mlink-36-9815
If you look, the man in the liquor store is a look alike of the chief of detectives. he might be his brother and they may have used his testimony before to convict many perps. Another thing .... in all fairness police should not give witnesses prior views of potential perps. in the 2nd store the woman did not recognize Manny then she was told by the man he was sent by police. even then she hesitated. Police framed Manny by walking him thru stores and this gives witnesses a prior look at manny in a situation that makes him guilty.
Then Harold j stone plays a trick on henry. he gets him to write two copies of the same note. then he can use them both as proof henry wrote his as exact replica to frame his guilt. that is why you need an attorney present during questioning. Stone played a shell game switching notes around. and if you notice Stone says DRAW. so actually henry wrote what he said!
The lineup in the office involving two of the women from the life insurance company - was conducted unfairly. Henry was placed in such a way that he stood out and was more easily chosen. there was a space between 3 & 4 & henry was very obviously the center of attention.
THEN the first woman said 4 while the second woman was there. they should have been done separately so the second woman would not know who the first woman chose. The whole police operation was entirely prejudicial against Manny. Police have done this so many times convicting innocent men that miranda had to be instated so an attorney could prevent these abuses.
Lee Eisenberg
A common theme in Alfred Hitchcock's movies is a man accused of a crime that he didn't commit (Strangers on a Train, North by Northwest)*. "The Wrong Man" makes it clear that this is the topic. Henry Fonda plays a musician incorrectly identified as the man who held up an insurance office. Many shots of him feature either him alone - in the jail cell - or surrounded by people whose faces you can't totally see - in the car - to emphasize how his world has caved in. As much as the movie focuses on the protagonist, it also focuses on his wife (Vera Miles) and how she slowly descends into clinical depression.It only adds to the suspense that this movie is based on a true story, the only time that the Sultan of Suspense used a true story as the basis for one of his movies. Like his more famous works, it goes to show that few people knew how to tell a story like Alfred Hitchcock did. It's not his best movie, but I recommend it.*Conversely, another one of Hitch's themes was the guilty woman (Psycho, The Birds).
Antonius Block
I have to say, usually in this country it's an African-American man who gets arrested as the 'Wrong Man', but this Hitchcock film is indeed based closely on a true story. It's interesting to ponder why Hitch announces that fact at the outset, and I suppose it's because therein lies the true horror: that at any time, while minding our own business, we might be arrested and accused of crimes we haven't committed. We might be have our freedom taken, get locked up in a cage, and find ourselves at the mercy of the judicial system. The scenes where Henry Fonda is imprisoned are absolutely brilliant, as are the ones of him on trial, looking around the courtroom, and noticing the trivial little behaviors of those around him, while his own life hangs in the balance. The pace of this movie is a little slow at times, but a part of that is intentional, and heightens the realism. The police procedures may have you shaking your head, as will the notoriously unreliable eyewitness testimony. There is a bit of a twist in the story concerning Fonda's wife, played by Vera Miles, which I didn't expect. It's not Hitchcock's best work, but it is the most direct statement of his concerning this motif which appeared in so many of his films, and certainly worth watching.
grantss
Excellent (true) crime-drama.Based on a true story. In a case of mistaken identity, a musician is arrested for armed robbery. All the evidence is circumstantial but his prospects look grim. Pretty soon the trial starts to affect his family too...Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a great story of injustice and its consequences. More a drama than a thriller, for once, as we see the affects on family life and relationships. More character depth, subtlety and human drama than most Hitchcock movies. However, Hitchcock still uses his skills as a master director of thrillers to create a great feeling of claustrophobia and helplessness. Henry Fonda puts in a solid performance in the lead role. However, he is miscast, being far too old for the character. Good support from Vera Miles and Anthony Quayle.Proof that fact is often stranger than fiction...
AD
