On July 2, 1946, director-star Orson Welles unveiled the noir film The Stranger in Los Angeles. The film won a nomination in the writing category at the 19th Academy Awards. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review, titled “‘The Stranger’ Will Know High Boxoffice Returns,” is below:
In The stranger, International Pictures delivers the sixth and final feature for release via RKO-Radio. It’s entertainment of the same high quality that distinguished the previous product from the Leo Spitz-William Goetz organization, which will plan future releases through United World Pictures. Produced by SP Eagle and directed by Orson Welles, who form the star trio with Edward C. Robinson and Loretta Young, box office expectations are exceptionally high for this tense and suspenseful melodrama. It begins with a chase, carefully develops every punch possible, builds legitimate interest in the heroine whose life is in danger, then brings things to a thrilling climax – all in the best traditions of movie drama. The creators of this one deserve their acclaim.
In the opening scenes, a criminal is allowed to escape from prison. When he is relentlessly followed by a sharp-eyed man, sometimes recognizable only by the pipe he smokes, it becomes clear that the fleeing person is a Nazi. He has been allowed to get away because it is believed that he will forge a path to a higher, in fact the bestial spirit that has devised most of the tortures carried out in German concentration camps. This mastermind, if such a designation applies to something so low, is known for hiding in America. But under what guise and where?
The path leads to a university town. The fugitive summons a professor the morning before that worthy’s wedding to a judge’s lovely daughter. Together they take a walk through the forest. Only the professor comes back. The wedding takes place and the couple go on a honeymoon.
In the days that follow, the pursuer searches for his missing prey. Unable to find out who was looking for the missing person, the chase is about to be called off when a chance comment from the professor at the dinner table betrays him. He has spoken of his belief in the need for a Carthaginian peace, but by insisting on the extermination of the entire German race, he unknowingly escapes a hint of anti-Semitism. This is the clue that trips a guy who might otherwise have gone unpunished. A second betrayal is his hobby repairing clocks. His panic increases when he realizes that the net is tightening around him. His bride must be told for her own protection, but it isn’t until he tries to kill her that she can believe her husband is a monstrous killer. Ironically, his end is brought about by an avenging figure in the chimes he restored to the church tower.
Orson Welles is responsible for a performance by the professor that matches the strength and content of his brilliant directing. His mature talents are constantly displayed. Inspired is the inclusion of a slice of real German camp film that is part of the evidence held by the War Crimes Commission. Welles is aided in no uncertain terms by magnificent photography from Russell Metty and compelling production design from Perry Ferguson. There are many other indications of showmanship in Eagle’s astute production.
Loretta Young rises to heights seldom demanded of her before. Beautifully overshadowed is her horror that she is even asked to hear such charges against a man to whom she has given her love. Her own fears are beautifully realized, and her final defiance delivered gloriously.
Edward G. Robinson enjoys an intelligent change of pace that puts him in the role of the pursuer. His conduct has appreciated authority, but that pipe support could have been worn to pay off. Billy House takes advantage of all his rich comedic opportunities as the colorful village shopkeeper, and Martha Wentworth as housekeeper achieves some fine moments. The judge is excellent in the hands of the late Philip Merivale, as well as Richard Long’s brother and Konstantin Shayne’s fugitive. † Jack D. Grant, originally published May 21, 1946