Alfred Hitchcock's Film Strangers On A Train

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Strangers on a Train is yet another film that exemplifies Hitchcock’s mastery of the thriller and suspense genre. Hitchcock successfully partners narrative and cinema in order to keep his audience at the edge of their seats until the last scene of the film. One of the most important scenes of the movie occurs from about 01:05:48 to 01:11:24, the point at which Guy finally arrives at Bruno’s house, supposedly to kill Bruno’s father. While some may argue that the pivotal moment in this movie is when Bruno kills Miriam, I would have to disagree. Not only does the scene in Bruno’s house give Guy his first insight into Bruno’s actual life as well as how truly insane he is, it also is pretty much the catalyst for the climax and rest of the movie.…show more content…
Specific angles and pans seem to mimic the characters’ emotions as well as continue the ongoing suspense. The first shot of this scene at 01:05:48 is an extreme long shot and seems to be on a slight cant, putting into perspective how Guy must not only feel next to this vast estate, but also in his current situation. Starting at 01:05:52 the shots frame in closer to Guy, but they also appear more drastically canted. Just as the lighting placed the audience in an almost POV situation, the framing and angles of the camera also seem to suggest what Guy, and later Bruno, are feeling. By having the camera canted Hitchcock is revealing how off kilter Guy is on the inside despite how composed he seems to be on the outside. Similarly, a fair amount of shots framed on Bruno seem to be low angle shots, suggesting that he views himself as superior to Guy. This is also confirmed by the various times Bruno comments to Guy about how clever of a man he is. This can be scene at about 01:10:43 when the two men descend the stairs and the camera is angled up to reveal Guy’s expression, but also Bruno looming over him. Pans are also used almost exclusively for shots of Bruno, working in tandem with the final element of shot length to mimic his
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