Go quietly, stranger

The stranger ( Joseph Cotten ) arrives in the small town of Ashton in Ohio . Stopping at one of the houses, which, according to his information, was sold 10 years ago, he rings the door, telling the mistress Mrs. Brentman ( Spring Byinton) that he lived in this house as a child and would like to examine him. Mrs. Brentman, the single widow, takes him for the son of the former owners, Chris Hale, and invites him to the house, offering tea. Mrs. Brentman, who lost her son in the war at about the same age as Chris, immediately begins to motherly care for her guest. She offers him to take his son’s room, and also through his neighbor Mr. Morgan ( John MacIntyre ) he arranges for his work at the only large enterprise in the city - the Corelli shoe factory. Soon in the evening, Chris goes for a walk to the country club, in the courtyard of which he meets the beautiful but chained to a wheelchair Elaine Corelli ( Alida Valley ), the daughter of her new boss. Chris tells Elaine about his childhood in this town, when he worked as a peddler, and each time, approaching Corelli's house, Elaine admired from afar. Chris's story captivates and deeply touches Elaine. The next day, Chris is called to Mr. Corelli ( Frank Puglia ), the factory owner and father Elaine, who says that Elaine looked happy for the first time since she became disabled after a ski accident. She talked about Chris all evening and asked for a more prestigious job. Mr. Corelli, who loves his daughter more than anything else, cannot refuse her daughter her request, and offers Chris an immediate noticeable increase, but Chris refuses his offer, promising to explain his decision personally to Elaine. Arriving at her home in the evening, Chris says that he is a lonely adventurer and a gambler who cannot find his place in life, and his self-critical story and humor touch Elaine.

Over the weekend, Chris takes a plane to another city to meet his accomplice Whitey Lake ( Paul Stewart ), who calls Chris his name is "Steve." Chris and Whitey rob the owner of the gambling house Bowen ( Howard Petrie ), taking from him in his office 200 thousand dollars in cash. Since this money was obtained as a result of illegal operations, the criminals are sure that Bowen will not report the robbery to the police. Threatening with weapons, they take Bowen out of the casino, take him to the forest and throw him in a deserted place. Having reached the rented apartment, they divide the money in half, after which Chris advises Whitey to change his name and lie down in some small town, saying that otherwise Bowen will certainly find him. Chris says goodbye to Whitey forever. Returning to Ashton that day, Chris accepts the invitation of his colleague Ray Healy ( Jack Paar ) to go on a date with him two girls. However, having met with Elaine, he forgets about this arrangement. To dispel her sadness, Chris invites her to a club where they meet Ray with two girls. One of the girls, Gwen, blames Chris for deceiving her. Chris promises Elaine that he will correct the situation, after which, without much difficulty, he persuades Gwen to dance with him. At the sight of a healthy dancing couple, Elaine spoiled sharply. She quickly leaves the club and the next day unexpectedly leaves for several months in Florida . However, Elaine unexpectedly returns for the Christmas holidays, and on New Year's Eve, they communicate with Chris in love.

At that moment, Whitey appeared in Ashton, who sought out Chris at the address on the matchbox that he had left him during the last meeting. Chris is forced to take Whitey into the house and introduce him to Mrs. Brentman, who suggests that he stay with him. Left alone, Whitey says that he had let down all the stolen money, and, in addition, in Las Vegas he was noticed by the people of Bowen. Although Whitey insists that no one saw him get to Ashton, Chris orders him to sit in the house and not appear on the street until he has worked out an escape plan. After spending several days in the house, Whitey begins to get nervous, and, in the end, searches the room of Chris in search of his share. Returning once from work, Chris learns from Mrs. Brentman that in his absence, Whitey takes daily walks around the city. Outraged, he rises to his room, where he sees Whitey rummaging through his things. Whitey declares that Chris will no longer need the money, since he has a rich girlfriend who will provide all his needs. Fearing for her life, Whitey gets hysterical, stating that while Mrs. Brentman is away, Chris will take advantage of her absence to kill him. Having attacked Whitey for these words several times, Chris brings him to his senses, and then shows him where the money is, offering to take it, however, tormented by his conscience, he refuses. Chris insists that Whitey leave for a ten-day period, while Mrs. Brentman leaves to visit her son’s grave in Arlington Cemetery .

When Chris takes Mrs. Brentman to the airport, he notices that two people are watching him, but he manages to break away from them and come unnoticed to Elaine. Chris explains to her why she did not appear for so long, confessing to everything that had happened to him lately. Elaine assures Chris that she still loves him, and advises him to return the stolen money. She also says that she moved to Ashton only when she was 18 years old, and therefore from the very beginning she knew that he had come up with everything about his past. When Chris returns to Mrs. Brentman’s house, he sees that Whitey is dead and the money has been stolen. Realizing that he is surrounded by Bowen’s people on all sides, Chris leaves the house and gets into the waiting car, which takes him to the villa where Bowen stopped. Bowen gets into their car, and along the way offers to jointly spin up Elaine for a million dollars. When Chris refuses, Bowen points a revolver at him. Chris grabs the plaid from the seat and manages to wrap the driver's head around it, causing the car to fly out of the way at full speed. At this moment, Bowen shoots, but the car crashes into a billboard, turns over several times and stops. Chris is injured in the arm and ends up in a police hospital, and after a course of treatment he is transferred to a regular prison. Elaine meets him at this moment, promising to wait for his return when she "will need him to the same extent as she always needed him."

The English director Robert Stevenson moved to Hollywood in 1940, where he attracted such melodramas as “ Zakulok ” (1941) and “ Jane Eyre ” (1943) ^{[1] [2]} . The military melodrama “ Joan of Paris ” (1942) became his debut at the RKO studio, for which over the next decade he directed several gloomy melodramas and noir films, among them “ To the End of the Earth ” (1948), “ I Married a Communist ” ( 1949), “ My Forbidden Past ” (1951) and “ History in Las Vegas ” (1952), so, according to film critic Susan Doll, he “perfectly owned the studio style of the 1940s” ^[1] . Subsequently, Stevenson was known for staging films for the Walt Disney studio , such as Mary Poppins (1964), which earned him the only Academy Award nomination for Best Director. ^[2]

According to Doll, the most successful stage in Joseph Cotten ’s film career took place in the 1940s and early 1950s, immediately after playing his main roles in such recognized films as “ Citizen Kane ” (1941), “ Magnificent Ambersons ” (1942) Shadow of Doubt (1943) and Gas Light (1944). This film was made in 1948 at the peak of his career, shortly after “ Duel in the Sun ” (1946) and at about the same time as “ Portrait of Jenny ” (1948) and “ The Third Man ” (1949), although it was released only in 1950. "Go quietly, stranger" is made in the genre that provided Cotten the greatest success - a romantic melodrama with a little secret or crime. Cotten's character in this film echoes his role in Hitchcock's thriller Shadow of Doubt (1943), "where he played a killer who brings evil to small towns in America" ^[1] .

Film historian Glenn Erickson writes that the "exotic" discovery "of producer David Selznik , Italian actress Alida Valley made her American debut in Hitchcock's film" The Paradine Affair "(1947), which was a huge failure and did not give her anything. “Go quietly, a stranger” in case of failure, could be her last film in Hollywood, however, the success of the film Noir “The Third Man” that appeared before him delayed Wally in Hollywood for a couple more films, among which was the strange melodrama “The Miracle of Bells ” (1948) " ^[3] . Ironically, Cotten and Wally played together in Carol Reed ’s noir masterpiece The Third Man (1949), which was shot after Go Silently, a Stranger, but appeared on the screen before him, instantly making Wally a star. Returning to Europe, “the amazingly beautiful, with piercing eyes, the actress made a successful career there”, playing, in particular, roles in the films Lucino Visconti “ Feeling ” (1954), Michelangelo Antonioni “ Scream ” (1957), as well as in several paintings Bernardo Bertolucci ^[3] .

According to Doll, "despite the claims of some critics that the failure of this film has damaged the careers of the leading actors, in fact it is not." Although Cotten’s career went downhill in the mid-1950s, he continued to star in prestigious films such as Niagara (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). Stevenson moved to Disney Studios, where he staged such classic films as The Old Nonsense (1957) and Mary Poppins (1964), and Wally returned to Europe, where she continued to appear for several decades ^[1] .

According to Doll, in 1947, Dor Shari , who was one of the few significant producers of the post-war years, who wanted to make films on serious social problems, such as Crossfire (1947), was appointed vice president of production at RKO. national intolerance ^[1] . The last film that Shari made as the head of RKO's production was the noir melodrama No More Cry ^[3] , which, according to Doll, contained “a small fraction of social criticism about the consequences of the war on the domestic front” ^{[1] [4]} .

According to information from Variety magazine from March 1947, initially Hitchcock was considered as the director of this picture, and Cary Grant as the leading actor. However, in the end, RKO rented from the production company David Selznick both the director Robert Stevenson and the stars of the picture - Joseph Cotten and Alida Valley ^[4] . Later, the working title of the film "Do not Cry Again" was replaced by the current one "Go quietly, stranger" ^[4] .

At the beginning of 1948, when the production of the film was almost completed, the famous Roward Hughes industrialist acquired the RKO film company, which, according to Erickson, “quickly brought it to chaos and decline. He promised the studio to make a big breakthrough, but in fact dismissed almost all creative managers and dismissed 75% of the employees, and with his “whims” about certain tapes, he practically drove RKO into a financial tailspin ” ^[3] . According to Doll, “unfortunately, Shari with his liberal plan of action clashed with the identity of Hughes, and after several weeks of struggle with him, Shari left the studio, and the billionaire put the film on the shelf” ^{[1] [4]} .

In February 1949, hoping to take advantage of the success of The Third Man, where Cotten and Valley also played the main roles, Hughes decided to release the film, while completely changing its ending ^[1] . In March 1949, Variety reported that through Selznik Hughes had hired screenwriter H.P. Garrett to write a new ending ^[4] . As Doll notes, “knowing that Hughes dislikes movies with meaning, Garrett probably changed the initial pessimistic ending in which Chris loses Elaine to an optimistic ending with hope for the future” ^[1] .

The film premiered on October 12, 1950 in New York ^{[5] [2]} . As suggested by the New York Times columnist Bosley Krauser , the delay in rolling out the movie, “was probably due to the expectation of an increase in the“ price of stars ”after the movie“ The Third Man ”. If this is really the case, the people at RKO did the right thing, because, according to Krauser, “stellar value” is practically the only thing of any significance that this film has ” ^{[6] [2]} .

However, as Doll notes, “despite the clever use of Cotten’s stellar image, the film became a box office failure, causing a loss of $ 775 thousand” ^[1] , which, according to the American Film Institute , “became the biggest failure of the year for RKO ” ^[4] . According to Doll, the failure of the film was associated not so much with the film as such, but with “Hughes’ disbelief in his success and his frivolous attitude to the movie rental schedule” ^[1] . This film was the last joint project of Selznik and RKO ^[4] .

Overall rating of the film

Criticism ambiguously evaluated this picture, in particular, after its release on the screens, Krauser noted that despite an interesting beginning, “the film is blown away in the middle” and, as a result, “shows no strength”, emphasizing that the film’s only advantage is the play of its stars ^{[ 6]} . A TimeOut review of the magazine states that the film contains “a fascinating set of variables where the criminal story of the sins of the past intersects with a doomed novel in central America”, but “a dull third act drowns out this humble saga of personal atonement”. Тем не менее, по мнению рецензента, «несмотря на недостатки, фильм остаётся в памяти» ^[7] . Эриксон оценил картину как «интересную, пропитанную нуаром, мыльную оперу, которая свела вместе двух „горячих“ контрактных актёров Селзника — Коттена и Валли», «добиваясь успеха благодаря очарованию своих звёзд». Критик считает, что «фильм не блестящий в своей окончательной версии», которая несёт очевидную печать редактирования Хьюзом. «Финальный оптимизм фильма вышибает его из нуарового мейнстрима, хотя сценарий и нагнетает напряжённость между циничным криминальным аспектом истории и здоровой атмосферой маленького городка» ^[3] . По мнению Долл, «этот фильм не назовёшь классикой, которая оказала влияние на развитие киноискусства или стала примером новаторского кино, тем не менее это типичный продукт Золотой эпохи Голливуда , где шаблонная история получает крепкое усиление благодаря сильной актёрской игре и блестящей операторской работе» ^[1] .

Майкл Кини заметил, что «за исключением ужасающей автокатастрофы в финале, это сонная романтическая мелодрама» ^[8] , а, по мнению Шварца, «этот унылый фильм заслуживает просмотра только по причине отличной игры Алиды Валли в роли богатой девушки-инвалида», однако «неинтересная, клишированная развязка выхолащивает его нуаровые аспекты, превращая в неубедительную любовную мыльную оперу» ^[2] . По мнению Батлера, «это разочаровывающий фильм, тот тип фильма, когда смотришь который, то надеешься, что он станет немного лучше, но этого так и не происходит. Интерес сохраняется на протяжении первых двух третей фильма, но третья часть просто разваливается на части», и в итоге «финал неубедителен и просто неправилен». Кроме того, по мнению критика, «фильм страдает от того, что оказывается между двумя жанрами, пытаясь быть и нуаровым триллером, и романтической мелодрамой. Можно быть и тем, и другим одновременно, но данный фильм не справляется с этим ловким трюком и потому не вызывает удовлетворения ни в том, ни в другом качестве». Батлер считает достоинствами фильма его «привлекательно странную меланхолическую атмосферу», и образ Криса, который заставляет зрителя гадать, «является ли он честным в каждый конкретный момент». Это «удерживает интерес зрителя на определённое время, но этого не хватает на весь фильм» ^[9] .

Оценка работы режиссёра и творческой группы

Босли Краузер отметил, что «жалостливо написанная Фрэнком Фентоном романтическая история обладает интересным новшеством», и, кроме того, фильм «хорошо поставлен Робертом Стивенсоном и красиво сыгран актёрами», а «острые словесные дуэли между двумя сложными персонажами, каждый из которых хранит в себе какую-то странную злобу, смотрятся более, чем хорошо». Но затем, по мнению Краузера, «Фентон сдаётся, сбиваясь на клише, столь же старые как само кино» ^[6] .

Эриксон отмечает, что «сценарий Фентона успешно использует элементы нуарового триллера» ^[3] , а Долл обращает внимание на визуальные решения этого фильма, основанные на «опыте RKO по созданию фильмов нуар, а также фильмов ужасов Вэла Льютона . Студия славилась своим контрастным освещением и тенями для усиления эмоционального и смыслового воздействия истории». Долл отмечает также, что, «как и многие другие нуары RKO , этот фильм говорит о том, что никто не может уйти от своего прошлого», при этом «затемнённое, атмосферическое освещение помогает раскрыть эту мрачную тему. Свет в фильме не только красив, но и полон смысла, придавая атмосферу и глубину истории» ^[1] .

Оценка актёрской игры

Игра большинства актёров удостоилась высокой оценки критики. Краузер отметил, что «язвительный Коттен играет странного и таинственного человека, а Валли — полную сил и энергии, но страдающую девушку, которая стала инвалидом после несчастного случая». Как Коттен, так и Валли «исполняют свои роли с трогающей остротой». Критик также выделяет «милую игру Спринг Байинтон в роли домовладелицы», а также Пола Стюарта , который «интересен в роли недалёкого бандита» ^[6] . Рецензент TimeOut отмечает, что «если игра Коттена, возможно, слишком сдержанна, что в данном случае хорошо, то Валли усиливает скрытой энергией и сложностью свою эскизно написанную роль» ^[7] . По мнению Батлера, Коттен «хорош и конечно знает, как играть индивидуальные сцены, но он кажется немного скованным, и его игра не вполне складывается так, как хотелось бы». Кроме того, эта его работа проигрывает в сравнении со «значительно лучшей игрой в „Тени сомнения“». С другой стороны, «Валли справляется лучше, но и она в полной мере не преодолевает банальность части своего материала. Лишь Байинтон удаётся дать по-настоящему впечатляющую игру» ^[9] . Долл также обращает внимание на сходство роли Коттена с его ролью в «Тени сомнения», однако в этом фильме его персонаж «оказывается меньшим злом, чем дядя Чарли в фильме Хичкока, потому что он изменяется к лучшему, влюбляясь в почти невозможном романе». По мнению Долл, «неяркая личность Коттена и его глубокий голос были идеальными для исполнения ролей как учтивых элегантных джентльменов, так и таинственных персонажей, которым есть, что скрывать, а часто — и того, и другого вместе» ^[1] . По мнению Эриксона, Коттен «отличен в роли жулика, который влюбляется в свою жертву. Немногие актёры могут быть столь убедительны в роли истинного джентльмена. И в соответствии с понятиями нуара, его герой ставит на карту всё, чтобы получить ту благополучную жизнь, которую не дала ему его предыдущая преступная карьера». При этом он «не маньяк типа дяди Чарли, а человек, которого мы можем поддержать». Эриксон также обращает внимание на «интересный состав актёров второго плана, который включает Макинтайра и Фрэнка Пуглиа в роли отца Элейн, который поможет любому, кто осчастливит его дочь». По мнению критика, «Пол Стюарт довольно хорош в роли почти безумного партнёра Коттена, который постепенно звереет, а Спринг Байинтон прекрасна в роли милой домохозяйки» ^[3] . Майкл Кини также обращает внимание на игру Макинтайра в роли босса Коттена на фабрике и Джека Паара , который играет его коллегу и партнёра по покеру, а также Байингтон в роли милой старой домохозяйки ^[8] .

• Spencer Selby. Dark City: The Film Noir . — Jeffeson, NC: McFarland & Co Inc, 1997. — ISBN 978-0-7864-0478-0 ref=Selby.
• Michael F. Keaney. Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940–1959 . — Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2003. — ISBN 978-0-7864-1547-2 .

• Иди тихо, незнакомец на сайте IMDb  
• Иди тихо, незнакомец на сайте Allmovie  
• Go quietly, stranger at the American Film Institute website
• Go quiet, stranger on Turner Classic Movies