The Wrong Man [PG]

Manny Balestrero lives a contented life. He has a job that he loves as well as a beautiful wife, and two musically gifted young boys. But his quiet and happy life is turned upside down into a horrific nightmare when he is mistakenly identified for a man who has been holding up stores in his neighbourhood. Wrongly arrested and now on trial, Manny’s only hope is to prove his innocence by finding witness who can support his alibi, but disaster haunts his every step as he is met with a string of bad luck and his wife, Rose, suffers a breakdown and is driven into madness by the entire ordeal. 

The first of Hitchcock’s films to be based on a true story, The Wrong Man is a brilliant film that not only treads the territory that Hitchcock was most admired for, but beautifully portrays how the threat of indictment and incarceration can create seeds of guilt even in those who are innocent. This film is absolutely magnificent and it’s a huge surprise to think that it was not so well received when it was first released. It will never cease to amaze me that Hitchcock never received an Academy Award when his repertoire is littered with sinister and thrilling gems such as this. 

Manny Balestrero lives a contented life. He has a job that he loves as well as a beautiful wife, and two musically gifted young boys. But his quiet and happy life is turned upside down into a horrific nightmare when he is mistakenly identified for a man who has been holding up stores in his neighbourhood. Wrongly arrested and now on trial, Manny’s only hope is to prove his innocence by finding witness who can support his alibi, but disaster haunts his every step as he is met with a string of bad luck and his wife, Rose, suffers a breakdown and is driven into madness by the entire ordeal. 

Heaps of new (though now considered signature) Hitchcock camera quirks are employed in this movie, my favourite of which being a scene where Manny is sitting in his cell perfectly still and the camera proceeds to violently swerve around in circles; sort of putting that drunken room-spin onto screen. There is also some brilliant camera work when Manny is being led to prison with other felons. He’s walking with his head held low and eyes on the ground in front of him and the camera shows us exactly what he sees, focusing on the slow movement of the ground and then the fixed staring of the felons’ shoes. Simple shots but done so masterfully that they never cease to capture and thrill. 

Henry Fonda stars as Manny and he delivers a brilliant performance. From start to finish he wades through the film with a confused, fearful, but somehow calm veneer: you can sense that there are strong feelings bubbling inside him but he never gives anything away on the face or becomes violently animated. 

Vera Miles is Rose and she was excellent. The scenes where she is so deep in the grips of her depression and madness are just mesmerising and it’s almost impossible to look away from her. 

Starring Anthony Quayle, Harold Stone, John Heldabrand, Doreen Lang, Norma Connolly, Lola D’Annunzio, Robert Essen, Dayton Lummis, Charles Cooper, Esther Minciotti, Laurinda Barrett, Nehemiah Persoff, and Kippy Campbell, The Wrong Man is an absolutely brilliant movie that simply must be in the collection of any true Hitchcock aficionado. I was rapt from beginning to absolute end, as soon as Hitchcock himself voiced why this movie was so different to his others.