Three Strangers

1946
Approved
1h 32m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

2.7K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer1:58

1 Video

16 Photos

Film Noir Crime Drama Thriller

Three strangers, each dealing with a serious problem, share a sweepstakes ticket which they wished upon together before a Chinese idol.Three strangers, each dealing with a serious problem, share a sweepstakes ticket which they wished upon together before a Chinese idol.Three strangers, each dealing with a serious problem, share a sweepstakes ticket which they wished upon together before a Chinese idol.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

2.7K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 wins total

Videos1

Trailer 1:58

Original Theatrical Trailer

Photos16

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9:57

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
According to Robert Osborne of TCM, this film was at one point intended to be a sequel to Le faucon maltais (1941). Following the success of that film, Warner Bros. wanted to make a sequel. "Falcon" writer/director John Huston said he'd previously written an un-filmed script for Warner Bros. that would be appropriate and would only require the character names to be changed to the Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet and Mary Astor characters. However, Warner Bros. discovered they did not own the rights to the characters except for their appearance in "The Maltese Falcon."

Goofs
When Arbutny receives a letter regarding the decline of his stock, it instructs him to remit payment by Tuesday March 20. However, the story takes place in 1938, when March 20 was a Sunday. (Note: the film was made in 1945, and in that year, March 20 was a Tuesday.)

Quotes
Johnny West: Taken in sufficient quantities, liquor will make you intoxicated.

Alternate versions
Also available in a computer colorized version.

Connections
Featured in Frances Farmer Presents: Three Strangers (1959)

Soundtracks
Waltz No. 15 in A-flat major Op. 39
(uncredited)
Music by Johannes Brahms
Played on the piano by Johnny

User reviews51

Featured review

9/10

engrossing fare

"Three Strangers" has long been a favorite film of mine, with its fascinating reference to the statue of the goddess Kwan Yin, who, in Chinese legend, opens her eyes and grants a wish to three strangers on the Chinese New Year. Geraldine Fitzgerald, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre are the above-mentioned strangers, each with an agenda that can be easily pursued by money. So the wish is that their sweepstakes ticket win, and the agreement is that it then be entered into the horse race that follows.

Geraldine Fitzgerald's character seems sympathetic, but she reveals herself as quite obsessive and delusional as the film progresses. Greenstreet plays a crooked solicitor, and Lorre portrays a small time criminal - he's the most sympathetic character and, to my mind, gives the most memorable performance.

The film asks the question - did the meeting of the three strangers change their lives, or did events proceed as they would have? This is an unusual, absorbing, and entertaining film. I highly recommend it.