The classic plot of good verse evil is used once again in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. Guy Haines plays the part of the innocent protagonist who is suspected of a crime, the murder of his wife Miriam, when the real culprit is the antagonist Bruno Antony, a man that Guy met on a train. Hitchcock uses many filming techniques throughout the movie to make the scenes more suspenseful and cause tension.

A major example of a mood altering filming technique is the scene in which Miriam is murdered. The scene takes place in the dark of night on a small island. The darkness of the scene already causes suspense, but it is the way the murder is shot that really causes your feeling and mood to change. As Bruno wraps his hands around Miriam’s neck and begins to strangle her, her glasses fall to the ground and the glass is partially broken. The murder is then filmed as though you are looking through Miriam’s glasses. The scene becomes distorted and almost blurry. The face of the murderer, Bruno, is blacked out.

The viewer can see what is happening, but it is not completely clear. You watch as Bruno finishes the strangling, and then Miriam falls slowly to the ground with the glasses facing her. The distortion of the scene leaves you feeling confused and disoriented.

The last major scene that uses a suspense building technique is when the carousel is spinning out of control. Guy and Bruno are fighting as the carousel is spinning wildly. There are kids of all ages riding on it, and they are terrified. As the viewer watches, he becomes nervous, not knowing what will happen to all those on the carousel. The police don’t know how they can stop it, and a toothless old man comes forward and says he can do it. The old man begins to crawl under the out of control carousel; he seems so close to being hit. The scene changes back to Bruno and Guy fighting. Bruno knocks a young boy of his horse, and the boy is thrown to the edge of the carousel. Guy slides to the boy and rescues him. The viewer is unsure of whether or not the boy and Guy will make it. The scene changes back to the ol

Some topics in this essay:
Antony Guy, Bruno Guy, Guy Bruno, Guy Haines, Vehicles Suspense, scene changes, viewer watches, tennis match, guy’s tennis match, suspense building technique, carousel spinning, scene causes, guy’s tennis, amusement park, suspense building, building technique, match bruno,