Republic
Pictures, 56m 7s
The
lively gothic noir programmer STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT marked the film noir debut of pioneering auteur
Anthony Mann, a figurehead of some of the genre's enduring classics, including T-MEN (1947), RAW DEAL (1948) and BORDER
INCIDENT (1949). Those who appreciate Mann's more recognized efforts should
find a lot to like in this Republic Pictures product, which registers keen
awareness of director Alfred Hitchcock's galvanizing contribution to the infrastructure
of the thriller (especially his REBECCA
[1940] and SUSPICION [1941]). In
fact the screenplay engineered by Bryant Ford and Paul Gangelin was based on an
original story by Philip MacDonald, one of the writers credited for the
Hitchcock adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's 1938 novel REBECCA.
During
his tour of duty in the South Pacific, Sergeant Johnny Meadows (William Terry)
sustains a severe injury to his back. His recuperative power is aided by a
secondhand copy of A. E. Housman's A SHROPSHIRE LAD with a hand-written
inscription from Rosemary Blake, with whom he establishes a correspondence. She
becomes his primary inspiration to return to the states. While Johnny makes his
way to a small California coastal town to meet the pen pal love he never has
seen, her mother Hilda Blake (Helene Thimig) admires the large painting of
Rosemary that rules the family mansion. After Hilda and her browbeaten
companion Ivy Miller (Edith Barrett) drink a birthday toast to Rosemary, Dr.
Leslie Ross (Virginia Grey) pays a visit to announce her arrival as the new
town physician. Hilda is dismissive of Dr. Ross, an attractive, self-reliant
woman of integrity. Without basis, Hilda instinctively fears Dr. Ross is
jealous of Rosemary's flawless beauty.
Despite
a modest runtime that does not quite stretch to an hour, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT manages to cover many genre facets. Crucial noir tropes emerge during a train ride,
when the marine vet Johnny spots a copy of A SHROPSHIRE LAD held by a woman in
the dining car, who just so happens to be Dr. Ross. In a decision guided by the
enigmatic noir force of fate, Dr.
Ross takes a seat at the table occupied by Johnny. He senses he has met his
true love based upon the book she possesses. His romantic sensibilities are
sound, though he is completely mistaken about the woman's identity. Quite
overtly, Dr. Ross functions as Rosemary's noir
doppelgänger. When both Johnny and Dr. Ross realize they are bound for the same
destination, a narrative-jolting derailment hints of the intense dramatics that
await at the Blake manor, where an atmosphere of disturbing solemnity is
perched on the edge of a precipitous seaside cliff obviously destined to factor
in the film's denouement.
Through
its monstrous feminine Hilda, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT delves into the
depths of a lonely woman's frail psyche. When walking she requires an assistive
cane, a device often used to conceptualize an incomplete character in the film noir. A pathetic personality (as
opposed to sympathetic), Hilda compensates for her compromised physicality with
domineering treatment of others. On the receiving end more than anyone is Ivy,
who often finds herself castigated for not living up to Hilda's unreasonable
expectations. The grim determinism embodied by the narrative's villainess
anticipates the disturbed female minds that cause chaos in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945), THE
STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (1945), THE
DARK MIRROR (1946), POSSESSED
(1947) and WHIRLPOOL (1949). In her
dark obsession with Rosemary's portrait, Hilda might remind the noir enthusiast of Mark McPherson (Dana
Andrews), the man fascinated by framed perfection in LAURA (1944). There is little doubt LAURA popularized the noir
theme of the idealized portrait, though in truth STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT hit theaters a month earlier. Viennese actress
Helene Thimig contributes a bravura performance as Hilda, a woman ultimately
destroyed by her own creation. Especially in terms of Thimig's role, I have to
believe STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT had
at least some influence on the Hammer Films production DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! (1965), a classic of the hag horror subgenre.
The
antithesis of Hilda is of course the genial Dr. Ross, a new breed of woman
meant to replace relics like Hilda who have fallen out of touch with changing
times. There is a running gag in the film that America is not yet ready to
accept the idea of female doctors, the aging matriarch Hilda among those least
prepared for such a development. Interestingly Dr. Ross reminds us it was
wartime male absence that encouraged women to enter into fields traditionally
occupied only by men. That observation reflects a general theme of the noir movement of the 1940s: there is no going back to the America that
existed before the war. Radical change was baked into the wartime recipe.
As
of this writing, the main plot summary at IMDb.com effectively ruins STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT for the
uninitiated. That is not to suggest any great surprise; I learned long ago the
more I avoid plot summaries and reviews prior to seeing a film for the first
time, the more likely I am to experience the film as the filmmakers intended.
It is never my intention to contribute to that nagging problem on my own blog,
but for the sake of analysis I offer the following observations strictly for
those who already have watched the film. How interesting that, whether he knows
it or not, the credulous Johnny falls for a much older woman through his
correspondence with the non-existent Rosemary. Not only that, he admits he may
not have recovered were it not for her letters! The considerable age difference
between Johnny and Hilda certainly is another factor that contributes to her
otherness, though the nature of the correspondence outside of age separation
remains problematic. To present oneself to another as something other than
one's actual self, to create a persona that exists in writing only, is in
itself unconscionable conduct. Another indication of the damaged woman is the
revelation Hilda was unable to bare children. In light of the truth about Rosemary,
the tour Hilda gives Johnny of her daughter's bedroom is especially creepy.
That Rosemary essentially comes to life in the concluding sequence to take down
Hilda seems completely appropriate, especially as a variation of the FRANKENSTEIN
myth. Ivy's tacit agreement with the creation of Rosemary is another
troublesome matter. The reticent servant's waning convictions come too late in
the game for her redemption.
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT is
available in a single-layered Blu-ray edition from Olive Films. Framed at the
original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1, the presentation is marred by some
speckles and scratches but overall reflects very good source material. There is
no supplemental material to consider.
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