The 1946 Warner Brothers film "Three Strangers" is an offbeat yarn written by John Huston. The narrative illustrates his favorite theme that he beat to death for nearly 50 years in cinemas: the pursuit of riches will end in disaster. The story begins with Crystal Shackleford combing the foggy streets of London on the eve of Chinese New Year for two people to create the triumvirate indicated by the title. She returns to her flat with Jerome K Arbutny and John West and explains her plan: to make a wish in front of the bronze statue of the Chinese Goddess of good fortune, Kwan Yin, at the stroke of midnight. Supposedly if their intentions are pure the goddess will open her eyes and grant a wish to three strangers at that moment. Unfortunately a convenient gust of wind blows through the room and extinguishes the lone candle illuminating the room, making it impossible to see if the statue's eyes open. The men leave and quickly forget about their experience but soon forces align to alter their destinies . . .
The bulk of the film follows the characters after they go their separate ways and reveals their dilemmas before reuniting them for the conclusion. West is easily the most likable of the trio; he's a pleasant alcoholic that unwittingly got mixed up in a robbery gone wrong. Peter Lorre essays this role and effortlessly becomes the heart of the film. In portraying a man with minimal ambition and an easy-going nature Lorre proves his versatility in a welcome break from devious roles. He leaves the histrionics to Geraldine Fitzgerald and Sydney Greenstreet in their interpretations of Crystal and Arbutny, respectively. These folks are pretty despicable characters.
Crystal is estranged from her husband David and hopes to win him back. Unfortunately for her he is in love with another woman and unfortunately for him Crystal has no intention of letting him go. As the deranged wife Miss Fitzgerald turns in a marvelously creepy performance. Most of the time she comes across as sweet but occasionally lapses into brief frenzies of lunacy when challenged. Miss Fitzgerald underplays beautifully most of the time but when she cuts loose you absolutely believe her husband's warning to his lover that Mrs Shackleford is "dangerous." A truly chilling performance.
Arbutny is an ambitious solicitor who commits the mistake of stock market speculation with someone else's money. Needless to say his plan backfires and he is left desperately scrambling to avoid humiliation, ruin, and prison. Sydney Greenstreet does a wonderful job in this role. At first he is his typically cool film self but as his life turns sideways he begins to unravel before engaging in a complete emotional meltdown. Greenstreet is spectacular down the stretch and his scenes at the finale with Lorre and Miss Fitzgerald crackle with tension.
While the three leads dominate the film there are a few other noteworthy performances. Joan Lorring and Peter Whitney score as Lorre's companions; Miss Lorring for her touching devotion to Lorre and Whitney for his mania regarding "squealers". Alan Napier, two decades before becoming Batman's loyal manservant Alfred, lends class as David Shackleford. He is the very picture of an English gentleman attempting to do the right thing before being driven to extreme measures by his crazy wife.
The movie itself has a heavy noir influence with plenty of foggy night scenes, claustrophobic rooms, and prison cells. Jean Negulesco conveys a fine atmosphere of disaster and handles the ironic denouement with aplomb. The first 20 minutes are particularly intriguing and give the audience a rooting interest in finding out what happens to these "Three Strangers." All in all this film is worth a look.
The bulk of the film follows the characters after they go their separate ways and reveals their dilemmas before reuniting them for the conclusion. West is easily the most likable of the trio; he's a pleasant alcoholic that unwittingly got mixed up in a robbery gone wrong. Peter Lorre essays this role and effortlessly becomes the heart of the film. In portraying a man with minimal ambition and an easy-going nature Lorre proves his versatility in a welcome break from devious roles. He leaves the histrionics to Geraldine Fitzgerald and Sydney Greenstreet in their interpretations of Crystal and Arbutny, respectively. These folks are pretty despicable characters.
Crystal is estranged from her husband David and hopes to win him back. Unfortunately for her he is in love with another woman and unfortunately for him Crystal has no intention of letting him go. As the deranged wife Miss Fitzgerald turns in a marvelously creepy performance. Most of the time she comes across as sweet but occasionally lapses into brief frenzies of lunacy when challenged. Miss Fitzgerald underplays beautifully most of the time but when she cuts loose you absolutely believe her husband's warning to his lover that Mrs Shackleford is "dangerous." A truly chilling performance.
Arbutny is an ambitious solicitor who commits the mistake of stock market speculation with someone else's money. Needless to say his plan backfires and he is left desperately scrambling to avoid humiliation, ruin, and prison. Sydney Greenstreet does a wonderful job in this role. At first he is his typically cool film self but as his life turns sideways he begins to unravel before engaging in a complete emotional meltdown. Greenstreet is spectacular down the stretch and his scenes at the finale with Lorre and Miss Fitzgerald crackle with tension.
While the three leads dominate the film there are a few other noteworthy performances. Joan Lorring and Peter Whitney score as Lorre's companions; Miss Lorring for her touching devotion to Lorre and Whitney for his mania regarding "squealers". Alan Napier, two decades before becoming Batman's loyal manservant Alfred, lends class as David Shackleford. He is the very picture of an English gentleman attempting to do the right thing before being driven to extreme measures by his crazy wife.
The movie itself has a heavy noir influence with plenty of foggy night scenes, claustrophobic rooms, and prison cells. Jean Negulesco conveys a fine atmosphere of disaster and handles the ironic denouement with aplomb. The first 20 minutes are particularly intriguing and give the audience a rooting interest in finding out what happens to these "Three Strangers." All in all this film is worth a look.