Customer Reviews

Sorry Wrong Number [VHS]

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'll never forget the first time I saw this movie. The quality I was most struck by was it's darkness. I was very young & didn't realise at the time that I was watching one of the best examples in the history of cinema of film noir(nightmare noir even).Darkness, darkness...even the scenes set during the day feel dark. Many of my fellow film lovers have already provided a synopsis so I won't bother you with yet another. Suffice to say this a superbly acted thriller with beautiful elements of melodrama & a knockout climax. I've seen Barbra Stanwyck & Burt Lancaster in SO many films, but this is the one I keep coming back to. Feel the darkness, enjoy the rain, live the nightmare...

In "Sorry, Wrong Number", Barbara Stanwyck turns in one of the many memorable performances that made her the Queen of Noir. Leona (Barbara Stanwyck) is the spoiled daughter of a pharmaceutical magnate, now a demanding invalid wife to Henry Stevenson (Burt Lancaster), who must live every moment to please her. One evening she overhears a telephone conversation between two men plotting a murder. Unnerved by the call, alone in her vast apartment, and increasingly worried when her husband doesn't come home from work, Leona uses the only means she has to communicate with the outside world: the telephone. She calls everyone she can think of to find her husband, but what she learns only makes her more anxious as to his fate and her own.

"Sorry, Wrong Number" is based on a popular radio play by Lucille Fletcher, who also wrote a novel based on the play and the screenplay for this film. Leona's confinement to her apartment, where her only means of figuring out what is going on is a telephone, is one of the most effective uses of isolation in cinematic history. Leona isn't a sympathetic character. But her physical and emotional isolation is so palpable that it's unnerving. She can't control what's happening to her. Her insular, dependent lifestyle has left her paranoid. So it's hard to say if anything is happening to her at all. Is paranoia with justification still paranoia? And who were the mysterious men on the phone talking about? Where is her husband? The fact that the audience doesn't know the answers to those questions any more than Leona does makes "Sorry, Wrong Number" a top-notch thriller and a masterpiece of empathy in the service of suspense.

The DVD: The only bonus feature is a theatrical trailer. Subtitles are available in English. Dubbing is available in French.

Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster were two of the most dynamic stars in Hollywood history and together they generated fireworks in "Sorry, Wrong Number." Anatole Litvak directed this mystery classic along with "Snake Pit" and both were released in 1948. Both "Sorry, Wrong Number" and "Snake Pit" deal with psychiatric problems, a major winner during the period following Alfred Hitchcock's success in "Spellbound" three years earlier.

Based on a radio drama, the film revolves around Stanwyck overhearing a party line conversation concerning what she soon realizes is a plan to murder her that evening. The bed ridden woman then frantically pieces together all the information she can about the planned event. She becomes overwhelmed when she realizes that Lancaster, who is conveniently away on business, is part of the mix.

A surprise that emerges during all the investigation, which involves convincingly applied flashbacks, is Stanwyck's physical condition. She refers to herself as an invalid and lives the part, but Wendell Corey in the role of a doctor consulted by Lancaster reveals that Stanwyck's problems are psychological rather than physiological as her periodic "attacks" occur whenever her husband challenges the status quo.

The plight into which Stanwyck ultimately descends results from her strong-willed and spoiled manner as a young woman who sees Lancaster and plucks him from the arms of a woman from his own station in life who loves him. Her father, played by Ed Begley, is a Chicago pharmaceutical giant who initially balks over her intention to marry a man from a poor family who has lived his entire life in a small town and is a high school dropout. The unrelenting Stanwyck is used to getting her way and it proves to her ultimate disadvantage with Lancaster.

Some reviewers criticized the film by stating that Lancaster, a he man type, was miscast as someone who is pigeonholed by a rich woman and put in a showcase vice president's job working under her father with few responsibilities other than satisfying her. They missed the point of recognizing that the film's dramatic tension springs from the conflict within Lancaster, who is too strong and independent to function as a "toy boy" for a spoiled rich woman. Eventually he tells her, "I've learned to like this life but on my own terms." Stanwyck is then confronted with a monster of her own creation.

When Lancaster turns against Stanwyck it is with a vengeance as he convinces a chemist to unite with him to make money by siphoning off some of the company's drug supply and selling it to the mob for a huge profit. William Conrad plays the part of the mob boss with stern conviction.

The clock ultimately winds down for Lancaster as well as Stanwyck as they both become enmeshed in complicated mob machinations.

Despite the fact the film came out in 1948, it still holds up and even exceeds many of today's so-called thrillers in terms of storytelling and suspense.

There are a few things about this thriller that sets it apart from the rest. One is that it's believeable. Second, her process of investigation, trying to track her husband while also trying to get someone to do something about the murder plot is simply use of common sense instead of these extremely complicated ways of discovering plot points in the majority of today's films. She's an invalid and faced with that dilemma, they successfully distract us from the time as each call takes us back, giving an understanding of why she'll be murdered at 11:15.
By the time this film reaches its climax, we understand the pain and frustration of each of these characters, who are both the cause of the horrible event about to take place.

The climax would have failed had we not been set up properly. Without an understanding of both points of view, that ending never would have paid off because you wouldn't have believed in their remorse in the end.
By the time they realize the mistakes they've made, it's too late to right them and this little treasure of a film delivers one of best last lines ever in a movie. And who could forget Bowery 2-1000?

With so many films remade today including "The Haunting," "House of Wax" and "House on Haunted Hill," you wonder why somebody hasn't attempted to update this story. Very rarely does Hollywood acheive a successful remake, but if it's good stories they want (and those are usually the ones to make good box office returns) they should take notes from Sorry, Wrong Number. The only film I can think of that even resembles this film is "Cellular" and it doesn't hold a candle to this classic.

So, if you want to curl up on your couch on a cold, October night with a bowl full of popcorn, I recommend this little jem for a night of genuine suspense.

This review is for the 2002 release Paramount DVD.

'Sorry, Wrong Number' opens in a New York apartment with Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck), an immobile, bedridden wife trying to contact her husband Henry Stevenson (Burt Lancaster) by phone at his office but is accidentally connected to another line where she overhears two men plotting to kill someone later that night. She hears the specific details of how the murder will be done, but does not know who will be victim. It appears the call can't be traced and the details are too nebulous for the police to take action. So again, Leona tries to contact Henry and since he can't be found, she does some detective work by phone and learns an amazing amount about her husband over the phone for the remainder of the day.

Some very detailed flashbacks reveal the troubled relationship Leona and Henry. First, Leona is the heiress of a huge pharmaceutical business and she met Harry while in college although Henry didn't even finish high school and was working in a drug store. In spite of this odd relationship, they eventually get married but Leona immediately takes complete control of the relationship and Henry obviously feels trapped, emasculated and in deep need of proving his self worth even though he's been given an unchallenging job as a vice president for Leona's father's drug company. This sets up the rest of the movie where Leona learns a lot about Henry through various phone conversations and none of what she finds out is good and it builds up to a climatic ending.

The picture is unmistakably film noir and has plenty of convincing actors, especially Stanwyck, and has a very mysterious plot to hold the viewer's interest. I only have two critical comments about this film. One problem is there are several extreme coincidences that are put in place to make the movie work. The most obvious event that borders on the totally improbable is hearing this extremely relevant phone call by accident in a city as large as New York and to a slightly lesser degree receiving several extremely informative tips from various willing phone callers over the course of several hours. But the bigger problem is the ending where someone realizes that a serious crime is about to occur and this person calls several parties for help but none of these people are the police. It's an entertaining film and because of the acting and the noir look of the movie, I liked it, but I didn't love it.

The B&W DVD picture quality has virtually no signs of film deterioration, but was noticeably grainy. Some scenes, especially the ones shot on a beach, were very grainy and had poor contrast. The audio was good, but parts of the mysterious phone call were hard to hear. The only bonus is a trailer.


Movie: B

DVD Quality: B+

The first time I saw "Sorry, Wrong Number" was as a teenager on a Friday night during a late show airing. It made me a Barbara Stanwyck fan for life and I shall always consider her the greatest actress of that golden era. She could do anything....in drama or comedy she was equally adept...something Bette Davis was NOT and she was never mannered like Katharine Hepburn. Sorry, Wrong Number is effective film noir at its best. Knowing the inevitable outcome at the end of the picture only makes one root for the character of Leona Stevenson even more! Stanwyck should have won the Academy Award for this performace as she should have for all her other nominations as well. This movie still packs a wallop and when they remade it as a 'cable' movie with Loni Anderson in the early 1990's one only had to watch the original to realize what a mistake they made! This is a film to watch with the lights off.....and if you wonder why Stanwyck is revered as a great actress, this film will show you why!

Though not quite as gripping as the original radio play, this is nonetheless a fine exercise in suspense. Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster lead a fine cast through the classic story of the sinister plot overheard on the phone. Indeed, the telephone is a major player in the cast and plotline. There are some better film-noir thrillers out there, but this one is still a "must." Highly recommended.

Barbara Stanwyck was Oscar nominated for Best Actress for her role as a neurotic, controlling heir in Sorry Wrong Number, but lost to Jane Wyman's performance in Johnny Belinda. Stanwyck's screen performance as Burt Lancaster's domineering yet vulnerable wife is brilliant. The last five minutes of the film still gives me chills. Anatole Litvak who directs this 88 minute noir, successfully draws every ounce of Stanwyck's desperate emotions to film. Many critics thought that Lucille Fletcher's play would not transmitt as well on film, but Litvak's dark vision succeeds in every way. Slow camera tracking that increases Stanwyck's isolationism, effective use of shadows, and flashback narratives all add tension to the film's climatic finale. In Gary Fishgall's autobiography of Burt Lancaster, he points out that Lancaster lobbied hard for the role of Stanwyck's weak, corruptable husband. The role offered Lancaster a chance to expand his range as an actor by playing a character that departed from his tough-guy image. In Sorry Wrong Number the noir protagonist is no match for Stanwyck's dominating presence, even though she plays a woman whose neurotic fears confine her to a bed. If you are a fan of film noir the Paramount Collection DVD is crisp and the black and whites never looked better. Unfortunately the DVD does not have any production features except the original theatrical trailer.

"Sorry Wrong Number" lacked the humor and humanity of Hitchcock's 'Rear Window,' but was more relentlessly frightening, and, like "Rear Window," it exerted its grip because of the helplessness of the principal character, confined to one room...

Barbara Stanwyck played, with terrifying conviction, a wealthy, neurotic, partly paralyzed, bedridden woman, alone at night in her New York home with only the telephone for company because her husband, Burt Lancaster, has given the staff he night off...

Calling to see why her husband is not back from his office... Stanwyck gets a crossed line and hears two men discussing a murder which one of them has been paid to do that night: paid by a husband who wants to get rid of his rich, neurotic and bedridden wife whose servants have been given the night off..

At first, Stanwyck does not realize that she is to be the victim. Then, as the killing hour approaches, she does realize... In mounting panic she starts calling the police, her doctor, anywhere for help...

As the vulnerable woman menaced, Stanwyck won her a fourth Oscar nomination... Her bedside telephone has a star role to play...

Lancaster was sufficiently persuasive as the husband, who only can save his own life by getting money for his gambling debts...

Speaking as a fan of Lucille Fletcher's "Sorry, Wrong Number," the famous radio play, this version, adapted by Fletcher herself is surprisingly good -- especially given that the story has been fleshed out threefold.

For the uninitiated, Mrs. Henry Stevenson is an invalid who is confined to her bed. Her husband, who was supposed to be home hours ago, has yet to show. In trying to get him on the telephone (this was the age when operators still did all the work for you), she is crossed into another conversation between two men who are planning to kill a woman at 11:15 that night. Having a heart condition, this upsets Mrs. Stevenson ("Leona" in the film; radio did not give her a first name) and she tries several things to notify authorities.

Due to her highstrung manner and short temper, she doesn't get much anywhere and the night passes on as she spends all her time on the telephone. All the time, 11:15 is getting closer...

Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Sorry, Wrong Number (the radio play also made a star of Agnes Moorehead), and it certainly is a tour de force with her in practically every scene. Lucille Fletcher's expansion of her storyline is superb, with more and more details given as pieces of the puzzle unfold with each new telephone conversation, told through flashbacks (and flashbacks within flashbacks). In fact, my only problem with the script is that it makes the husband sympathetic (probably because he is played by Burt Lancaster), whereas we had no inkling of the motives of the husband in the radio version (other than that his wife is a shrill shrew, of course).

Comic relief is also added (particularly in the police station) to little effect and the whole enterprise is simply missing something. Although I can't think of one specific thing that is wrong, the whole film just doesn't gel somehow. It's a good watch, I assure you, but I can only conjecture as to how it has attained its "classic" status. I think it must lie in the fact that it stars Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster and that Stanwyck gives a complex bravura performance.

But despite all this, I can't imagine ever wanting to see Sorry, Wrong Number again. The similarities to the radio show are there, and it's faithful, but the rest -- even with all the intrigue about gangsters and stolen money -- just seems like so much filler. I'll stick with radio.