For today's scene it was either going to be something from Alfred Hitchcock or Pedro Almodovar, two directors obsessed with mothers.
When Hitchcock read Patricia Highsmith's debut novel, he immediately bought the filming rights, but declined her services to adapt it—it was her first book and no one was to know she would have a long prolific career as a thriller writer, and after boiling it down to a suitable treatment (by Whitfield Cook), approached "name" writers to pen the screenplay, approaching John Steinbeck (they'd worked on Lifeboat) and Thornton Wilder (they'd teamed on Shadow of a Doubt) and even Dashiell Hammett.
Hitchcock then turned to Raymond Chandler, who had collaborated with Billy Wilder on the screenplay of Double Idemnity. Hitchcock evidently didn't speak to Wilder about the contentious process of creating that earlier script, as the two developed a mutual loathing that resulted in a screenplay that Hitchcock found unusable; he would make a show of tossing the script in his garbage bin. Chandler's script was tossed—and Hitchcock returned to Whitfield Cook's original treatment—and Hitchcock hired Ben Hecht's assistant Czenzi Ormonde (as Hecht wasn't available). Hitchcock and Ormonde hastily worked out a script along with associate producer Barbara Keon and Hitchcock's "secret weapon" Alma Reville in time to do location shooting.
Highsmith initially liked the film (although miffed that Hitchcock bought her first novel anonymously for the relatively small sum of $7500). But, as years went on, she regretted changes to her book—Guy Haines turning from architect to tennis pro, and never carrying out the murder of Bruno's father. She did like the changing of her idea of Bruno to Hitchcock's and had high praise for the performance of Robert Walker.
Walker's work as Bruno is—along with Cary Grant's work and Anthony Perkins' in Psycho—among the best performances by an actor in Hitchcock's output. Given a chance to play something beside "handsome All-American boy," Walker brings an added "something" to the role beyond the typical villain, a relish for the playing that mirrors Bruno's hedonistic fantasy world mixed with self-absorption.* Both actor and role see the world as their oyster and the brio with which Walker tackles it is astonishing.
He had an able co-conspirator with Hitchcock, who used Walker's work to enhance a scene with the actress playing his mother, Marion Lorne.
Most people remember Lorne as the hapless witch Aunt Clara on the television show "Bewitched" (for which she won a posthumous Emmy Award for best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series—and her character was never re-cast, as who could possibly replace her?). A veteran of Broadway since 1905, this was her first feature film performance and Lorne's mercurial befuddled expressions made for intricate comedy. Hitchcock staged her intimately with the wily Walker to increase her discomfort, which would lead to more "tic's" of behavior. In selecting shots for this, I favored Lorne over Walker as her extremes are hilarious, but I could not possibly include everything as her reactions are constantly changing.
You'll notice in the script that I moved the "reveal" of Mrs. Anthony's painting to where it actually appears in the film, while leaving the original position crossed out. It's just like the Master of Suspense to draw out the reveal and increase the anticipation of it by having the reaction FIRST, then showing what all the fuss is about. It's the same strategy of telling the audience there is a bomb about to go off, than merely having a sudden explosion.
The Set-Up: Guy Haines (Farley Granger) and Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) meet on a train. In their conversation, they both remark on troubles in their lives and Bruno posits a bizarre scheme—trading murders: Bruno would murder Guy's philandering wife who won't allow a divorce and Guy would murder Bruno's dictatorial and straight-laced father. Guy laughs off the idea, but Bruno takes it seriously.
Action.
INT. ANTHONY LIVING ROOM
CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal that these are Bruno's hands,
and that, he is studying them moodily, CAMERA PULLS BACK
FARTHER to reveal his mother, MRS. ANTHONY, sitting opposite
him at a little table in the Anthony living room. She is
working with scissors, file and nail buffer.
Mrs. Anthony
is a gentle, once pretty woman, whose pastel exterior harbors
a tigress-like determination to protect her son, Bruno is in
his robe and is unshaven.
There is evidence of long established wealth in the heavy
dark appointments of this room. 
MRS. ANTHONY
Since you insisted on a manicure,
dear, I do wish you'd keep your hands
quiet. You're so restless lately.
MRS. ANTHONY
Then what's the matter?
MRS. ANTHONY
(smiling)
About uh....
They look at the painting.
but she is
pleased to hear his good humor. He puts an arm around her.
MRS. ANTHONY I was trying to paint Saint
Francis.
Words by Raymond Chandler and Czenzi Ormonde (and Whitfield Cook, Alfred Hitchcock, Alma Reville, Barbara Keon, and Patricia Highsmith)
Strangers on a Train is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Warner Home Video.
* Not to put too fine a point on it—and certainly not to discredit his work here, which is precise, exacting and fluid—Walker suffered from alcoholism and a "mental illness" which seems to be never specified.
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