"The Stranger" is a gripping 1946 thriller film noir directed and co-written by Orson Welles, featuring a powerful performance by Welles himself alongside Edward G. Robinson and Loretta Young. The film centers on the pursuit of a high-ranking Nazi war criminal, Franz Kindler, who has assumed a new identity as Professor Charles Rankin in a small Connecticut town. As he prepares to marry the daughter of a Supreme Court Justice, his dark past threatens to unravel when Mr. Wilson, an investigator from the United Nations War Crimes Commission, closes in on him.
The plot unfolds as Wilson tracks Kindler, who has meticulously erased all traces of his former life. The tension escalates when Wilson enlists the help of Kindler's former associate, Konrad Meinike, hoping he can lead him to the fugitive. However, as Wilson digs deeper into Rankin's life, he discovers that the professor's seemingly perfect facade hides a violent history. The film explores themes of identity, guilt, and the consequences of one's past actions.
Welles's direction is marked by innovative cinematography and a compelling narrative that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The film is notable for being one of the first Hollywood productions to include documentary footage from Nazi concentration camps, adding a haunting realism to its exploration of war crimes. The climax builds to a dramatic confrontation in a clock tower, where Kindler's fate is sealed in a tense showdown.
"The Stranger" received critical acclaim upon its release and was nominated for prestigious awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Despite Welles's later discontent with the film, it remains a significant work in his oeuvre and a classic example of film noir.
