Strangers on a Train

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Strangers on a Train!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th May 2026

Once again, we take a look at the oeuvre of one Alfred Hitchcock. 
It can't be denied that Hitchcock produced a body of work that is both large and impressive. Problem is, some of his lesser-known movies end up lost in the shadow of the more well-known ones. Which brings me to Strangers on a Train. It may not have the name recognition as Psycho or The Birds but it is one that I've been wanting to see for years. Why? Apparently there's a climax which is a chase scene on a Merry-Go-Round - one that The Master himself said was the most dangerous sequence he ever had to shoot. 

Like Hitchcock's other movies, this has the usual building of suspense - which is not surprising given this is from the Master of Suspense - so has this one has something of it's own to say? Yes indeed: There are some impressive sequences involving shadows and night time that look unique. There are some truly stunning examples of dread which stand out decades later. 
Also of note is just how this movie had the balls to have a clearly gay relationship with it's hero and villain - and in the early 1950s no less. Sure The Master did the same thing with the earlier Rope but this is more obvious. Which makes me wonder how they got away with it at the time. 
And as for the promised climax? I was not disappointed. Certainly gripping and staggering considering that this was done in the early 1950s. 

All in all, this may not be well-known when compared to Hitchcock's more well-known movies but this is still capable of standing on it's own two feet. 

Rope

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rope!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th June 2025

Well seeing as it's pride month....

It is an interesting thing with approaching Alfred Hitchcock's filmography: he produced so many movies and a large of them have gone down as classics that it is difficult to pick between them. And as such, a number of his films can slip through the cracks. 
It seems to me that this title is one such movie: Well regarded but nowhere near the likes of Psycho or The Birds. Still should be worth a look...

Maybe it's just me it seems this movies reputation, at least from modern audiences, lies in the fact that the two murderers here are clearly a gay couple. Certainly daring for the time (1948) but that does overshadow the technical achievements of the movie: Its constructed out of ten minute takes. It is impressive that it was done, that Hitchcock had the gall to do it and it suits the story's origins as a stage play well. 
At the end of the day though this was an experiment and whether or not Hitchcock succeeded is up to debate (one could make the argument that the homosexual overtones were far more interesting). Still, this is compelling and it's fun to see The Master branch out and try something different.