The Stranger (1946)

Director

• Orson Welles

Starring

• Edward G Robinson
• Loretta Young
• Orson Welles
• Philip Merivale
• Richard Long

Last On

13:25-15:20 Tue 28th Apr 2026 95m
Talking Pictures TV

Synopsis

Orson Welles was said to have had little time for this thriller about the search for a Nazi war criminal in small-town America, but it helped put him back on the Hollywood map after a series of box-office failures. There are some of his characteristic directorial touches on view, as well as some of the actorly excesses that typified the performances he gave when he was jobbing to fund his more personal projects. Stars Edward G Robinson and Loretta Young are impressive, but the eye always alights on the imposing figure of the third-billed Welles. Russell Metty's stylish shadowy photography is so superb, it beggars belief that the film was also released in a colourised version.