Strange thing about this trip. So much occurs in pairs. Tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) hates his unfaithful wife. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. How perfect for a playful proposal: I'll kill yours, and you kill mine. Now look at how Alfred Hitchcock reinforces the duality of human nature. The more you watch, the more you'll see. "Isn't it a fascinating design?" the Master of suspense often asked.



Actually, it's doubly fascinating: For Hitchcock left behind two versions of Strangers On A Train. The original version (Side A) and an all-time thriller classic. A recently found longer prerelease British print (Side B) offers "a startling amplification of Bruno's flamboyance, his homo-erotic attraction to Guy and his psychotic personality" (Film Comment). The laying bare of Bruno's hidden nature, along with the great set pieces (head-turning) tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip.