Film Review
Whilst it may embrace many familiar Hitchcockian themes, such as
mistaken identity, mental derangement and transference of guilt,
The Wrong Man is markedly different
from Alfred Hitchcock's other films, and could even be mistaken as the
work of an altogether different director. The surprising
stylistic change of direction is heralded at the start of the film by
the appearance of Hitchcock himself, not in his usual fleeting cameo
but as a ghostly silhouette in film noir long shot, to tell us that
what we are about to see is based entirely on a true story.
The factual content of the narrative is reflected in the strikingly
realist approach which Hitchcock skilfully adopts for this film. It is
probable that the director had been strongly influenced by the emergence of neo-realism
in European cinema at the time - exemplified by the work of the Italian
cineaste Roberto Rossellini. Hitchcock eschews the slick
Hollywood style of his previous films in favour of an evocative mix of
film noir and near-documentary, making this a chilling parable
of how the State can thoughtlessly wreck the lives of its unsuspecting citizens.
Real locations and naturalistic performances are complemented by a very restrained
cinematographic style and a meticulous attention to detail, which
heighten the sense of realism, to the point of risking viewer
antipathy.
The Wrong Man
is much more a European
film d'auteur
than a typical Hollywood commercial film. It may have fared very
poorly at the box office when it was first released, but it is
undoubtedly one of Hitchcock's most daring and inspired contributions
to the art of cinema.
Much of the film's intense emotional realism comes from Henry Fonda's
convincing portrayal of an innocent family man who is drawn into a
Kafkaesque nightmare from which there is, apparently, no escape.
Fonda's innate talent for playing the ordinary man is put to good use and he
really does get across the immense trauma and pathos of a man who is on
the brink of losing everything.
The subjective camera work
(consisting of some very effective point-of-view shots) and Bernard
Herrmann's appropriately subdued score complement Fonda's performance
superbly, helping the viewer to identify with Manny's growing anxiety
and shame as the net closes in around him. An equally impressive
performance from Vera Miles heightens the film's tragic dimension,
helping to make this Hitchcock's bleakest and most poignant film.
© James Travers 2008
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Next Alfred Hitchcock film:
Vertigo (1958)
Film Synopsis
Working as a bass player in an exclusive New York nightclub, Manny
Balestrero earns just enough to keep himself, his wife Rose and his two
young sons. Rose needs dental treatment, but the only way to
raise the money is to borrow against her life insurance policy.
In the insurance company office, Manny is recognised by the counter
staff as the man who recently pulled off two armed robberies.
They notify the police and Manny is arrested. When her husband's
alibis for the earlier robberies evaporate, Rose becomes consumed by
guilt and suffers a mental collapse...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.