the wrong man

As we inch ever closer to the having all of Alfred Hitchcock's films available in high-definition, even the release of what many consider one of the director's lesser works is cause for celebration. 1956's The Wrong Man is a major departure from Hitch's typically stylized visual approach, constructing the film with an intentionally workmanlike presentation of the facts, yet still carrying over his common cinematic hook of an everyman pushed to the limits because of a case of mistaken identity.

Based on the true story of a New York City musician, Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda), mistakenly identified as a hold-up man responsible for a string of neighborhood robberies, the film follows his chilling progress through the legal system with an almost documentary-like attention to detail. Out on bail and forced to prove his innocence, Manny and his wife Rose (Vera Miles) attempt to track down an alibi with discouraging results, leading to Rose's unexpected nervous breakdown and eventual institutionalization. Will this quiet, unassuming family man wind up going to prison for a crime he didn't commit?

On the surface The Wrong Man has all the ingredients of a typical Hitchcock thriller. But the director manages to almost completely repress his usual storytelling techniques. The film is serious and somber one, with none of the typical Hitchcock humor to relieve the tension. Henry Fonda gives a subtle and sympathetic performance while Vera Miles is given a showy subplot full of the sort of emotions the director rarely allows to bubble up in his films.

But The Wrong Man is still peppered with a few signature Hitchcock moments, including Manny's interrogation by the police which leads to him being paraded in front of several potential witnesses. The suspense is of a different sort as Manny unwittingly digs himself into a legal hole, but Fonda sells it with his believable naïveté. Only once does Hitchcock give in to his directorial urges, using a rotating camera effect to simulate Manny's emotional turmoil inside his cell.

It might all be a bit too safe and small-screen in its presentation (Hitch's next film, Vertigo, would see him let loose big time) but Bernard Herrmann's nervous score adds a sense of danger to every scene. And as a cinematic experiment in style (or lack thereof), The Wrong Man is still a fascinating addition to Hitchcock's canon of work.

Released on Blu-ray as part of Warner's Archive Collection, extras include a 20-minute featurette carried over from the DVD released in 2004 along with the theatrical trailer.