( aka 'Date with Destiny')
USA 1946
The legendary story that hovers over Orson Welles's The Stranger is that he wanted Agnes Moorehead to star as the dogged Nazi hunter who trails a war criminal to a sleepy New England town. The part went to E.G. Robinson, who is marvelous, but it points out how many compromises Welles made on the film in an attempt to show Hollywood he could make a film on time, on budget, and on their own terms. He accomplished all three, turning out a stylish if unambitious film noir thriller, his only Hollywood film to turn a profit on its original release. Welles stars as unreformed fascist Franz Kindler, hiding as a schoolteacher in a New England prep school for boys and newly married to the headmaster's lovely if naive daughter (Loretta Young). Welles the director is in fine form for the opening sequences, casting a moody tension as agents shadow a twitchy low-level Nazi official skulking through South American ports and building up to dramatic crescendo as Kindler murders this little man, the lovely woods becoming a maelstrom of swirling leaves that expose the body he furiously tries to bury. The rest of film is a well-designed but conventional cat-and-mouse game featuring an eye-rolling performance by Welles and a thrilling conclusion played out in the dark clock tower that looms over the little village. Excerpt from Sean Axmaker's review at Amazon located HERE *** "Not considered by Welles to be one of his finer efforts, and made only as a studio concession, 'The Stranger' still has elements of film-noir greatness, both behind the camera and in front as a more svelte thespian than in his later years. Edward G. Robinson as the doggedly pursuing detective using his strong instincts to ferret out a hiding ex-Nazi war criminal in a sleepy US small-town. Loretta Young looks good even if the soft-focus on her close-ups seems a trifle too heavy. I enjoyed it immensely and the final clock-tower sequence is yet another element that sets it, and Welles, apart from his peers." |
Posters and 1946 LIFE Magazine article
Release Date: May 25th, 1946 - USA
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Associated Reading (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
This is Orson Welles by Orson Welles, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Rosenbaum |
Orson Welles on Shakespeare: The W.P.A. and Mercury
Theatre Playscripts by Orson Welles, Simon Callow, Richard France |
Orson Welles: Interviews (Conversations with
Filmmakers (Paperbacks)) by Orson Welles, Mark W. Estrin |
Orson Welles : The Stories of His Life by Peter Conrad |
Rosebud : The Story of Orson Welles by David Thomson |
Encyclopedia of Orson Welles (Great Filmmakers) by Chuck Berg, Tom Erskine, John C. Tibbetts, James M. Welsh, Thomas L. Erskine |
Chimes at Midnight: Orson Welles, Director (Rutgers
Films in Print) by Bridget Gellert Lyons |
Comparison:
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Focus-Films (single-disc) Region 0 - NTSC vs. MGM Region 2 / 4 - PAL vs. Roan Region 0 - NTSC vs. Parade Region 0 - NTSC vs. Focus-Films (2-disc) Region 0 - NTSC vs. Eureka Region 0 - PAL vs. HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Big thanks to courtesy of Enrique B Chamorro for the Roan screen captures! and Pavel Borodin for Focus Films (double), Eureka and the MGM.
1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT 2) Focus Films -single-disc- Region 0 NTSC 2nd3) MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - 3rd 4) Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT
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Distribution | MGM - Region 1 - NTSC | Focus Films (Single disc) - Region 0 - NTSC |
MGM Home Entertainment Region 2 - PAL |
Roan - Region 0 - NTSC |
Runtime | 1:35:06 | 1:35:48 | 1:31:18 ( 4% PAL speed-up) | 1:34:45 |
Video |
Aspect ratio: 1:33:1 Average Bitrate: 6.12 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
Aspect ratio: 1:37:1 Average Bitrate: 6.90 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
Aspect ratio: 1:37:1 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
Aspect ratio: 1:37:1 |
1) (Parade Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT2) Focus-Films Region 0 -NTSC SECOND3) Eureka Region 0 -PAL - THIRD 4) HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT
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DVD Box Cover
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Distribution | Parade/ Master Movies/ Region 0 - NTSC | Focus Films - Region 0 - NTSC |
Eureka Films Region 0 - PAL |
HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:34:00 | 1:35:48 | 1:31:18 (4% PAL speed-up) | 1:34:58.150 |
Video |
Aspect ratio: 1:37:1 Average Bitrate: 5.11 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
Aspect ratio: 1:37:1 Average Bitrate: 6.90 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
Aspect ratio: 1:37:1 Average Bitrate: 5.60 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
Disc Size: 17,247,871,853 bytes Feature Size: 16,634,990,592 bytes Average Bitrate: 21.56 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P |
Bitrate: |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
MGM
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Focus Films (new)
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MGM (R2)
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Roan Film Group
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Parade
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Focus Films
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Eureka
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Blu-ray
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(Focus Films -single-disc- Region 0 NTSC LEFT vs. MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - SECOND vs. Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC -
THIRD vs. Parade Region 0 - NTSC - FOURTH, Focus-Films Region 0 -NTSC FIFTH, Eureka Region 0 -PAL - RIGHT )
Dist. | MGM - Region 1 - NTSC | Focus Films (Single disc) - Region 0 - NTSC |
MGM Home Entertainment Region 2 - PAL |
Roan - Region 0 - NTSC | Parade/ Master Movies/ Region 0 - NTSC | Focus Films (2 disc) - Region 0 - NTSC |
Eureka Films Region 0 - PAL |
HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Audio | English (Dolby Digital 1.0) | English (Dolby Digital 5.1) | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) DUBS: German, French, Italian, Spanish | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | English (Dolby Digital 1.0) | English (Dolby Digital 5.1) | English (Dolby Digital 1.0) | Dolby Digital Audio
English 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
Subtitles | English, Spanish and none | None | English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Greek, Rumanian and none | None | Japanese and none | None | None | Spanish, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: MGM (US) Aspect Ratio: Keep Case 20 Chapters
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Release Information: Studio: Focus Films Entertainment
Aspect Ratio: Discographic Information: Layers: Dual Edition Details: DVD Release Date: February 7th, 2006 Keep Case 10 Chapters 1 Disc
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Release Information: Studio: MGM (UK) Aspect Ratio: Keep Case 16 Chapters |
Release Information: Studio: Roan Group Aspect Ratio: DVD Release Date: Feb 4th, 2003 Single Keep Case 20 Chapters
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Release Information: Studio: Parade Aspect Ratio): Discographic Information: Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: May
12, 1998
11 Chapters
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Release Information: Studio: Focus Films Entertainment
Aspect Ratio: Discographic Information: Layers: Dual Edition Details: DVD Release Date: April 2, 2002 Double Keep Case 10 Chapters 2 Discs in Box Set NOTE: The Stranger is part of a Box-set that contains The Trail and Orson Welles's first film, 1934's Hearts of Age |
Release Information: Studio: Eureka Video Aspect Ratio: Edition Details: • Special Feature: Full-length commentary Layers: Single DVD
Release Date: 18 Mar, 2002
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Release Information: Studio: HD Cinema Classics Disc Size: 17,247,871,853 bytes Feature Size: 16,634,990,592 bytes Average Bitrate: 21.56 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P
Edition Details: • Trailer (1:06 in 1080P) • Postcard with the poster • DVD of the film included
Blu-ray
Release Date: February 15th, 2011
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Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Kino - Region FREE - Blu-ray September 2013: ADDED HERE.*** ADDITION: HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray February 2011: We've made our comments in a separate review located HERE.*** ADDITION: MGM - Region 1- NTSC July 07': The NTSC MGM disc is progressive and may be on a par with its Region 2 MGM counterpart in terms of image although if I was forced to choose I'd give the nod to the US edition. I think it shows slightly less artifacts and possibly superior contrast - but it's not a deal-breaker in my mind - detail is the same. Both have optional subtitles but the PAL release has a trailer where the MGM (US) has nothing in the way of supplements. I still love the film and I don't think I'm alone. The new DVD is by no means perfect but it's the best we know of (take into account the inferiority of PAL speedup). *** ADDITION: Focus Films (Single Disc) - Sept 06': Just a brief warning that the newer single disc Focus Films edition is the exact same interlaced transfer of the double-disc (it's actually the same disc) - same commentary and same horrendous Hearts of Age supplement. As it is single disc'ed it leaves out The Trial and 18 minute documentary. Stick with the slightly black-boosted MGM PAL or the Roan as a close second (it does include Cause For Alarm). This might be worth picking up for the commentary - very reasonably priced. It certainly has the best cover of all of them.
NOTE: On Roan's *** Finally we have a decent version of this film on DVD. Having it slip into the public domain caused a multitude or DVD producers to come out with their own versions- most of them awful. The Roan Group edition is almost as clean/sharp as the MGM, but is substantially cropped. The MGM disc has no Extras but a trailer, but is the winner on image quality. Decent contrast, a little film grain but I do notice a speckle of contrast boosting. Still better than we have seen on DVD yet. |
DVD Menus
MGM - Region 1- NTSC LEFT vs. Focus Films -single-disc- Region 0 NTSC MIDDLE vs. MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - RIGHT
Parade Region 0 - NTSC -
NOTE: No DVD menu in the Roan Group DVD- launches directly into the film.
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HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
Subtitle sample of the MGM (USA) TOP vs. HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
1) MGM - Region 1- NTSC TOP2) Focus Films -single-disc - Region 0 NTSC 2nd3) MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - 3rd 4) Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC - 4th 5) Parade Region 0 - NTSC - 5th6) Focus-Films Region 0 -NTSC 6th7) Eureka Region 0 -PAL 7th8) HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) MGM - Region 1- NTSC TOP2) Focus Films -single-disc - Region 0 NTSC 2nd3) MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - 3rd 4) Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC - 4th 5) Parade Region 0 - NTSC - 5th6) Focus-Films Region 0 -NTSC 6th7) Eureka Region 0 -PAL 7th8) HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) MGM - Region 1- NTSC TOP2) Focus Films -single-disc - Region 0 NTSC 2nd3) MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - 3rd 4) Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC - 4th 5) Parade Region 0 - NTSC - 5th6) Focus-Films Region 0 -NTSC 6th7) Eureka Region 0 -PAL 7th8) HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) MGM - Region 1- NTSC TOP2) Focus Films -single-disc - Region 0 NTSC 2nd3) MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - 3rd 4) Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC - 4th 5) Parade Region 0 - NTSC - 5th6) Focus-Films Region 0 -NTSC 6th7) Eureka Region 0 -PAL 7th8) HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) MGM - Region 1- NTSC TOP2) Focus Films -single-disc - Region 0 NTSC 2nd3) MGM - Region 2 / 4- PAL - 3rd 4) Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC - 4th 5) Parade Region 0 - NTSC - 5th6) Focus-Films Region 0 -NTSC 6th7) Eureka Region 0 -PAL 7th8) HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
Recommended Reading in Film Noir (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City by Nicholas Christopher |
Shades of Noir: A Reader by Joan Copjec |
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the
Classic Era of Film Noir by Eddie Muller |
The Little Black and White Book of Film Noir:
Quotations from Films of the 40's and 50's by Peg Thompson, Saeko Usukawa |
Film Noir by Alain Silver |
Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era,
1940-1959 by Michael F. Keaney |
Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch |
Report Card:
Image: |
MGM (Region 1 + 2) or Roan |
Sound: |
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Extras: | Focus Films |
Menu: | Eureka |
DVD Box Covers |
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Distribution | MGM - Region 1 - NTSC | Focus Films (Single disc) - Region 0 - NTSC |
MGM Home Entertainment Region 2 - PAL |
Roan - Region 0 - NTSC |
DVD Box Cover
Click to order from: |
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Distribution | Parade/ Master Movies/ Region 0 - NTSC | Focus Films - Region 0 - NTSC |
Eureka Films Region 0 - PAL |
HD Cinema Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray |