Rebello offers a wonderful tidbit: The glasses had such thick lenses that Laura Elliott, who played Guy’s wife, was practically blind while wearing them and had to grasp furniture or fellow actors to keep from bumping into props ... Rebello...expertly guides the reader through the steps of getting Strangers adapted.
Rebello covers every aspect of the film ... Rebello’s volume is extensively researched, but the details flow together in an engaging narrative of the movie that kickstarted Hitchcock’s renaissance. Two interesting appendixes list abandoned plot elements from earlier versions of the screenplay and edits made between the film’s preview version and final cut ... An excellent look at a beloved work of Hollywood suspense.
Comprehensive ... Rebello paints a portrait of the period’s repressive political landscape, which was marked by the anti-communist suspicion and censorship of McCarthyism and forced Hitchcock to downplay references to violence and sexual promiscuity to appease censors. This peek behind the maestro’s curtain will spellbind cinema fans.
