Not as a Stranger (1955)

Just perfect...

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I have read the novel "Not as a stranger" several times, and I love it a lot. Therefore, I had high expectations on this movie. What I saw, justified my expectations just partly. The good thing was, that the script followed the book surprisingly well, for being made in the 1950:s.But at the same time, they had changed some things unnecessarily. For example, Luke, Mitchum's character, did not at all operate on his boss the country doctor in the end. Instead the doctor, knowing himself that he was soon going to die, left his practice and went on a cruise... The ending in the movie was only unnecessarily dramatic, unrealistic, and contrived.I also miss the scene where a person had gone astray in the forest, and Luke took part in the search party. The things that were thought and said in this scene in the novel, were very beautiful and full of insight and necessary to the understanding of the story as a whole. I cannot understand why it was not included in the movie..? The episode about the old man, that Luke saved by working the night through, is also a little wrong. In the novel, the hospital doctor had not only neglected his care, but even tried to hasten his death by placing him in an unheated room with an open window...But apart from these things, I think the movie gave a fairly good rendering of the story. There is one more thing I have to object to, though: the casting. I like Robert Mitchum a lot - I think he was very sexy. A typical alpha male! :-) ...but he was not at all right in this role, about a sensitive, intelligent and intellectual young man.The same is true for Olivia de Havilland: I like her a lot in many other movies, for example "Gone with the Wind". But she was not right as a Swedish woman (and me BEING a Swedish woman should know! :-) ). Her hair is so obviously bleached into an unnatural blond hair color, that does not go with her eyes or skin. Her - and her female Minnesota friend's - accents, are not Swedish either. Another thing that is very wrong, is that Kristina is supposed to be big, cow-like an ugly (something which is NOT, by the way, typical of Swedish women! :-) ). That was an important part of the story: that Luke only married her for her money. But Havilland is of course VERY beautiful in this movie, as always, so the idea of someone marrying her only for her money gets completely ridiculous...The worst thing about the casting, though, is that both Mitchum, Sinatra and de Havilland are much too old for their parts in the beginning of the movie. I cannot understand how the people responsible for the casting were thinking..? Apart from these flaws, though, it is a beautiful, interesting and thought-provoking movie, well worth watching!

Wooden Mitchum maybe at 40 playing a medical student was slightly unbelievable, as well as the other 30's-40's actors in medical school. The Script is excellent as well the story, just not the cast. The positives are Olivia de Havilland and Sinatra. The story is so good, it carries the film regardless of the miscasting. 6/10 This wonderful script deserved better. Havilland saved it almost solely. The music was exceptional, as well as the lighting.The unintentional comedy moments make up for some of the drab. Mitchum's lack of expression is comical during the film. The only time he shows real emotion is his crying when his dad dies and it's done from behind.

Enjoyed this great story and all the actors who gave outstanding performances, especially Olivia De Havilland, (Kristina Hedvigson) who played the wife to Robert Mitchum,(Lucas Marsh). Kristina came from a wealthy family and fell in love with Lucas Marsh who was going to medical school and gave him financial support in his striving to become a successful surgeon. There are great scenes in the operating room and it was done so professionally that it kept you on pins and needles throughout the entire picture. Gloria Graham, (Harriet Lang) plays the role of a very sexy rich woman who teases and pleases Lucas Marsh and makes him feel very guilty for cheating on his wife. Frank Sinatra, (Alfred Boone) gives a great supporting role as a real close friend to Lucas and they both went through medical school together and each went their separate ways as doctors. There is plenty of drama and if you have not seen this Great Classic 1955 film, you will definitely want to view many great veteran actors at the top of their careers.

Despite miscasting of Mitchum and Sinatra as rather superannuated medical students the film taken from the Morton novel and slightly changed is fun to watch. Mitchum played his usual strong silent type character. No one ever accused him of overacting or even acting. What made the movie enjoyable were the strong performances of the rest of the cast Crawford, Bickford, deHavilland, sporting a ridiculous hairdo, and the very sexy Gloria Grahame. There is a very heavy handed but funny scene where a stallion is loosed to have his way with a mare in season before Mitchum and Gloria consummate their affair. Surpringly this scene was expunged from a recent TCM showing. All in all worth watching.