The Fabulous Fifties:

 "I still think it would be wonderful to have a man love you so much he'd kill for you"

 

Review: Strangers on a Train

An Augustus Review of 7/10

For the second movie of the Fabulous Fifties week, I'll be reviewing Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. This movie stars Farley Granger as Guy Haines, Ruth Roman as Anne Morton and Robert Walker as Bruno Anthony. 

This classic movie surrounds the character of Guy Haines, a mediocre tennis player who is trying to divorce his wife in pursuit of his new love, Anne. The film starts with Guy on a train going to meet his unfaithful wife. Guy meets Bruno Anthony, a strange man who recognized Guy from newspapers.

Bruno is fully aware of Guy's relationship problems due to them being broadcast over the local papers. He begins to talk to Guy and lets him in on a plan of the perfect murders where no one could get caught. Bruno explains to Guy that if Bruno killed Guy's wife in return for killing his father, they would accomplish a double murder. To Bruno, this plan seems fool proof because no one would be able to link the strangers. Guy is completely astonished at Bruno and gets up as leaves. However, Bruno misunderstands the gesture as a yes to the plan.

Guy meets up with his wife who calls off the divorce. Guy, furious, threatens his wife. He calls Anne and in anger tells her he wants to "strangle" his wife. His wife is on her way home when Bruno begins to follow her. He catches up to her and strangles her to death. 

After discovering the dead body, Guy tries to contact his alibi, a college professor who was on the train but was too intoxicated to remember Guy and Bruno's meeting. To make matters worse, Bruno shows up and tells Guy it's time for him to keep his end of the deal. 

Bruno sends Guy a pistol, map of his father's house and keys. He then shows up at a local party where Anne is attending. Bruno shows a crowd how to strangle a woman without her screaming. In the process, he sees another woman who looked similar to Guy's ex-wife and truly begins to strangle the girl. Anne puts the clues together and confronts Guy who finally he tells her the truth. 

Over the phone, Guy agrees to the plan and goes to Bruno's house. He walks into the house and plans to tell Bruno's father of the plan but instead finds Bruno waiting for him. Bruno warns him that if he does not keep his end of the bargain, he will frame Guy for the murder.

Strangers on a Train received overall good reviews and was rated one of the top five best Hitchcock movies. The movie made $7 million in the box office which in the 1950s would be considered a great deal of money.

So if you're bored one night but in the mood for a cheesy black and white movie, put on your fedora and light a cigarette, because this is definitely the movie to watch!

- Augustus

The Fabulous Fifties:

"This man has been standing alone against us. It's not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others. So he gambled for support - and I gave it to him"

Review: 12 Angry Men

An Augustus Review of 8.5/10

For the Fabulous Fifties week, I will review the movie 12 Angry Men, where twelve jurors have to decide the fate of a young boy but only one believes his innocence. 

The movie begins with the trial of a young Puerto Rican boy who was accused of knifing his father to death. The twelve jurors listening to the case are all men from different backgrounds and different life styles. The trial ends and the men retire to the jury room where they have to come up with a decision. If the boy is proven innocent without a reasonable doubt, he will be free. If not, the jurors will have condemned the boy to death. 

As soon as the men meet in the room, they quickly glance over the evidence. They shortly discuss the trial and decide to have a vote. Eleven men voted the boy guilty. They turn to the last man, Juror #8 (Henry Fonda), and look at him surprisingly. They ask him what is he waiting for and to raise his hand. The juror looks back at the men and responds. The boy is not guilty.

The juror explains that to him, the evidence doesn’t make sense. He thinks that they should all go over the entire trial and carefully form a verdict. They are playing with a boy’s life, they can’t rush the details. His vote angers the other jurors especially Juror #10 and Juror #7 whom both believe the discussion is a waste of time.

The men begin to look over the evidence again and many become frustrated. After each piece of evidence is looked over, they have another vote. Slowly, some jurors begin to see the boy’s innocence and vote that he is not guilty. Some of the jurors, like Juror #10, can’t get over past prejudices to realistically consider that he is innocent. 

As the deliberation continues, the men are having even more difficulty coming to a unanimous vote.  More and more of the jurors are switching opinions. The few men who are left undecided hold the most difficult answer: guilty or not guilty?

12 Angry Men is an excellent movie in two regards: developing plot and developing characters. The entire movie focuses on the evidence given in thorough detail. The explanations given by the jurors are realistic and make a lot of sense. 

This movie is regarded as a classic. It has been given many titles such as 42^nd most inspiring film, 87^th best film in 100 years and Juror #8 was 28^th in the 50 best heroes of the 20^th century. The movie has received 100% positive votes on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Overall, this movie is very inspiring and thought-provoking. If you enjoy courtroom dramas or thorough explanation of scenes in a movie, 12 Angry Men is definitely the movie to watch!

- Augustus