BEFORE: Took the Amtrak up to Massachusetts to see my parents, and not so coincidentally it's the weekend of the Newport Chowderfest, an annual event I try not to miss. But the number of entrants this year was a little disappointing, definitely down from years before, which is the main reason my friends and I stopped going to the Boston Chowderfest (usually on July 4 weekend) over a decade ago. The Boston event used to feature about a dozen local chowders from various restaurants, and when the number of entries slipped down to 5, it seemed time to move on. The Newport event today featured 13 chowders, but in past years has showcased over 20, so it may be on a similar slide.
Linking from "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Hitchcock carries over, he appeared in person last night and does a voiceover tonight. But also, James Stewart was in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" with Vera Miles.
THE PLOT: True story of an innocent man mistaken for a criminal.
AFTER: Hitchcock did the "falsely accused" storyline many times, as I've stated - it seemed to be his bread and butter during the 1930's and 1940's. But there's a big difference tonight, in those older films the accused man would usually bolt (making him look very guilty) and go on a quest to find the real murderer (or saboteur, or thief). This would also allow him to fall in love with (insert name of young blond actress here). But in this film, the accused finally does NOT run from the police, but instead cooperates and puts his faith in the system, hoping he'll eventually be cleared. Good luck with that.
Also in play (still?) is Hitchcock's grudge against the police. It's clear now that he had zero faith in cops, who have more interest in closing cases than solving crimes. I'd love to know what happened to Hitch in his personal life that made him so distrustful of the law, and so eager to point out again and again that policemen frequently make mistakes, and that cooperating with an investigation is not a good idea. Because our hero tonight gets rewarded for his cooperation with a positive I.D. in a line-up, a high bail, and (eventually) enough stress to put his wife in the nuthouse.
OK, so the wheels of justice turn very slowly, but they do turn. Thank God for due process, the right to a jury of one's peers, and all that. But noticeably absent was any reading of the man's rights, which would have advised him of his right to an attorney, so as a result he doesn't get one until it's nearly too late. (Ah, a little research tells me that Miranda rights have only been around since 1966, but that's in specific name - didn't they exist in principle before that?)
It's almost as if Hitchcock made this film as a warning, about how an average guy with average build and a brown overcoat could be railroaded into serving time for another man's crimes. I'm sure it's happened, not just in this case, but in hundreds of others that were prosecuted before we had DNA testing and cameras on every street corner. So I'm not sure if the message "don't cooperate with the police" seen here did more harm than good. Perhaps "speak up for yourself and proclaim your innocence, repeatedly" would have been more positive.
Also starring Henry Fonda (last seen in "Sex and the Single Girl"), Anthony Quayle (last seen in "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask"), Harold J. Stone, with cameos from Werner Klemperer, Barney Martin, Harry Dean Stanton (last seen in "Private Benjamin"), Tuesday Weld and Bonnie Franklin. That's an odd set of uncredited cameos right there.
RATING: 5 out of 10 rosary beads
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