BearFan

The Stranger's basic plot is:

From DVD Express:
Orson Welles directed and stars in this tightly woven drama of wanted
Nazi war criminal, Franz Kindler, tracked down in a sleepy New England
village where he is about to marry the daughter of a U.S. Supreme court
Justice. Welles as the Nazi, Loretta Young as the unsuspecting bride
and Edward G. Robinson as the famous Nazi hunter all turn in
outstanding performances in a film which won an Academy Award
nomination for Original Story.

I would add that the story was a very nice suspense tale created in 1946. As a fan of suspense movies from that era, particularly Hitchcock, I would say this movie holds up quite well.


DVD Info:

Produced by S.P. Eagle; written by Victor Trivas; DVD released on 10/28/1997;
running time of 95 minutes

DD Mono - English Track

Standard 1.33:1 [4:3]

Also, DVD Express has this disc for $10.46 (before any coupons!)

Disc Extras are: Production notes, Cast/Crew Info, Japanese Subtitles

Video
Nice video transfer for the most part, considering the age of the film, a few minor instances of serious artifacts, but these were limited to a few seconds and during scene fade-outs. They did not cause me to miss any of the movie. The opening credits were a little grainy and there were a few moments where the light faded in and out. Again, for the most part the transfer was quite good and it did not distract from the movie at all

Audio
The Audio is in Mono considering the age of the movie is quite good, there are a few audio pops during quiet moments, but nothing very noticeable. All dialogue and music are very clear.

Extras:
There are non to speak of, a few production notes that are not all that great.

My Main Bitch is:
The Case. I forgot what they are called, but the case is the kind where the DVD slides out of the bottom of the case. It really sucks.

Overall:
An enjoyable movie if you like the classics, a nice transfer with good sound. For $10.46 if you are a fan of classics or Orson Welles, it is worth picking up.




[This message has been edited by BearFan (edited 08-06-1999).]

brez

Roan just released this movie paired with Cause For Alarm. I haven't watched it yet so I can't comment on the quality of the transfer but it is in a standard case.

ed

I saw "The Stranger" on AMC late last year and made an SVHS recording of it. Great movie, especially the ending, which I won't giveaway. The DVD case you are referring to is called a polygram case and yes, they are terrible. Simply opening and closing these cases creates an opportunity to scratch or damage your DVD. Thanks for the DVD review, I may have to pick up a copy.

classícman

Loretta Young stars in both movies. They are both excellent suspense movies.

Thanks Brez; I'm going to pick up a copy of the Roan Group DVD.

ed

Brez or Classicman,

If you have the opportunity please leave feedback on the quality of the Roan DVD transfer. Thank you.

brez

classicman and ed,

Good timing, I'm getting ready to watch the DVD now. I'll post a update on this thread later today.

Mike

brez

Just finished watching both movies. The Stranger is clearly the better movie. Frankly I found the "suspence" in Cause For Alarm a little forced.

As for the transfers. The Stranger is a little soft and lacking contrast. This is not a problem except in very dark scenes. Cause For Alarm is sharper overall. Audio is DD mono for both and very good considering the age of the films. Overall there is nothing in either tranfer to detract from either film. If you are a fan of both films I'm sure you will be happy with this DVD, if you only are interested in The Stranger you might consider saving a little money with the Master Tone disc reviewed above.

Mike

PictureMan

I have the Silver Screens version of The Stranger. OK movie (I'm a big Welles fan, and this is not his best by far). Enjoyable nonetheless. However, The transfer is not very good. As noted above, mediocre contrast (blacks weren't very black) and pretty fuzzy.

On the plus side, it's dirt cheap: $10.46 at dvdexpress.

jeff

ed

Thanks Mike, I appreciate you taking the time to post your opinion on the Roan combo DVD. Has to be better then my SVHS copy, so I believe I'll order one from Reel with a coupon.