The Wrong Man (1956)

Has anyone ever thought about what they would do if they were arrested and thrown in jail for a crime they didn't commit?  How would you handle the situation.  Maybe figure out a way to prove your innocence I would assume.  Watching this movie  will raise ones awareness level for this kind of thing. This is a story on a case of mistaken identity. You hear stories all time about how people serve prison sentences and get released after thirteen years, and turns out it the guy was innocent.  After losing a good chunk of your life those I'm sorry's just won't cut it no matter who they come from.  Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956) takes us on a roller coaster ride through a musicians life as he has been arrested for allegedly robbing a bank. Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda) up until this moment had never committed a crime or been arrested.  This is based on a true story, and what I like is how right from the jump you know what to expect from this movie. There's no manipulation or nothing, it has all been told to you.  Like the character Wlater Neff said in Double Indemnity, (1944) "Straight down the line." There's nothing wrong with that.  Since we know what will happen, we just want to see the events that follow in a unique cinematic way.
The mind is a precious thing, it does so much for us, and we all take that for granted. What if one day you just had a mental break?  Your brain decided enough was enough, a big loss or some huge trauma could do it, and it can happen to anybody. You might wake up going through usual routine, and then you begin to think about how the fate of one man might be in your hands, and then sayonara? It might not sound like much reading this, but actually try and imagine this on a larger scale, maybe its your mother, father, husband, or wife? Now all of a sudden it seems a little more possible. The brain is like a catch 22 in a way, the brain is so strong and powerful, but at the same time its so fragile.
Alfred Hitchcock, the man is a genius.  I'm not saying this because others say so, I just simply go by what I see in his films.  What he really understands is human emotion, and he controls that. What he will do is use camera shots accordingly. This will make you feel how you are supposed to, which is harder than you might think. Next time pay attention to how he handles something like a romance scene.  Sometimes less is more, what he'll do is use one close up shot and he'll keep the camera there. Which allows the viewer to feel what they are supposed to feel.  I've seen many times in which a director  will  use a variety of shots on a kiss scene ruining the intimate moment.  Hitchcock also understood composition, we don't find ourselves looking at things we shouldn't.  Each scene he has the characters at nice angles which makes each frame more dynamic rather than static, and he never gives us those awkward tangents. With that being said, its hard being a director.  I'm not talking about working with a budget, finishing within the shooting days, getting the actor to do what you want, etc. Yes it's all challenging but if you can't convey the emotion you're looking for you'll lose the audience, period.  You can get everything right, fantastic lighting, great acting, great music, but if the choice of composition is incorrect for certain scenes it'll ruin you. In a way you have to know people, know how they feel in certain situations, and then show them by using the right camera shot. See the viewer doesn't know what shot he or she is looking for, but they know when it doesn't work because they won't feel the connection; and that's one thing Alfred Hitchcock could do.