Strangers on a train previously played at londons gielgud theatre. Read it, then invite your book club over to watch the hitchcock film. Daydreaming and smoking around america with interruptions. This 46page guide for strangers on a train by patricia highsmith includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 47 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Two things combined to give me perhaps overly high expectations of this book. While using guys cigarette lighter, bruno notices it is inscribed from a to g, and guesses that a is senator mortons daughter anne, whom guy intends to. The music that is being played in the entire scene is non diegetic, and with the shot closed up on the shoes of two men, the music ends up becoming more upbeat and the. They wore black puffy jackets and had the same expressions on their faces. The first chapter of strangers on a train opens with a thirdperson omniscient point of view of guy haines as he sits on a train headed for his hometown of metcalf. A persistent theme is the idea that everyone has opposites within.
Over dinner, guy tells bruno of miriams infidelity and their impending divorce. Strangers on a train is one of best books released on 2001, this book written by patricia highsmith whom known as an author and have wrote many interesting books with great story telling. Coscripted by raymond chandler, this stylish, suspenseful 1951 hitchcock classic will have the whole family squirming and secondguessing each other about the outcome as an innocent man is drawn into a lunatics murder scheme. If your favorite thing about the girl on the train is the train, youre in luck. This film is definitely one of alfred hitchcocks best in that it reinforces the duality of human nature and effectively transforms a highly improbable situation into a series of logical events. We see the psychological effect on guy and eventually on bruno too, as the plot plays out. A chance meeting on a train embroils the two men in a shrewd murder scheme that quickly goes awry.
Strangers on a train is based upon a novel by patricia highsmith and hitchcocks adaptation is remarkably faithfulto the basic plot. The most significant characters of strangers on a train are guy haines and charles bruno, who possess a sort of jekyll and hyde level dynamic. Strangers on a train by patricia highsmith bookboodle. When watching alfred hitchcocks 1951 film strangers on a train for the second time, one predominant theme was seen throughout, the notion of doubles, double identities and crisscrossing in the film. The music that is being played in the entire scene is non diegetic, and with the shot closed up on the shoes of two men, the music ends up becoming more upbeat and the instrument of flute is added appropriately in the scene. Why strangers on a train is a book you need to read medium. A psychopath forces a tennis star to comply with his theory that two strangers can get away with murder. Bruno then proposes a double murder plot, where each would kill the others problem. Strangers on a train ranks with hitchcocks most accomplished works, a masterpiece so carefully constructed, with characters so well developed, that the viewer is quickly drawn into the storylong before walker turns killer.
On the train, he meets slender, disturbing charles bruno, who hates his father. From the i cant believe this is out of print department comes highsmiths whiteknuckler and the basis of. Guy haines is one of the two main characters in patricia highsmiths novel strangers on a train. Strangers on a train summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Appalled, guy leaves, forgetting his book of plato. Strangers on a train summary and study guide supersummary. The 1987 film throw momma from the train provides a comedic twist on strangers on a train, with the hitchcock film inspiring a copycat scheme by danny devitos character. Read online download strangers on a train book by patricia. Bruno will get rid of the woman who stands in the way of the other mans guy haines path to happiness, and guy in return.
The basic plot is the same two men, total strangers, meet on a train. Strangers on a train 1950 is a psychological thriller novel by patricia highsmith about two men whose lives become entangled after one of them proposes they trade murders. Strangers on a train, directed by alfred hitchcock. Click below to download the full study guide for strangers on a train. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by warner bros. This theme was present from the beginning, when her debut novel, strangers on a train, galvanized the reading public. The original version side a is an alltime thriller classic. Strangers on a train book tell us the storyline about. First he engaged whitfield cook, whose treatment bolstered the novels homoerotic subtext. Having read all about guy, bruno is aware that the tennis player is trapped in an unhappy marriage to to wife miriam laura elliott and has been seen in the company of senators daughter ann morton. Analysis gallery bibliography contact character descriptions. The talented patricia highsmith known to most for her novels strangers on a train and the talented mr. From the i cant believe this is out of print department comes highsmiths whiteknuckler and the basis of the hitchcock film of the same name.
The first major theme in the novel is obsession, particularly in regards to the unstable character of bruno. Strangers on a train by patricia highsmith goodreads. Strangers on a train the play, london, united kingdom. Strangers on a train is a 1951 american psychological thriller film noir produced and directed by alfred hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel strangers on a train by patricia highsmith. Strangers on a train by patricia highsmith begins with guy hainess journey to texas to divorce his wife, miriam. Though they might be strangers on a train, they become linked together through this murder plot. Patricia highsmiths 1950 novel strangers on a train is a moody and disturbing excavation of guilty paranoia that bears little resemblance to the hitchcock film beyond its initial premise. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. It was adapted as a film in 1951 by director alfred hitchcock. On a train, wealthy, neurotic bruno antony recognizes tennis player guy haines and strikes up a conversation.
It is in a way a little poetic since hitchcock is all about the world and people not being entirely black or white, good or bad. Architect guy haines wants to divorce his unfaithful wife, miriam, in order to marry the woman he loves, anne. Strangers on a train was patricia highsmiths first novel and established the themes, characters, and major concerns for her twentytwo novels and eight collections of stories. With a lot of booze bruno goads guy into confessing his hatred for miriam. Architect guy haines wants to divorce his unfaithful wife, miriam, in. Strangers on a train by patricia highsmith book analysis e book. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Guy haines he is one of two of the main characters of the novel. They wore black puffy jackets and had the same expressions on. Oct 06, 2016 if your favorite thing about the girl on the train is the train, youre in luck.
Shelfwear on covers and spine on dust jacket and boards. Aug 02, 2012 strangers on a train, directed by alfred hitchcock. The thrust of the book is bruno pressuring guy to hold up his side of the bargain a bargain guy never agreed to, although he didnt explicitly refuse it either. But while guy is a successful architect in the midst of a divorce, bruno turns out to be a sadistic psychopath who manipulates guy into swapping. In one of alfred hitchcocks suspense classics, tennis pro guy haines farley granger chances to meet wealthy wastrel bruno anthony robert walker on a train. Not bad, considering the book had just hit the streets about a year before. Strangers on a train audiobook by patricia highsmith. Strangers on a train is filled with paranoia and anxiety, and through its twists and turns, we, like poor guy haines, are also drawn into psychopath brunos web. Strangers on a train 1951 alfred hitchcock synopsis. In patricia highsmiths debut novel, we encounter guy haines and charles anthony bruno, passengers on the same train. With farley granger, robert walker, ruth roman, leo g. Here we encounter guy haines and charles anthony bruno, passengers on the same train.
The synopsis gives an intriguing premise, and i sometimes read crime stories ive just downloaded the first four cadfael stories, and i enjoyed the ian rankin novels ive read. Unlock the more straightforward side of strangers on a train with this concise and insightful summary and analysis. While using guys cigarette lighter, bruno notices it is inscribed from a to g, and guesses that a is senator mortons daughter anne, whom guy intends to marry after miriam, his current wife, divorces him. This theme was present from the beginning, when her debut, strangers on a train, galvanized the reading public. Strangers on a train by patricia highsmith abebooks. He is physically described as wearing flannel trousers that needed pressing, a dark jacket that slacked over his slight body and showed faintly purple where the light struck it. Strangers on a train by patricia highsmith 9780393321982. Despite an initial claim that her ideal methodology for a travel book would be to stay at home with the phone off the hook, the doorbell disconnected, and the blinds drawn, diski skating to antarctica, 1995, etc. Strangers on a train is another case where most people have seen the movie but havent read the book or didnt know there was a novel behind it.
I was keen to read this book as id recently bought a kind worth killing and several bloggers had compared it to the plot in strangers on a train. Guy haines, a successful architect, is heading to his hometown in texas from new york, where he hopes to finally settle an ongoing threeyear divorce with his wife, miriam. Their interactions drive much of the conflict of the. In this case, if youve seen the movie, and then go to read highsmiths book, you end up with two different entities. Bruno responds by telling guy of his detestable father. Strangers on a train is an admirable demonstration of alfred hitchcocks virtuosity in the area of suspense dramas. Strangers on a train is a novel with a homoerotic sub text. Strangers on a train strangers on a train audiobook, by patricia highsmith. Best known is the one where guy scans the crowd at a tennis match and observes that all of the heads are swiveling back and forth to follow the game except for one head, brunos, which is looking straight ahead at guy. I read strangers on a train because it was a book club choice in the office. Ripley author patricia highsmiths first novel of the same name, hitchcock burned through a few such hired hands. Highsmiths strangers on a train is fueled by anxiety wsj.
Robbs book, strangers in death 2008 references both highsmiths novel and hitchcocks film as a homicide detective attempts to solve two seemingly unrelated murders. Hitchcock left behind two versions of strangers on a train. Strangers on a train strangers on a train reverted back to the black and white filming, which almost seemed appropriate for almost any hitchcock film. Strangers on a train was highsmiths first published work, written primarily while living at the yaddo artists colony. This study guide consists of approximately 27 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of strangers on a train. Detailed analysis of strangers on a train 1951 by alfred hitchcock. Strangers on a train 1951 was director alfred hitchcocks suspenseful, noirish black and white thriller about two train passengers. Strangers on a train film strangers on a train is a 1951 american psychological thriller film noir produced and directed by alfred hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel strangers on a train by patricia highsmith. In the case of his 1951 picture strangers on a train, based upon the talented mr. Feb 03, 20 detailed analysis of strangers on a train 1951 by alfred hitchcock.
The basic thrust of this startling tale is to show two men who are, in many ways, one. Strangers on a train presentation linkedin slideshare. But while guy is a successful architect in the midst of a divorce, bruno turns out to be a sadistic psychopath who manipulates guy into swapping murders with him. Guys immediate dislike of bruno, is a dislike of his feelings for the man. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. He begins a conversation with charles bruno, a wealthy man who invites him to his private train car. The novel strangers on a train by patricia highsmith is as much mystery fiction as it is a psychological thriller. The strangers on a train 1951 film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Aug 17, 2001 this theme was present from the beginning, when her debut, strangers on a train, galvanized the reading public. Given an imaginative plot idea from which to build his shocker, hitchcock. Sarah pinborough strangers on a train is a moralvertigo thriller. A recently found longer prerelease british print side b offers a.
The music in strangers on a train had been composed by dimitri zinovievich tiomkin. Strangers on a train was a contemporary crime novel when it was fit published in 1950. He then goes ahead and fulfills his end of the imaginary bargain, leading to fatal consequences for both. While on a train to his hometown metcalf to meet miriam, haines encounters bruno anthony robert walker when they bump feet under a table, a pushy stranger who recognizes guy from the sports pages and gossip items in the newspapers and wants to discuss his marital problems. Hitchcock was above all the master of great visual set pieces, and there are several famous sequences in strangers on a train. A technically perfect psychological carousel as one of hitchcocks best one of the most popular psychological crime thrillers that hitchcock ever made is definitely strangers on a train, the masters adaptation of crime novelist patricia highsmiths debut novel that hit theaters back in 1951.
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