SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Spikeopath Walk Softly, Stranger is directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Frank Fenton. It stars Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Spring Byington, Paul Stewart and Jack Paar. Music is by Frederick Hollander and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.Chris Hale (Cotton) arrives in Ashton, Ohio, with manipulation and a robbery on his mind. But when he meets wheelchair bound Elaine Corelli (Valli), it alters the course of his future plans…It's the other Cotton and Valli movie, the one that isn't The Third Man. It's also the movie hat marked the wind of change at RKO as Howard Hughes breezed into the studio and promptly set about putting his own stamp on things, badly as it happens. Walk Softly, Stranger on the shelf for two years and subsequently got released in 1950, no doubt due in part to the success of The Third Man the year previously.It's a strange blend of romantic melodrama – cum thriller – with some film noir edginess, something which doesn't all together work. It's very slowly paced and settles into a mood approaching disquiet, a femme fatale of sorts is nicely set up, and the whole "just one last job" vibe keeps interest in the story high. Acting from Cotton and Valli is strong, Paul Stewart is as usual good value when playing a twitchy loser bad guy type, and Byington almost steals the film from the leads with an ebullient show as the widow Brentman.Unfortunately, come the final third the picture fails to deliver on its moody promise, choosing instead to rely on one action set-piece and a waft of optimism for pic's closure. It's not the pay off required or hoped for, a shame because as a production in general it's of good quality. 6/10

dougdoepke The trouble with this Stranger is that it walks too softly. I agree with others: the movie is too low-key for its own good. Unfortunately, the narrative straddles a number of movie genres— romance, crime, regeneration, noir— without blending them into a compelling whole. At the same time, the parts are stretched out at such a leisurely pace, it's sometimes hard to stay involved. Then too, Cotten is a master of subtlety and can play a nuanced psycho as in Shadow of a Doubt (1943) to perfection. Here, however, he doesn't supply the kind of tough- guy edge of a petty criminal and stick-up man at those moments when they should surface. As a result, we never see the side of his personality that's in conflict with his charming, sociable side. Cotten's performance is perfect for the romantic side, but not for the tough- guy criminal side. Thus, the reform that comes at the end lacks the contrast and dramatic impact it needs. All in all, I think the film works best as a romantic tale of moral regeneration. The screenplay could have deepened this approach by making Hale (Cotten) a con-man gigolo instead of a violent criminal, that is, a man who is reformed by coming home to his first and one true love, Elaine (Valli). For one, that would have eliminated the ridiculous sequence where, as reviewer cutterccbaxter notes, Hale takes three slugs in the back while in a rolling car, yet emerges in the next scene with his arm in a sling! My guess is that the film was rushed into production to cash in on the success of the Valli-Cotten teaming in The Third Man. The result, however, is a Luke-warm mix at best.

The_Void Walk Softly, Stranger may not be the most memorable slice of classic cinema of all time, but even so; Robert Stevenson's film offers an interesting tale of redemption and retribution, despite not being at all innovative. The film stars Joseph Cotten as a man who travels to a town called Ashton. He quickly becomes friendly with the locals, and tells them that he once lived there as a boy. His friendship with a young wheelchair-bound lady named Elaine Corelli, daughter of a successful factory owner, proves his most fruitful. But people's pasts have a habit of catching up them, and the man's gambling exploits are his weakness. The fact that this film stars Joseph Cotten was my main reason for seeing it. The man has a great screen presence that blends excellently with film noir. His performance here isn't one of his best, but he does well at hinting at a sinister side to his character just below the surface. He is joined by classic actress Alida Valli, who is most notable to me for the fact that she was one of the leads of Dario Argento's masterpiece 'Suspiria'. The plot flows well throughout, and while it's never too full of surprises; and the ending doesn't live up to the beginning, the film still offers 80 minutes of decent entertainment.

David (Handlinghandel) I gave this a six because it is sort of a film noir. It's not really very good, though.Joseph Cotten was a superb actor. He did fine work for Orson Welles and is unforgettable in "Shadow of A Doubt." He was a low-keyed performer. However, he seems to be walking through this movie half-asleep. It's hard to get a fix on the character he plays and when we do, we don't really buy it.Alidda Valli was attractive but not much of an actress. She is implausible as a heavily accented local in a small city -- despite the explanation that she had been away till she was 18. The whole thing with her in a wheelchair and Cotten's being redeemed by dealing with a disabled person: Please! (That is giving nothing away. It's clear this is where the plot if going as soon as he meets her.) I saw a commercial video and sequences seemed to have been cut. If not, the editing is sloppy: There is a brief sequence in which Cotten's character is playing cards with an older woman whom we are apparently meant to know. I didn't recall having seen her before. Maybe I had dozed off. (But I don't think so.)