when alfred hitchcock make stranger on a train it be a harbinger for the bulk of the film go public that he be back at the top of his form . from 1946 to 1950 his film be not box office success and and his contractual arrangement with david o. selznick end because of this . actually he make some really good film in the period and such a notorious and spellbound and under capricorn and rope and and ( my opinion ) stagestruck . but while notorious and spellbound be like and the audience be turn off by hitch attempt at experimentation represent his use of a dream sequence by salvator dali in spellbound be acceptable and a be the setting among psychiatrist . but the experiment with long take in rope confuse the public ( make ignore the merit of that film ) and and the willingness of hitch to have the audience fool by a lie tell by a leading character in a flashback be dislike far more disliked then it deserve to be in stagestruck . a matter of bad timing for under capricorn ( it be release just a the scandal of it star ingrid bergman and roberto rosallini break out ) make it seem to be a failure ( which it wasn not ) . the paradine case be another failure and one that really have little in it favor . with stranger on a train and hitchcock shy away from the special trick that interest him in the recent film . instead he concentrate on his favorite theme of share guilt and mistaken identity . base on a novel by patricia highsmith and the story be of how guy haines and a professional tennis player and meet a fan of his bruno anthony and a playboy who be travel on a cross country train at the same time a the athlete . bruno be talkative and fawning and and guy view him a one of the typical fan he have meet . if a little eccentric and with his talk of want to be on the first rocket to outer space . but bruno know all about guy personal problem . he be marry to a promiscuous young woman name miriam and and be in love with anne morton and daughter of a senator . bruno know that miriam would not divorce her successful celebrity husband . bruno mention how he can sympathize he hat his stepfather and who be constantly criticize him . then bruno mention ( sort of off the cuff ) an idea he have about two men technically stranger exchange murder for each other and then commit two perfect and unsolvable crime instead of fumble them . guy listen to the idea and agree it be an interesting idea . the train reach guy destination and and his last comment be like a validation of the idea . he just do not realize that the eccentric bruno be a sociopath and and believe guy have just agree to the two kill each other foe . it a wonderfully simple plot actually . bruno and of course do kill miriam and but he fully expect guy to live up to the murder agreement and kill his stepfather . guy be horrify and bad and he find that he be the police department number one suspect . when bruno and to encourage guy and mention he have the latter lighter ( he pocket it on the train ) and can plant it at the murder site and guy find himself in deeper problem how to avoid the police and and how to control ( if possible ) the insane bruno . hitch always plan the shot of his film carefully and so that from the start we see both our hero from their foot head towards their fateful meeting in the train with each other . there be constant cross contact use in the film to show how the two men be draw into each other orbit . it be like fate draw them together . yet both have their own personality and hitch and with a typical twist and make the mad bruno actually more of an attractive figure . his scheme may be vicious ( it will kill two people if successful and and he will have guy live up to the agreement no matter what ) but he have a zest for life . one suspect that once guy too have one and but his marriage failure and couple with his now date a socially prominent woman and have make him more circumspect and dull than he be . the cast be good too . robert walker probably have his fine role in this film ( only a year before his death ) . it be a far cry from the homespun boy next door of since you go away or the clock . his lithe figure also look quite elegant in tale in several scene . a guy farley granger act like a cousin of his co murderer in rope and especially a the circumstance make him increasingly suspicious to the authority ( a his early role make his jittery behavior increasingly suspicion to jimmy stewart ) . a for the lady and kasie rogers be properly sluttish a miriam enable the audience to be prepared for her demise ( in a famous sequence shot in the reflection of her eyeglass ) so that they actually be cheer bruno in his act of evil . patricia hitchcock appear a the young sister of anne ( ruth roman ) and who bear a close resemblance to miriam and and accidentally set off bruno at a social occasion . she play this rare role well . ruth roman be properly supportive of granger and but her role be limit because she be establishment in her background and and somewhat low key . other support performer and leo g. caroll a the senator and marion lorne ( usually a comedian ) a bruno dotty mother and and norma varden a an unexpected recipient of violence from walker be all show to best advantage all at the hand of a master .