quickly becomes clear from this chat is that both have people in their lives they'd rather be without. "Haines" is married to "Miriam" (Kasey Rogers) but would far sooner be married to senator's daughter "Anne" (Ruth Roman) whilst "Bruno" desperately wants shot of his overbearing father (Jonathan Hale). How about these two complete strangers carry out a cunningly planned murder each that will solve the other's problem? The athlete is having none of this, but when "Bruno" takes matters into his own hands a bit of menacing blackmail rears it's ugly head before the suspicious police start sniffing around and "Haines" finds himself in quite a spot. This is one of Raymond Chandler's better structured stories with quite an intricate series of layers to it - each more perilous for the hapless, lovestruck and out of his depth "Haines". There develops a palpable chemistry between the on-form Walker and Granger who both manage to keep this story compelling as director Alfred Hitchcock turns the screws gently but firmly on both of these characters. It all comes to an head in a fairground where the dazzling lights, highly pitched music and accumulating sense of panic complete a tautly presented and powerfully scored (by Dimitri Tiomkin) drama that looks at human vice, betrayal and temerity. Trains always provide well as conduits for crime thrillers, and with strong, if sparing, support from the likes of Marion Lorne, Leo G. Carroll, Hitch's own daughter Patricia as the meddling "Barbara" and a short cameo from Norma Varden (before she discovered large, ugly, hats) to add some richness - and diversion - to the machinations, then it might just make you very wary of striking up any conversation with any stranger ever again!

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