interpretation

»   theses

1) Honesty and sense of justice are the only dependable basics of economic wealth and prestige.

2) "The phone is the unseen link between a million lives. It is the servant of our common needs, the cinfidante of our inmost secrets.."


»   reference to the title

The title Sorry, Wrong Number is about the main element in the movie, the phone. At the same time it has a connection to my second thesis, which is shown at the beginning of the movie as a text.
The title frames the whole plot with the so called clamp pattern. The movie begins with crossing Leona`s wire and her overhearing a plan of murder. For her was dialled the wrong number. And at the end of the movie Leona gets murdered and her phone rings a for the last time. The murderer takes the handset and says "sorry, wrong number". The title embraces and finish the movie.


»   message of the movie

The movie has multiple messages. The first one is based on my first thesis and depends on Henry`s behaviour. He really wants to do something great with his life. He tries with his own business to reach economic wealth and prestige. He asserts that he can`t reach that in the company of Leona`s father and so he made a plan to make much money in a short time. but this plan was based on lies, betrayal and steal. But Henry gets into trouble and get blackmailed from a dubious compagnon. Then he tries to kill his wife to get her insurance money for paying the compagnon. In the movie it`s really clear, that this is not the right way to act. This is shown by Henry getting catched and arrested by the police. There is no happy end for him. The justice in the form of Fred Lord wins.
But Leonas is not getting spared. She manipulats periodically her father and husband with her fake heart attacks, just to get her will. At the end this costs her the trust of her husband and her life. Maybe if she had not bar Henry from his own way, he probably wouldn`t have cheated the company of her father.



The movie "Sorry, Wrong Number" is a typical example for a film noir of the 1940`s. He has many classical style elements.
To prove that, I analyse the different style elements and motives in the following. In the chapter Film Noir I have sum up the style elements.

motives in the movie

»   narration

In narration I have visual reconstructed the narration. The movie has several flashbacks with different narrators. In this movie there are flashbacks in flashbacks, too. Henry`s flashback is in Dr. Alexander`s flashback. Flashbacks are a very strong cinematic medium in film noir.

Subjective point of view is another motive of the film noir. In this movie you will find it in combination with Leona Stevenson. The wire crossing at the begin of the movie and the following numerous phone calls is making an image in her head of the events which had happened.

At the end of the movie we can find the subjective camera motive. The movie is shooted from the view of the murderer and gives the audience an interactive experience.

»   characters

In "Sorry, Wrong Number" is the typical investigator find in the character Fred Lord. And there is more than one victim, too. The main victim is Leona, which shall be killed. But Henry can be seen as a victim too, because he gets blackmailed by Morano. Leona is at the same time the femme fatale, which manipulates her father and husband to get what she wants. Sally Hunt Lord is the nuturing woman in the movie. She cares much about her family and friends.

»   topics

In the movie exists a basic existential topic. Henry`s wish for independence and economic freedom. He wants to reach that and doesn`t care about if it`s legal or not. He doesn`t want to be a kept man. He wants to make his own luck. This behaviour is a psychologic motivated behaviour. It is his deep and inner requirement.
Crime and violence are an other topic of hte movie. This is about murder (of Leona), blackmailing (of Henry and Waldo), stealing (of drugs), beguilement (of Morano and the Cotterell company) and malicious injury of property (of the old beach house).
The third bis topic is disillusionment. Henry thinks he has no future in the Cotterell company. He will never be taken seriously. He wants to start his own business at the expense of Cotterell.

mis-en-scene

»   setting/location

The main location is Leona`s bedroom, in a house in the middle of New York. There are two typical motives of the film noir. At first the city as central motive and second the mazelike architecture of Leonas house (big, with spiral stairs). Other locations are the homes of the other main characters, offices, the run-down beach house at 20 Dunstan and different city shootings. These are all typical motives of a film noir.

»   staging

In the movie there are often used close-up views. The audience can see this especially in Leona`s scenes. The attention shall directed to the person in the close-up view, first of all to underline the facial expression.

»   color/light

The movie is in black and white, because it is from the 1940`s and a classic film noir is basically in black and white. This causes a very dark atmosphere.
Low key lighting sets a special course. Figures are filmed in half shadow or shadow to affect mystery and secrets, e.g. when Waldo Evans phones with Leona. Even the Chiaroscuro-effect is in this movie. It is the play with light and shadow to underline some shapes or bodies. It is for enhancing dramatic effects and a mystic atmosphere. There are often night scenes.

»   editing

The cuts are mostly long. Just during action scenes there are short, hard cuts. In the movie are different types of crossfades, mostly at a change from present to backflash and backwards. The old image is getting overlayed slowly by the new image. This is to make the action in the thoughts clear.

»   music/sound

The front credits of te movie are beginning with a dramatic melody, dominated by bowed instruments and drums. A busy signal sounds. This gives a preview of the end of the movie.
This dramatic main theme is used, when the drastic atmosphere has to be accented in an especial way. The music is during the whole movie exclusivly instrumental. Its just background music to keep the attention of the audience high. The melody is mostly the same and forms therefore a pattern. There are also scenes with harmonic music, e.g. the scene with Henry and Leona meeting the first time.
During the flashbacks there is often a narrator, which is a different person from flashback to flashback.

»   requisites

The most important requisite in this movie is the phone. Is has a strong representativeness. The main person acts the whole time just over the phone with other man. It is her social connectivity to the world outside.

city motive


office motive


low key lightening


spiral stairs motive


phone as central element