...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Stranger

193 statements
37 feature instances
10 referencing feature instances

The Stranger	type	TVTItem
The Stranger	label	The Stranger
The Stranger	page	TheStranger
The Stranger	comment	The Stranger is a 1946 Film Noir directed by Orson Welles, starring Welles, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young.Mr. Wilson (Robinson) is a war crimes investigator who has followed a Nazi war criminal, Konrad Meinike, to Harper, Connecticut. Wilson is hoping to find Meinike's old commander, Franz Kindler, a notorious Nazi criminal and perpetrator of the Holocaust. Meinike escapes Wilson and meets Kindler (Welles), who has assumed the false identity of "Charles Rankin" and is teaching at a prep school in Harper. Kindler kills Meinike and thinks he is safe, but Wilson is still on the case and soon sniffs Kindler out. Mary (Young), who just got married to the charming "Charles Rankin", refuses to believe that her husband is an escaped Nazi, and tries to help him, until Kindler makes a serious mistake.Welles, who had made something of a bad name for himself in Hollywood by this point, offered to direct The Stranger just to show he could produce a regular studio feature on time and under budget. While this film is not as well remembered as some of his other, more artistic efforts, at the time it was the highest-grossing film he ever made. It's also notable as the first Hollywood film to show actual documentary footage of a liberated Nazi death camp, including a brief shot of a massive pile of dead Holocaust victims.No relation to the novel by Albert Camus or the 2022 Australian crime film.The film is in the public domain, and can be viewed in multiple places online, as well as through many DVD and Blu-ray releases. MGM owns the elements though, and Olive Films worked with them to release an "official" DVD and Blu-ray.
The Stranger	fetched	2024-04-08T13:15:21Z
The Stranger	parsed	2024-04-08T13:15:22Z
The Stranger	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Stranger / int_14a8e0a2	type	Villain Opening Scene
The Stranger / int_14a8e0a2	comment	Villain Opening Scene: The film opens with a sequence showing Meinike's flight to America and escape from Wilson.
The Stranger / int_14a8e0a2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_14a8e0a2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_14a8e0a2
The Stranger / int_15b09af9	type	Heelâ€“Face Door-Slam
The Stranger / int_15b09af9	comment	Heelâ€“Face Door-Slam: Meinike finds religion during his time in jail and decides to dedicate the rest of his life to atoning for his participation in the Holocaust. Before he makes any real progress on this goal he gets done in by his old boss Kindler, who decides that He Knows Too Much.
The Stranger / int_15b09af9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_15b09af9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_15b09af9
The Stranger / int_25b05c04	type	Hitler Cam
The Stranger / int_25b05c04	comment	Hitler Cam: Welles popularized this shot with Citizen Kane and uses it here, as in the scene where the maid is being quizzed by Wilson and Mary's father.
The Stranger / int_25b05c04	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_25b05c04	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_25b05c04
The Stranger / int_266a9dd6	type	Heel–Faith Turn
The Stranger / int_266a9dd6	comment	Heelâ€“Faith Turn: Meinike has found religion following the war, and wants to atone for his crimes during his time under Kindler's command, namely by trying to save Kindler's soul too. He fails, as Kindler/Rankin will have none of it.
The Stranger / int_266a9dd6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_266a9dd6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_266a9dd6
The Stranger / int_2c9e262	type	Catapult Nightmare
The Stranger / int_2c9e262	comment	Catapult Nightmare: This happens to Wilson as he realizes that Rankin is Kindler.
The Stranger / int_2c9e262	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_2c9e262	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_2c9e262
The Stranger / int_34dcfc96	type	Kick the Dog
The Stranger / int_34dcfc96	comment	Kick the Dog: A literal example, as Kindler kicks Mary's dog to stop it from digging up Meinike's corpse before locking it in the basement overnight and finally poisoning it.
The Stranger / int_34dcfc96	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_34dcfc96	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_34dcfc96
The Stranger / int_403b6f3	type	Fainting
The Stranger / int_403b6f3	comment	Fainting: Mary faints after finding out that her brother, whom she thought had been killed in Kindler's trap, is still alive.
The Stranger / int_403b6f3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_403b6f3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_403b6f3
The Stranger / int_43a831db	type	Epic Tracking Shot
The Stranger / int_43a831db	comment	Epic Tracking Shot: The meeting between Kindler and Meinike is a four-minute scene done without a cut, following them as they meet on a dirt trail and walk into the woods.
The Stranger / int_43a831db	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_43a831db	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_43a831db
The Stranger / int_4733b5a5	type	Saying Too Much
The Stranger / int_4733b5a5	comment	Saying Too Much: Kindler, when someone mentions Karl Marx being German, can't help but reply "Marx wasn't German, he was a Jew", leading Wilson to realize that he's a Nazi.
The Stranger / int_4733b5a5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_4733b5a5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_4733b5a5
The Stranger / int_514d1380	type	Trick-and-Follow Ploy
The Stranger / int_514d1380	comment	Trick-and-Follow Ploy: Wilson decides to release Meinike, a Nazi, so that he leads him to Franz Kindler, an important war criminal.
The Stranger / int_514d1380	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_514d1380	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_514d1380
The Stranger / int_5bdcc85a	type	Disney Villain Death
The Stranger / int_5bdcc85a	comment	Disney Villain Death: Kindler falls from the clock tower, but not before he's speared by the sword of the angel that spins around the clock.
The Stranger / int_5bdcc85a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_5bdcc85a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_5bdcc85a
The Stranger / int_60492b98	type	Have You Told Anyone Else?
The Stranger / int_60492b98	comment	Have You Told Anyone Else?: "No one else followed you?" asks Kindler, after Meinike tells him that the man who was following Meinike is dead. Go on and guess what happens to Meinike after he answers "No."
The Stranger / int_60492b98	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_60492b98	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_60492b98
The Stranger / int_65acf9db	type	He Knows Too Much
The Stranger / int_65acf9db	comment	He Knows Too Much: Kindler does away with Meinike for this reason, as Meinike is the only person still alive who knows what he looks like. He also tries to kill Mary for the same reason, becoming concerned that she may accidentally give away his involvement in Meinike's disappearance.
The Stranger / int_65acf9db	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_65acf9db	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_65acf9db
The Stranger / int_7089d02e	type	All Germans Are Nazis
The Stranger / int_7089d02e	comment	All Germans Are Nazis: Kindler, pretending to be the anti-fascist "Charles Rankin", claims that the desire for authoritarian leadership is inherent in the German mentality and uses this as an argument for the complete destruction of the German nation and culture — which, ironically, makes him sound just like the Nazi he actually is. When another person challenges his opinion by pointing out that Germany also produced great democratic thinkers like Karl Marx, Kindler argues that Marx wasn't German, but a Jew, thereby giving himself away to Wilson (since only a Nazi would deny Marx being German because of his Jewish heritage).
The Stranger / int_7089d02e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_7089d02e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_7089d02e
The Stranger / int_72856b70	type	Godzilla Threshold
The Stranger / int_72856b70	comment	Godzilla Threshold: Wilson's colleagues in the Wars Crimes Commission are appalled at his plan to let Meinike walk out of jail free. He retorts that it's a necessary evil he must commit in order to catch one of the architects of the Holocaust.
The Stranger / int_72856b70	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_72856b70	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_72856b70
The Stranger / int_75e2bf23	type	Chiaroscuro
The Stranger / int_75e2bf23	comment	Chiaroscuro: Several artfully lit scenes in shadowy places, such as when Kindler tells a cover story to Mary inside the church.
The Stranger / int_75e2bf23	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_75e2bf23	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_75e2bf23
The Stranger / int_777baed3	type	Out-of-Character Alert
The Stranger / int_777baed3	comment	Out-of-Character Alert: A casual discussion of the German character turns to Karl Marx, which leads the ostensibly anti-Nazi Rankin to respond by saying, "But Marx wasn't a German; Marx was a Jew." This causes Wilson to realize that "Charles Rankin" is in fact the man he's been hunting.
The Stranger / int_777baed3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_777baed3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_777baed3
The Stranger / int_973d220f	type	Never My Fault
The Stranger / int_973d220f	comment	Never My Fault: Kindler tries deflect blame more than once: After he sets a trap for Mary at the church, he is upset when Mary tells him that she sent Noah to the church in her place. Kindler tells her that Noah's blood will be on Mary's hands and that it was her meddling that caused Noah's death, even though Mary had no idea there was any danger, and in fact the trap was intended to kill her. When confronted about his atrocities during the war, Kindler claims he was just following orders, a common defense used by Nazis. Wilson rebuts this, reminding Kindler that he was the one giving the orders.
The Stranger / int_973d220f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_973d220f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_973d220f
The Stranger / int_9bca83eb	type	Death by Irony
The Stranger / int_9bca83eb	comment	Death by Irony: Franz ends up impaled on the sword of an automaton activated by the clock that he himself repaired earlier.
The Stranger / int_9bca83eb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_9bca83eb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_9bca83eb
The Stranger / int_9e1548b4	type	Old Retainer
The Stranger / int_9e1548b4	comment	Old Retainer: Sara has served Mary for a very long time and is attached to her employer. She does everything she can, up to simulating a stroke, to prevent Mary from falling into the trap set by Franz.
The Stranger / int_9e1548b4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_9e1548b4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_9e1548b4
The Stranger / int_a969c74a	type	Final Solution
The Stranger / int_a969c74a	comment	Final Solution: Kindler is revealed to have been one of the architects of the Holocaust. The Stranger also shows actual footage of the concentration camps and was one of the first fictional films to do so. Welles stated later, that film-makers must take every opportunity they get to show this footage. Even while pretending to be an American intellectual staunchly opposed to fascism, Kindler's Nazi beliefs shine through when, during a discussion about how to deal with post-war Germany, he claims that Germans are inherently drawn to authoritarianism and advocates for a "Carthaginian peace" to ensure that they'll never be able to threaten the world again.
The Stranger / int_a969c74a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_a969c74a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_a969c74a
The Stranger / int_ab5eea65	type	Dramatic Irony
The Stranger / int_ab5eea65	comment	Dramatic Irony: "In Harper, there's nothing to be afraid of" says Mary, who's married to a Nazi.
The Stranger / int_ab5eea65	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_ab5eea65	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_ab5eea65
The Stranger / int_ace5eb40	type	Clock Tower
The Stranger / int_ace5eb40	comment	Clock Tower: Kindler, a clock enthusiast, is fixing the clock in Harper's clock tower. It's the setting for the climax.
The Stranger / int_ace5eb40	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_ace5eb40	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_ace5eb40
The Stranger / int_b47d95be	type	No OSHA Compliance
The Stranger / int_b47d95be	comment	No OSHA Compliance: The church's clock tower is a deathtrap, with the main access to the clock mechanism being a rickety ladder.
The Stranger / int_b47d95be	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_b47d95be	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_b47d95be
The Stranger / int_b53077b3	type	Take That!
The Stranger / int_b53077b3	comment	Take That!: Welles settled on the name Charles Rankin for the fugitive Nazi villain due to his dislike of the infamous white supremacist politician John E. Rankin.
The Stranger / int_b53077b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_b53077b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_b53077b3
The Stranger / int_beb9a361	type	Anti-Hero
The Stranger / int_beb9a361	comment	Anti-Hero: Mr. Wilson openly calls himself "cold-blooded" and his methods reflect that, but he's still a Nazi Hunter.
The Stranger / int_beb9a361	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_beb9a361	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_beb9a361
The Stranger / int_c93a6560	type	Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
The Stranger / int_c93a6560	comment	Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Franz ends up impaled on the sword of an automaton activated by the tower clock.
The Stranger / int_c93a6560	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_c93a6560	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_c93a6560
The Stranger / int_d2102da0	type	Bad People Abuse Animals
The Stranger / int_d2102da0	comment	Bad People Abuse Animals: An escalating case with Kindler. First he just insists on penning up Mary's dog Red. Later he kicks Red and poisons him, albeit to cover up his murder of Meinike.
The Stranger / int_d2102da0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_d2102da0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_d2102da0
The Stranger / int_d397657d	type	Hoist by His Own Petard
The Stranger / int_d397657d	comment	Hoist by His Own Petard: Kindler/Rankin ends up being impaled on the clock tower that he has spent much of the film restoring, and where he tried to kill Mary.
The Stranger / int_d397657d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_d397657d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_d397657d
The Stranger / int_d45812ba	type	Fake Faint
The Stranger / int_d45812ba	comment	Fake Faint: Sara simulates a stroke, so that Mary stays with her instead of going to the clock tower and falling into the trap set by Franz.
The Stranger / int_d45812ba	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_d45812ba	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_d45812ba
The Stranger / int_dca97045	type	Just Following Orders
The Stranger / int_dca97045	comment	Just Following Orders: "I followed orders," says Kindler at the climax, to which Wilson responds "You gave the orders!"
The Stranger / int_dca97045	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_dca97045	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_dca97045
The Stranger / int_e3847ee8	type	Cigarette of Anxiety
The Stranger / int_e3847ee8	comment	Cigarette of Anxiety: Mary needs one after waking up from a nightmare of the weird little man (Meinike) who visited her.
The Stranger / int_e3847ee8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_e3847ee8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_e3847ee8
The Stranger / int_eb4ee9eb	type	Guns Are Worthless
The Stranger / int_eb4ee9eb	comment	Guns Are Worthless: When Mary goes to confront Rankin in the clocktower, she misses several times and with the last bullet, gives him Only a Flesh Wound in the arm. Justified, because she probably has little experience using a gun.
The Stranger / int_eb4ee9eb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_eb4ee9eb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_eb4ee9eb
The Stranger / int_ed503b22	type	Match Cut
The Stranger / int_ed503b22	comment	Match Cut: From Kindler kicking Mary's dog (which was digging up Meinike's body) to Wilson waking up from his Catapult Nightmare.
The Stranger / int_ed503b22	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_ed503b22	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_ed503b22
The Stranger / int_f1492605	type	Redemption Equals Death
The Stranger / int_f1492605	comment	Redemption Equals Death: Meinike has found religion, recoils in horror at Kindler's talk of another war, and asks Kindler to pray with him. Kindler strangles him.
The Stranger / int_f1492605	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_f1492605	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_f1492605
The Stranger / int_f9c17447	type	The Remnant
The Stranger / int_f9c17447	comment	The Remnant: Kindler fancies himself as this, imagining "the day we strike again."
The Stranger / int_f9c17447	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_f9c17447	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_f9c17447
The Stranger / int_name	type	ItemName
The Stranger / int_name	comment
The Stranger / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Stranger / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Stranger / int_name
The Stranger / int_name	itemName	The Stranger

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Stranger	hasFeature	Definite Article Title / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Film Noir Index / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Films Noirs Index / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Godzilla Threshold / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Heel–Faith Turn / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Hitler Cam / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Just Following Orders / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Nazi Hunter / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	Out-of-Character Alert / int_2297284d
The Stranger	hasFeature	The Oner / int_2297284d

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.