There is a very perceptible difference between Hollywood productions and British filmmaking. Hollywood would have over-dramatized this film. "Big" stars would have been included. The production values would have been pristine, first-rate and in color. And the end result would have been considerably less than that which was produced by British filmmaking. Dick Bogarde was just as good as any 50s Hollywood male star. The child star, Jon Whitely, was exceptional, and some spoiled LA brat could not have done half as well. A film about a murderer trying to escape can be gripping. And a film about a mistreated boy who runs away from home can be very engaging as well. But if you combine those two elements, you have a classic, and this is it.
Review of The Stranger in Between
