Should I encourage my friends to seek out this film or should I warn them to steer clear?
Stranger on the Third Floor is one of many works of art that are more historically important, more influential than they are good or pleasing. With a thin plot, obviously padded, it moves along as slow as molasses. The main character, the focus of much of the action, is played by John McGuire who is so unredeemably incompetent and amateurish that you can't keep your eyes off him. And yet, like it or not, Stranger on the Third Floor is seminal -- acclaimed by knowledgeable folks as the first true noir, the head and font of all those 40s and 50s black-and-white films featuring betrayals, gumshoes, bad girls, corrupt city officials, errant bullets, dream sequences, flashbacks, low angle shots, deep shadows and Elisha Cook Jr.
In Stranger, two count-em two different men are accused of murder and are in jeopardy of getting the chair until rescued by the loyal girlfriend.
The director, Boris Ingster (Boris Mikhailovich Azar from Riga by way of the Moscow State Jewish Theatre) brought Eisenstein's style and German Impressionism to Hollywood. Peter Lorre (László Lowenstein from Rózsahegy, Hungary and Vienna) brought genuine maniacal creepiness to the part of the villain.
Stranger on the Third Floor is gold for noir enthusiasts -- but dross for the casual film tourist.
Margaret Tallichet is luminous as the girlfriend. What a shame that she retired after making only four film appearances!
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