I first watched "The Stranger" on a cold Saturday night. It was pitch black outside, a fitting setting in which to watch this chilling film.
The story unfolds like an onion, with the facts slowly revealed as the skin is peeled away. We learn that a Nazi criminal,Meinike,will be allowed to escape from prison. It is only when he visits fellow comrade Kindler that we understand why. Kindler was the worst of the Nazi war criminals, as he was the creator of the death camps and all of their savage technology. He kills his friend to escape suspicion, but ironically, the discovery of Meinike's body only furthers the tarnishing of his reputation. Each act of violence Kindler commits drives him farther to the edge of his sanity...or insanity, depending on your point of view. He can only find solace in tinkering with the town clock. It's as though through fixing the clock, he can fix parts of his life as well. He needs order. When he realizes he cannot have it, he attacks the grandfather clock. It's as though the one stable thing in his life is gone. Also, remember how the clock is whirling at the beginning of the movie? It whirls at the end as well. It gives the film closure, and also shows how the entire situation in the town was broken while Kindler was there. A fascinating film, "The Stranger" will be on your mind long after the credits have scrolled down the screen.
The story unfolds like an onion, with the facts slowly revealed as the skin is peeled away. We learn that a Nazi criminal,Meinike,will be allowed to escape from prison. It is only when he visits fellow comrade Kindler that we understand why. Kindler was the worst of the Nazi war criminals, as he was the creator of the death camps and all of their savage technology. He kills his friend to escape suspicion, but ironically, the discovery of Meinike's body only furthers the tarnishing of his reputation. Each act of violence Kindler commits drives him farther to the edge of his sanity...or insanity, depending on your point of view. He can only find solace in tinkering with the town clock. It's as though through fixing the clock, he can fix parts of his life as well. He needs order. When he realizes he cannot have it, he attacks the grandfather clock. It's as though the one stable thing in his life is gone. Also, remember how the clock is whirling at the beginning of the movie? It whirls at the end as well. It gives the film closure, and also shows how the entire situation in the town was broken while Kindler was there. A fascinating film, "The Stranger" will be on your mind long after the credits have scrolled down the screen.