Nunca Beijes um Estranho

"Once You Kiss a Stranger" is a fun little "Strangers on a Train" retread that swaps in a female antagonist and golf in place of tennis. Gamine, fashionable Carol Lynley takes on the neurotic Robert Walker role, and she has some delightfully eccentric moments. In the opening scene, Lynley shoots a child's beachball with a harpoon for daring to intrude on her private beach! She later tries to force her cat into the fridge for daring to lap up a bit of her glass of milk. Thankfully, she fails in her effort, only later to be seen reading a book on how to train one's cat. Her various attempts at vehicular manslaughter are also cheerfully bonkers: golf carts and dune buggies have never been so terrifying!

Despite the noirish plot, the movie is very brightly lit, with nary a shadow to be found. It has the very staid look of a made-for-TV movie, and would have benefited from an injection of directorial flair. Still, this curious thriller is great fun for lovers of camp.

This movie can be a lot of fun, just don't take it too seriously. Several scenes border on camp, but I loved it anyway. Several late 1960's location shots of Los Angeles & Malibu (When it was still pretty, not like today, UGH!) also add to the ambiance. Carol Lynley sleeps with a golf pro to blackmail him into murdering her shrink. This movie is worth watching just to see Carol chase an elegantly dressed Martha Hyer on the beach while Carol tries to run her over with a dune buggy. (Those were the days! Try driving a dune buggy on a beach in California today!) This movie also boasts being way ahead of it's time with Carol owning her own VCR! (IN 1969!) Wow! She even caught her sexcapade on tape and this was years ahead of Rob Lowe. If this wasn't enough she visits her aunt and shows her the meaning of elderly abuse. They don't make 'em like this anymore, movie was panned at the time, but I think it's a lot of fun. Lush 60's sets and clothes, Los Angeles looking a hell of lot better than it does now, women slapping and trying to kill each other, cool 60's convertibles, what more could you ask for.

Paul Burke is a professional golfer who always comes in second to Phillip Carey. He's also got a shaky marriage to Martha Hyer. Carol Lynley is a sociopath who is worried that her aunt and psychiatrist Whit Bissell are going to send her to another insane asylum. So she seduces burke, kills Carey and now expect him to kill Bissell.

In other words, it's a variation of Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. It's well performed by the cast -- Miss Lynley seems particularly creepy to me since she speaks exactly like a woman I knew; when I mentioned this to a common friend, the friend thought it made a lot of sense. However, despite the addition of sex to the plot, there isn't much added to the story except for color photography.

This film is for camp only. It is a lot of fun. You will keep asking yourself, "Why would luscious Carol Lynley stalk Paul Burke?"

While I think that Alfred Hitchcock's reputation is a bit bigger than life, he really did make some terrific films. One of his better ones was "Strangers on a Train"...a classic is every way. So, in light of his reptuation, the ubiquity of this movie on TV, and how famous this movie is, you wonder WHO thought it was a good idea to remake the film! Yes, some lunkhead decided it was a good idea to remake such a famous film...and the results, predictably, are inferior in almost every way.

When the movie begins, it's obvious that the movie is going to be anything but subtle or clever. The script and director establish VERY early on that Diana (Carol Lynley) is a sadistic nut! I am almost surprised they didn't just have her act just like Cruella De Ville...it was THAT unsubtle and silly. And, more importantly, this isn't handled with the deftness Hitchcock used in his version. Yes, Diana is vicious and evil....and about as obvious to everyone as can be. In contrast, Robert Walker in "Strangers on a Train" SLOWLY was revealed to be disturbed...and it's one of his best acting roles. As for Lynley....well, she's pretty.

If you care, and I certainly didn't, the film is mostly the same story but with a HUGE twist...the innocent man is a pro golfer instead of a pro tennis player....what a HUGE change! Well, I hope you're picking up on my sarcasm here!!!

Overall, a terrible film when you can't help but see how inferior it is in every way to the source material. I cannot think of a good reason to watch it other than to admire Ms. Lynley in a bikini (she looked far nicer than Walker would have in a bikini) or if you want to see a ham-fisted version of an excellent original.