Rating: 
Summary: Forgettable postwar noir
Review: The only film Orson Welles ever made within his allotted budget seems oddly lifeless. It contains some wonderful shots of course, but Welles doesn't really shine as this villain (as he would in "Touch of Evil") and Edward G. Robinson seems ill at ease as a good guy.
Rating:
Summary: Well-paced thriller, atypical of Welles' style
Review: The quality of this DVD is adequate: more watchable than the other Welles "Laserlight Classics," but nowhere near as sharp as, say, the recent DVD releases of "Citizen Kane" or "The Third Man." The bizarro Tony Curtis introduction is perhaps worth the price of admission alone! The bonus documentary is fairly perfunctory, but does contain some interesting and rarely seen trailers of Welles films.On to the movie itself: In a scenario reminiscient of (but far less effective than) Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt," Edward G. Robinson pursues the title character (Welles), who may or may not be an escaped Nazi, through a sleepy Connecticut town. Although "The Stranger" illustrates Welles' concerns that World War II did not spell the end of fascism, the film is by his own admission more of an attempt at profitable Hollywood product than an artistic statement. Despite this and the film's failure to live up to the inevitable comparison's with "Shadow of a Doubt," "The Stranger" remains a well-paced thriller, more enjoyable when considered apart from the rest of Welles' oeuvre. The trademark Welles style is evident in the South American prologue and the drugstore scenes, and the film achieves genuine suspense during the "paper chase" scene and the grand finale.
Rating:
Summary: Well-paced thriller, atypical of Welles' style
Review: The quality of this DVD is adequate: more watchable than the other Welles "Laserlight Classics," but nowhere near as sharp as, say, the recent DVD releases of "Citizen Kane" or "The Third Man." The bizarro Tony Curtis introduction is perhaps worth the price of admission alone! The bonus documentary is fairly perfunctory, but does contain some interesting and rarely seen trailers of Welles films. On to the movie itself: In a scenario reminiscient of (but far less effective than) Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt," Edward G. Robinson pursues the title character (Welles), who may or may not be an escaped Nazi, through a sleepy Connecticut town. Although "The Stranger" illustrates Welles' concerns that World War II did not spell the end of fascism, the film is by his own admission more of an attempt at profitable Hollywood product than an artistic statement. Despite this and the film's failure to live up to the inevitable comparison's with "Shadow of a Doubt," "The Stranger" remains a well-paced thriller, more enjoyable when considered apart from the rest of Welles' oeuvre. The trademark Welles style is evident in the South American prologue and the drugstore scenes, and the film achieves genuine suspense during the "paper chase" scene and the grand finale.
Rating: 
Summary: Welles At His Most Conventional, But Good All the Same
Review: The recut and re-released TOUCH OF EVIL has revived interest in the work of director Orson Welles, and rightfully so. But what's to be said of THE STRANGER, often sniffed at by Welles scholars as being "too conventional"? Actually, quite a bit. THE STRANGER was made at a time when Welles hadn't directed a film in nearly four years. At that time, rumors were circulating as to his unreliability (and lack of marketability). To a certain extent, his reputation for being an out-of-control highbrow was a deserved one; he was also, however, an undeniable talent. THE STRANGER demonstrates this. While the story of the escaped Nazi Franz Kindler (played by Welles) is told in straightforward fashion, there are flourishes of camera and characterization worthy of the maker of CITIZEN KANE. It must be admitted that Welles himself in the lead is a bit hammy at times; however, Edward G. Robinson (as a Nazi-hunter) and Loretta Young (as Kindler's unsuspecting wife) have never been better. The plot, too, is quite suspenseful, aided by lively dialogue written by Anthony Viellor, John Huston, and Welles himself. And Welles the director keeps the picture moving. Particularly fine are the scenes wherein the frightened Young discovers her husband's true identity; the ensuing cat-and-mouse game gets a grip on the audience that doesn't relax until the bravura finale. Along the way are Wellesian touches that complement--rather than intrude on--the story. Billy House and Constantin Shane (in smaller parts) make significant impact; the scene near the beginning where Kindler murders a good friend is effectively done with crane shots; and a film- within-the-film introduces the Holocaust to American movie-goers. Good, too, is the performance of Richard Long as Young's little brother. In later life, Welles brushed off THE STRANGER, calling it the most impersonal of his movies, done only to show that he could direct as well as the next fellow (which, according to some wags, meant coming in under budget and on schedule). This is unfair to THE STRANGER, which is a taught, intelligent, well-made thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story
Review: The suspense and well written story alone makes it a good film to watch. It's very sad, as it deals so with Natzi's and their terrible crimes. It is diturbing at times, but a very good film to waych to learn about the criminal mind and entertaining as the story is interesting, and not at all unbelievable. Loretta Young and Orson Well's make up a great cast in it.
Rating:
Summary: Good story
Review: The suspense and well written story alone makes it a good film to watch. It's very sad, as it deals so with Natzi's and their terrible crimes. It is diturbing at times, but a very good film to waych to learn about the criminal mind and entertaining as the story is interesting, and not at all unbelievable. Loretta Young and Orson Well's make up a great cast in it.
Rating:
Summary: A very good film-noir
Review: This is a very good film and one of the lesser-known film-noirs. Orson Welles is an escaped Nazi war criminal named Franz Kindler who hides out in a bucolic Connecticut town under an assumed name. He believes he can finally put his dark past behind him since nobody knows his true identity. He becomes a teacher at a prep school for boys and marries the headmaster's pretty but very naive daughter Mary, played very well by Loretta Young. Edward G. Robinson is also terrific in his role as a war crimes commissioner on Kindler's trail who shows up in town as an antique dealer. Welles and Robinson's characters play a cat & mouse game that ends in a dramatic climax atop the town's clock tower. At times Welles' performance comes off as over the top and the film can seem slightly melodramatic, but I believe those factors enhance the dense and brooding atmosphere. This is a good film with a simple plot and on cue performances that allow us to see the characters' motivations without being distracted by unimportant details. Richard Long and Martha Wentworth also star. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A very good film-noir
Review: This is a very good film and one of the lesser-known film-noirs. Orson Welles is an escaped Nazi war criminal named Franz Kindler who hides out in a bucolic Connecticut town under an assumed name. He believes he can finally put his dark past behind him since nobody knows his true identity. He becomes a teacher at a prep school for boys and marries the headmaster's pretty but very naive daughter Mary, played very well by Loretta Young. Edward G. Robinson is also terrific in his role as a war crimes commissioner on Kindler's trail who shows up in town as an antique dealer. Welles and Robinson's characters play a cat & mouse game that ends in a dramatic climax atop the town's clock tower. At times Welles' performance comes off as over the top and the film can seem slightly melodramatic, but I believe those factors enhance the dense and brooding atmosphere. This is a good film with a simple plot and on cue performances that allow us to see the characters' motivations without being distracted by unimportant details. Richard Long and Martha Wentworth also star. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Quite a mix
Review: This particular DVD version of "The Stranger" would have been much better without several of the so-called "extras." First, that annoying Delta logo that pops up in the lower right hand corner every so often. That should be the first to go. Second, the bizarre introduction and endnotes from Tony Curtis. What is that about? Lastly, the puny "Orson Welles On Film" documentary left a lot to be desired. It was mostly still photographs of Welles in various poses and long movie clips with some bland narration. For a much better documentary of Welles' career, I recommend "The Battle Over Citizen Kane." You may wonder why I mentioned all this before talking about the movie itself...well, all the bells and whistles were distracting. However, I did enjoy the movie itself. Edward G. Robinson does a fine job as the Nazi hunter who has tracked down a fugitive (Welles) to a small Conneticut town. Orson Welles gives a quietly sinister performance as Rankin/Kindler; even his little "Mm-hms" are chilling, and when he scowls and glares, it's pretty intimidating. Loretta Young gets a little shrill as Rankin's dim bulb wife, but gives an adequate performance. In summary: the film is well worth watching, especially for fans of Orson Welles. If you're going to buy it for keeps, however, you may want to look for another version that is better quality.
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