User reviews

A sad little film noir wrapped inside a sad little love story (or vice versa), Walk Softly, Stranger maintains a subdued integrity of tone throughout. You wish it would get a move on, or that the exchanges were snappier, or the rhythms quirkier. But, no, and at the end, you have to admit that, on its own modest terms, it succeeds.

Into the heartland of Ohio drifts grifter Joseph Cotten to settle down in one of those small cities that used to be famous for something – in this case, it's the headquarters of Corelli Shoes, where he wangles himself a job. Cotten lets on that he's returning to the home town he ran away from years before – even taking up room and board with Spring Byington, a widow who now owns what used to be his house. But it's all a lie (or at least seems to be; the script sends mixed messages on this point). He's researched the history of the house and the widow, and also that of the Corelli heiress (Valli; she had dropped the `Alida'), a lonely rich girl crippled in a skiing accident. He hopes to romance her so as to be sitting pretty for the rest of his days – his ultimate con job. But he ends up falling for her.

Cotten's Achilles heel, however, has always been his professional vanity, and he can't pass up one last job – robbing a mob boss of his casino's take. The job succeeds, but his certified loser of an accomplice (Paul Stewart), now down and out, tracks him down and blows both their covers. They're both marked men....

Walk Softly, Stranger, opts for a bittersweet, romantic ending rather than a terminal blow-out, and that's in keeping with all that goes before. But problems remain. Cotten's performance reminds us, in its watered-down way, of his Uncle Charlie in Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, while Valli has little to do but stay tragically, enigmatically glamorous. (The most memorable performances come from Byington and Stewart, and the movie is notable for preserving one of the few appearances on film of Jack Paar, who was to imprint The Tonight Show with his particular personality in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s). It's a strange, flawed movie whose elegiac tone stays with you.

This one features a typically restrained performance by Cotton, a strong depiction of his weasly partner and moral antithesis by Paul Stewart and, as always, good supporting work by the ebullient Spring Byington. The star, however, is Valli, who moves from a vulnerable cripple to a radiant smile as some kids sing a Christmas carol to her through the window of Cotton's wonderful Packard convertible. The film may end unconvincingly, as some auditors argue, but at least it ends in a minor key. The effective opening 3/4 may have earned that ending. But see it for Valli, who (as someone suggested) should have gotten an Oscar for this one.

This forgotten gem was of interest for a number of reasons.

First, it's directed by Robert Stevenson, the man responsible for a superb thriller, To the Ends of the Earth (1948) with Dick Powell in the lead. Steveson, however, has a long list of fine films to his credit, beginning (for me) with Tom Brown's Schooldays (1940), all the way to The Love Bug (1968) and Herbie Rides Again (1974) – if you like fantasy comedy...

But second, this film echoes the matching of Cotton and Valli in The Third Man (1949), arguably one of the best film-noir made (directed by Carol Reed, of course). Reading the additional information about this film, however, I learnt that it was actually made before The Third Man but keep on ice for two years.

In this narrative, however, Cotton as Chris Hale breaks the mold of the bashful, loyal and trustworthy good guy he was known for in so many previous movies. That is, while this is certainly another of the film-noir genre, it doesn't have a femme fatale: Chris Hale is the homme fatale – the man with the fatal flaw in his past, and the one that catches up with him.

In contrast, Valli as Elaine Corelli is the broken rose: a woman of substance and great beauty but, because of a tragic accident, unwilling to expose herself to potential failure again, especially in matters of the heart. When Hale turns up, however, she is drawn to him, despite her misgivings at first.

Arguably, she should have listened to her head because Hale has a hidden agenda – in fact, that's why he's in Elaine's town where her father practically owns it: Hale wants to stay hiding in plain sight, as a model citizen, because he thinks the guys he robbed a while back – gangsters who ran a casino in another state - will never find him... More fool he, because his ex-buddy turns up to ask for a handout – and so, Hale's cover is blown and it's only a matter of time before the killers follow.

What follows then are Hale's attempts to get clear of the bad guys and redeem himself with Elaine; so, I'll leave you to enjoy that denouement. When you do, watch for the great sight gag that includes the words: "Next time, go by air", a moment of levity that foreshadows an ending that is, if not entirely happy, at least shows promise of hope.

Cotton does an excellent job as a calculating, unflappable and competent con man who gradually sees the need, within himself, to change his ways; Valli once again exudes troubled emotions and repressed sexuality with great finesse; that great character actor, Paul Stewart shines as the craven Whitey Lake, Hale's buddy; and John McIntire appears, for once, as not a cop – as In Psycho (1960) - but as an office manager, Morgan. And, let's not forget Spring Byington who plays...well, Mrs Brentman/Spring Byington, the landlady.

Recommended for all, especially for film-noir fans.

On the run gambler, con man Chris Hale Joseph Cotton inveigles his way into a small All- American town to lie low for awhile. He charms his way into the good graces of locals and begins a relationship with a local shoe titan's wheel chair bound daughter (Valli). While he envisions starting anew in this town he can't resist making one more big score by ripping off a vicious thug. The theft is cleanly pulled off and Hale disappears back to his small community where he has assumed another identity. Unfortunately his unstable partner in the robbery tracks him down and from here things begin to unravel.

Fresh from their Third Man pairing Joseph Cotton and Valli made this stylish little noir that at times evokes masterworks of the genre such as Shadow of a Doubt and Out of the Past. It has some tightly edited and well filmed suspenseful moments and Cotton as always gives a strong understated performance. Valli on the other hand is still in her post war Vienna funk so enigmatic in Third Man but dull and lifeless here. Upbeat Spring Byington and especially surly and troubled Paul Stewart provide effective opposite examples of the human condition that pull at Hale's conscience.

Unfortunately in it's final scene, Walk Softly Stranger takes advice from its title and signs off with a mawkish tacked on ending that obliterates the impact of the previous scene which is infinitely more compatible to the overall doomed mood of story and character.

Joseph Cotten stars in "Walk Softly, Stranger," a 1950 film also starring Valli, Paul Stewart and Spring Byington. Cotten plays Chris Hale, a con man who takes up residence in a small town under his new name. He has a sweet landlady (Byington) who loves him, a decent job and is enjoying a flirtation with the boss' wheelchair-bound daughter (Valli). However, he just can't resist one more opportunity to make a huge haul by stealing a gambler's money with a partner (Stewart). After they split the money, the two go their separate ways, but Stewart panics and tracks down Chris. Chris is afraid he's led the gambler's men right to his door.

This is a small, engrossing film with an excellent performance from Cotten. Someone on the board compared him here to Uncle Charle in "Shadow of a Doubt," but Charlie was a murderer, which Chris is not, and also a psychotic, again, which Chris is not. Cotten is extremely likable as Chris, a basically good man who has a fatal flaw of liking fast, easy money. Valli is okay as the boss' daughter - she's not quite as beautiful as she was in "The Paradine Case," but she's still soulful with that aura of misery. That quality made many think she could be a new Garbo. Despite doing some good, high profile films, she returned to Italy shortly after this film and worked steadily until a few years before her death. To say she seems out of place in this small town is an understatement.

You really pull for Chris all the way through the film. Maybe the ending was a bit of a stretch, but I was satisfied with it. Is it a noir or a romance? This movie really doesn't know, but it's a good watch.

Walk Softly, Stranger is directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Frank Fenton. It stars Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Spring Byington, Paul Stewart and Jack Paar. Music is by Frederick Hollander and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.

Chris Hale (Cotton) arrives in Ashton, Ohio, with manipulation and a robbery on his mind. But when he meets wheelchair bound Elaine Corelli (Valli), it alters the course of his future plans…

It's the other Cotton and Valli movie, the one that isn't The Third Man. It's also the movie hat marked the wind of change at RKO as Howard Hughes breezed into the studio and promptly set about putting his own stamp on things, badly as it happens. Walk Softly, Stranger on the shelf for two years and subsequently got released in 1950, no doubt due in part to the success of The Third Man the year previously.

It's a strange blend of romantic melodrama – cum thriller – with some film noir edginess, something which doesn't all together work. It's very slowly paced and settles into a mood approaching disquiet, a femme fatale of sorts is nicely set up, and the whole "just one last job" vibe keeps interest in the story high. Acting from Cotton and Valli is strong, Paul Stewart is as usual good value when playing a twitchy loser bad guy type, and Byington almost steals the film from the leads with an ebullient show as the widow Brentman.

Unfortunately, come the final third the picture fails to deliver on its moody promise, choosing instead to rely on one action set-piece and a waft of optimism for pic's closure. It's not the pay off required or hoped for, a shame because as a production in general it's of good quality. 6/10

Walk Softly, Stranger may not be the most memorable slice of classic cinema of all time, but even so; Robert Stevenson's film offers an interesting tale of redemption and retribution, despite not being at all innovative. The film stars Joseph Cotten as a man who travels to a town called Ashton. He quickly becomes friendly with the locals, and tells them that he once lived there as a boy. His friendship with a young wheelchair-bound lady named Elaine Corelli, daughter of a successful factory owner, proves his most fruitful. But people's pasts have a habit of catching up them, and the man's gambling exploits are his weakness. The fact that this film stars Joseph Cotten was my main reason for seeing it. The man has a great screen presence that blends excellently with film noir. His performance here isn't one of his best, but he does well at hinting at a sinister side to his character just below the surface. He is joined by classic actress Alida Valli, who is most notable to me for the fact that she was one of the leads of Dario Argento's masterpiece 'Suspiria'. The plot flows well throughout, and while it's never too full of surprises; and the ending doesn't live up to the beginning, the film still offers 80 minutes of decent entertainment.

WALK SOFTLY, STRANGER is an offbeat film noir with some unusual elements and a rather pedestrian execution. It sees Joseph Cotten playing a character similar to his one in Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT, a too-good-to-be-true sort of guy who comes into a small town and begins to romance a beautiful young disabled woman.

The film deserves kudos for having one of the main characters disabled, something virtually unheard of in those days, and Alida Valli is very good and sympathetic in the role. I'm of the personal inclination that Cotten can do no wrong, so it was a welcome delight to have him on board too.

Unfortunately, the film's narrative is slow-paced and rather lacking in decent incident. Inevitably Cotten's character brings a lot of baggage with him, leading to some sub-thriller and gangster-style moments. However, this works better as a romance than it does a thriller, and only lovers of the era will truly enjoy it.

Completed in 1948 but not released until 1950. This would seem to be the kiss of death for a film as usually this means a film is a mess and the studio doesn't know what to do with it. Sometimes they redo parts of the story and sometimes they just cut their losses and release it--either way, a film that's pulled off the shelf is NOT a sure sign of a successful film! Sure, there are a few exceptions (such as the recent "Tucker and Dale Versus Evil"), but most such films are duds. Is "Walk Softly Stranger" a dud? Read on...

This is a confusing film. Now this is NOT meant as a criticism but more a reflection on the sort of character Joseph Cotten plays in this movie. You just aren't sure what sort of man he really is. The film begins with Cotten arriving in a small town. He announces that he'd lived there as a kid and has now returned but you can't get past the idea that this is a con. You doubt his motives even more when you see he's living two lives--one as an employee at the local show factory and the other as a professional gambler and thief! And, while he definitely has a hard side, he also begins dating a lady in a wheelchair (Alida Valli) who thinks no man could even want her. What gives?! A 'nice' crook with a heart of gold?! And, is he really Chris Hale? Ultimately, it turns out even he doesn't know! All this story leads to one of the best finales I've seen in a film of this era. Just stay tuned to the exciting car scene--it is simply brilliant and I don't know how they managed to make it look so real. Gripping--that's for sure.

An excellent sleeper--why did these idiots hold on to this excellent movie so long?!

Ever wonder what happened after Anna walked past Holly Martins in the final shot of the 1949 masterpiece The Third Man? Well, apparently, Holly followed her and broke her legs...

In Walk Softly, Stranger, Joseph Cotten plays a crook who assumes a new identity in a small town in order to start a new life. Gangsters whom he robbed are after him, and with the money he stole he believes that he can live a peaceful life. In this town, he meets a young paraplegic woman played by Valli. She was also a gambler, but her wild days were over after she took a tragic spill while skiing. The two begin to fall in love. It's probably the only time a disabled character ever had a major role as a love interest in classical Hollywood. Heck, if someone were to play the same role today, she'd probably win an Oscar! Soon, Cotten's old partner turns up in the town broke, begging for more money. He accidentally let spies track him.

The film is very low-key. In fact, it may be too low-key. The romance between Cotten and Valli is effective. It's difficult to know whether or not he is just taking her for a ride for a long time (she's wealthy). The dialogue is sometimes quite clever (and, then again, it's also sometimes too clever). It's the crime part of the picture that's particularly pedestrian. And the end is kind of lame. All in all, it's only 80 minutes long, and it's entertaining enough to maybe sustain that. Valli and Cotten were so much better in The Third Man, but fans of that film might delight in seeing the two as a couple here. Still, with the way that The Third Man ends, it's actually a little disappointing seeing the two actors on screen. The final scene of that film should have been the final word. 6/10.

It must have seemed like a good idea to reunite Joseph COTTEN and VALLI as co-stars in a darkly lit, low-key drama about a man who is a born loser, a lot like Uncle Charlie of "Shadow of a Doubt"--the kind of intense character that Cotten always seemed to play. And they were wonderful as the stars of "The Third Man".

But his intensity here is not quite as striking--in fact, he's so mellow that when he meets VALLI and decides he needs to use her to further his goal of being seen as an upright citizen in a small town, her melancholy bitterness and his restraint doesn't provide enough conflict to maintain interest.

Nor is it helpful that SPRING BYINGTON is her usual cheery self, totally charmed by the stranger in town who seems like such a nice, harmless guy who needs a good job. She and PAUL STEWART are effective enough in supporting roles, but nothing really helps. The script is dull, the characters lack chemistry and the denouement leaves the viewer unsatisfied with the whole thing.

Made before "The Third Man" but released a year or so later, it tried to capitalize on the names (Cotten and Valli), but was quickly relegated to the status of an A-film that looked more like a B and did nothing for their respective careers.

Summing up: Trivial film is easily forgotten--nothing new here and it's not film noir at all, as someone else has suggested.

A reformed criminal who returns to his home town to start a new life finds himself dragged back into one final job. Joseph Cotten is given the opportunity to deliver a strong performance thanks to Frank Fenton's multilayered screenplay which portrays its protagonist as something of an enigma. We're never sure which is his true persona - the good guy who gently woos crippled Alida Valli (another good performance) or the ruthless hood in cahoots with the always watchable Paul Stewart. It drags a little in the middle, but is worth persevering with.

Returned earlier this year to watching more classic/golden era films. Especially film noirs, mystery thrillers and silent film. There are always two common reasons for seeing any film or television series for this reviewer. One is if the premise sounds promising, 'Walk Softly Stranger' applies here. The other is if there is a talented cast, again this applies here, having seen Joseph Cotten and Spring Byington in other things and liking their work. The genre also appeals.

'Walk Softly Stranger' is another one of those recent discoveries long put in my watchlist but only got round to watching recently. It's another one that left me mostly impressed if not jumping out of my chair in rapture. For what it is, it is well done and executes almost all its components more than solidly. But it also misses out on having the extra something. Definitely recommended and another film that doesn't deserve its seldom seen status, just not quite an essential.

It is a long way from perfect. Did feel that it is melodramatically scripted at times, especially later on, and that it could have done with more momentum.

There are not an awful lot of surprise and the suspense isn't as strong in the final act. Coming off worst is the ending, which is very mawkish and completely at odds with the rest of the film (pretty much too much like it was lifted out of another).

However, what particularly makes 'Walk Softly Stranger' is the acting, which is very good. Cotten is beautifully restrained and amiable and Byington is solid support in a type of role she always played well. Best of all is poignant, sympathetic Alida Valli as the most fleshed out character that goes from one main personality to another as the character evolves seamlessly and gains our sympathy from start to finish.

It is filmed with a good sense of slick style and moody atmosphere and is crisply directed. The music and sound quality don't get over-bearing and suit the mood very well. The script is tight and gritty as ought and the story compels and has the right amount of intricacy. Some nice tension too and while the drama is rather subdued it did have me invested.

Overall, good but not great. 7/10.

This under-recognized noir stars Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli. Cotten plays Chris Hale a man trying to erase his criminal past through duplicitous actions. Alida Valli is Elaine Corelli, a despondent wheelchair-bound heiress who becomes attracted to Chris' suave and mysterious ways.

I was mesmerized by the acting of Valli. It should come as no surprise. Known as the "most beautiful woman in the world," a title bestowed on her by Italian president Benito Mussolini, Valli brought her beauty and acting talents to America from Italy and immediately worked with some of the industry's best including Alfred Hitchcock in The Paradine Case.

In Walk Softly, Stranger she's filmed in luminous close-ups by Harry J. Wild a prolific film noir cinematographer.

In one scene, Chris has taken Eliane to a dance club. Chris, who has ditched a blind date to instead take Elaine, is confronted by the jealous jilted woman, played nicely by the always reliable Jeff Donnell. Elaine is amused. She advises Chris to apologize to the woman and dares him to ask her for a dance. Chris accepts the challenge. Within a minute, the charmer is on the dance floor. Elaine looks at the two gliding, cheek-to-cheek, and slowly begins to descend into depression. In Elaine's past her confinement has put up a wall between her and happiness and in this scene you see that wall rising again.

Valli plays the scene so well. She has the ability to project expressions that provide a crystal clear window to her thoughts.

Part of my problem with the film is Cotten. He is in his mid-40s at the time of filming, and almost 20 years older than Valli. Robert Mitchum or William Holden would have fared better. The temperature between Cotten and Valli never reaches a boiling point.

Director Robert Stevenson had a long and distinguished career with his workmanlike style. He's hampered here with a small budget, but there's some impressive location work done at an airport and a chase scene.

I like the way Stevenson works with Valli. But, overall this material might have fared better in the hands of a Jacques Tourneur.

Recommended for noir lovers.

This moderately successful film noir was directed by Robert Stevenson, who is best known for his famous hit MARY POPPINS (1964). He also directed DISHONORED LADY (1947, see my review) and THE WOMAN ON PIER 13 ((1949, see my review), not to mention 59 other films. The film was billed as a kind of successor to THE THIRD MAN (1949, see my review) of the same year, simply because the same two leads were cast together, namely the alluring and fascinating Alida Valli and Joseph Cotten. But the magic is not there. Valli does her best, but Joseph Cotten seems tired, detached, and there is no chemistry between them this time. (Maybe they had ceased to get along?) So the producers were trying to build on the previous success of these two people, and with such clearly exploitative motives, such projects generally fail. When I was 16 years old, I knew Manny Seff, joint author of the story upon which the film was based. It was his last film. He was such an amusing, whimsical man who liked to make jokes. He was very good company, though rather quiet and unassertive in his manner. The film concerns a beautiful young woman, played by Valli, who has been paralysed because of a skiing accident and is confined to a wheelchair. She is naturally deeply depressed, and all the men who had been chasing her have lost their interest in her. Three years earlier, the film BEWARE OF PITY (1946), based on the famous novel by Stefan Zweig, had proved that a film about a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair (Lily Palmer in that instance) could be a commercial success. So the producers must have felt it was OK to put Valli in one, as all would be well. As far as Valli's part of the story went, all was well. She was wholly convincing and elicits our sympathy without demanding pity. But the rest of the film which swirls around her does not really work. Joseph Cotten is a very unsuitable candidate for playing a compulsive gambler and card shark, turned thief, who is on the run. That is just not 'him'. From the very beginning of the film, as we watch the calculating Cotten assume a false identity in Valli's home town, we just do not believe the film at all. His attempts to appear cold and calculating merely make him seem wrong for the part, which he was. Any man spending all that time with the beautiful Valli simply could not behave with such indifference to her obvious charms, especially when she keeps looking at him like that and tells him that she loves him. The film is ruined by being hopelessly unconvincing. Good try, shame about that.

I rather like this quite unusual blend of noir and romance. It opens quite uniquely after which a sweeping, rich score accompanies the opening credits which move into a minor tonality upon the producer credit in a clever hint of that this isn't going to be a quaint little film set in a small town.

A strong cast with Cotton giving an edge to his character with a past and Valli who is his redemption and Spring Byington bringing an indomitable goodness which comes across as maybe naive but her character is an optimistic survivor who in reality is a force. Esther Dale brings sassiness and a reprove in amongst the undercurrent of darkness.

This film stars Joseph Cotten as a con man who robs a gambling house and then goes to his old hometown in Ohio to hide out. He meets a girl he once knew but she's a cripple, but he doesn't care. There's more to the story but i don't want to spoil it. There were some things that didn't ring true and the movie is just too short. Joseph Cotten does a good job as does the rest of the cast.

I gave this a six because it is sort of a film noir. It's not really very good, though.

Joseph Cotten was a superb actor. He did fine work for Orson Welles and is unforgettable in "Shadow of A Doubt." He was a low-keyed performer. However, he seems to be walking through this movie half-asleep. It's hard to get a fix on the character he plays and when we do, we don't really buy it.

Alidda Valli was attractive but not much of an actress. She is implausible as a heavily accented local in a small city -- despite the explanation that she had been away till she was 18. The whole thing with her in a wheelchair and Cotten's being redeemed by dealing with a disabled person: Please! (That is giving nothing away. It's clear this is where the plot if going as soon as he meets her.) I saw a commercial video and sequences seemed to have been cut. If not, the editing is sloppy: There is a brief sequence in which Cotten's character is playing cards with an older woman whom we are apparently meant to know. I didn't recall having seen her before. Maybe I had dozed off. (But I don't think so.)