Review of Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) by Stephen M — 22 Oct 2009

A bedridden invalid tying to reach her husband by telephone overhears part of a murder plot when her wire is accidentally crossed. This terrific little thriller is basically a woman-in-peril melodrama shot in the style of a film noir.

It isn't difficult to pick holes in the story - indeed, the whole plot hinges on the most enormous of coincidences: that of all the telephone conversations in New York, Stanwyck should overhear this particular one - but it really is a beautifully made picture.

Sol Polito's magnificent photography deserves a special mention, and some of the elaborate camera movements and seamless effects shots are still impressive today. Lancaster is great and Stanwyck's transition from haughty hypochondria to gibbering hysteria over the course of the movie is a tour de force.

The bleak ending still packs a wallop but my favourite scene is the first Staten Island flashback, which besides being very mysterious has an extraordinary dreamlike texture.