Vera Miles – Matt Lynn Digital

Henry Fonda, Vera Miles and Anthony Quayle in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘The Wrong Man’

A theme running through many Alfred Hitchcock movies has been an innocent party being suspected of a crime. With the movie The Wrong Man (1956), we in the audience enter a clear example of film noir mixed with true crime, drawn as this movie is from the book The True Story of Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero by Maxwell Anderson as well as a magazine article titled A Case of Identity by Herbert Brean as published in Life magazine in June 1953.

(From left, **Henry Fonda** as Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero and **Vera Miles** as Rose Balestrero in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **The Wrong Man**).

Henry Fonda portrayed Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero, the New York City musician who seeks to borrow money from a life insurance policy for his wife, Rose. Rose Balestrero, who needs dental work in the sum of $300, is portrayed by Vera Miles. It is in the attempt to meet this need that Manny Balestrero is accused of robbery.

(From left, **Harold J. Stone** as Detective Lieutenant Bowers and **Charles Cooper** as Detective Matthews in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **The Wrong Man**).

Detective Lieutenant Bowers and Detective Matthews, as portrayed by Harold J. Stone and Charles Cooper, respectively, are the law enforcement officer of a mind to prove Manny Balestrero guilty. Their heavy-handed procedures offer tension to Balestrero’s case, as we in the audience know him to be clearly innocent of the deeds the detectives have a mind to pin on him.

(From left, **Henry Fonda** as Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero and **Anthony Quayle** as attorney Frank O’Connor in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **The Wrong Man**).

Anthony Quayle portrayed Frank O’Connor, the attorney seeking to aid Manny Balestrero in his defense. With today’s eyes, I struggle with the notion of Balestrero cooperating with many of the activities that police detectives Bowers and Matthews put Manny through in the course of making their case. That these activities were those of a man aiming to cooperate with police make sense, though the notion of presumed guilty until enough baited hooks are fished proved difficult.

(From left, Esther Minciotti as Mama Balestrero and **Vera Miles** as Rose Balestrero in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **The Wrong Man**).

While the case against Manny Balestrero was being made and further put to a jury, the emotional well-being of Rose Balestrero deteriorated. The stress of the proceedings coupled with a sense of guilt for needing the dental work that cast suspicion upon her husband initially lands Rose in the hospital. The storytelling of this demise is told rather factually and dispassionately. I would have liked to see more development of the onset of Rose’s depression in this movie, though I can appreciate the understated presence of it nonetheless.

(From left, **Henry Fonda** as Christopher Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Balestrero and director **Alfred Hitchcock** in cameo in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **The Wrong Man**).

The mistaken identity at the center of The Wrong Man is based in fact. The larger underlying story points for Manny Balestrero, concerning his being investigated as well as taken to trial, also are based in reality. The understated qualities of the film noir storytelling, with the subtext of a string of robberies rather than the murder, make for an interesting combination for this film. While the end result isn’t among my favorite efforts by Alfred Hitchcock, the sum total did work. I grant The Wrong Man as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, December 4, 2021

Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Psycho’

The month of October, with the transition in the northern hemisphere to autumn and the darkening of the skies with reduced daylight and general cloudiness the further north you go, a turn to the psychologically mature Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho (1960) is on tap this fine fall day.

(From left, **Patricia Hitchcock** as Caroline and **Janet Leigh** as Marion Crane in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Psycho**).

Psycho opens with with Marion Crane and Sam Loomis provocatively dressed in scant fashion after a lunch hour dalliance in a Phoenix, Arizona hotel room. The two, portrayed by Janet Leigh and John Gavin, respectively, discuss a general desire to get married, yet note that doing so proves difficult owing to debts owned by Loomis. Having come back to work at a bank, Crane is given responsibility to address a $40,000 cash deposit over a weekend. That money provides an opportunity to deal with the hopes of Loomis and Crane, a fact unknown to Crane’s work friend Caroline, as portrayed by Patricia Hitchcock.

(From left, **Vera Miles** as Lila Crane, **John Gavin** as Sam Loomis and **Anthony Perkins** as Norman Bates in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Psycho**).

Marion Crane fanes a headache as an excuse to leave work early, and quickly leaves town. In setting a clear stage setting for establishing what looks to be a story in the film noir style, Crane encounters a California Highway Patrol officer and a car salesperson in the process of selling her car and buying another, with the cash on hand, while heading to a destination unexplained. It is when arriving at the Bates Motel for a planned evening’s stay that this storyline dramatically changes.

(**Martin Balsam** as Private Investigator Arbogast in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Psycho**).

Motel proprietor Norman Bates, as portrayed by Anthony Perkins, checks Crane into a room. In finding Marion attractive, Norman aims to share dinner with her in a process that triggers a mystery of jealousy between Norman and his mother, Norma Bates. Virginia Gregg, Paul Jasmin and Jeanette Nolan voice the character of Norma. The family and friends lose track of where Marion Crane is following the weekend. Lila Crane, as portrayed by Vera Miles, demands of Sam Loomis to account for Marion. The man whose money has disappeared contracts theoretically with Private Investigator Arbogast to retrace Marion steps. Arbogast, as portrayed by Martin Balsam, also disappears.

(From left, **Anthony Perkins** as Norman Bates and **Janet Leigh** as Marion Crane in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Psycho**).

Sam and Lila ultimately follow Private Investigator Arbogast to the Bates Motel, seeking the $40,000, and Marion, the sister of Lila and the love interest of Sam. The relationship, once there and after having attempted to include the local police, leads to the shocking revelations that emotionally directs the audience to multiple levels of shock that feels much more modern in storytelling than many a movie story told at the time Psycho was delivered. What that shock is, well, is worth the watching of the movie if you do not yet know.

(From left, director **Alfred Hitchcock** and actress **Janet Leigh** on set of the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Psycho**).

Psycho was an immensely modern movie. In many ways, the movie was ahead of its time. The modern feel included text on the screen to demonstrate location, clear indications of coitus through dress and suggestive dialogue, scenes including bathrooms and more all get to this notion. The red herring concept blurred into a MacGuffin as means of storytelling was further genius in the movie Psycho, and I loved the execution. I give Psycho as presented by Alfred Hitchcock 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, October 6, 2021

The Year 2020 in Movies

With the oddness that has been the year 2020, new movie releases have been few and far between. Matt Lynn Digital continued to look into the past for movies to enjoy and review with you. The year saw us review thirty-six (36) films through the year, which we will share with you by decade, shared from highest rated to lowest.

(**Argo** starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman was a 2012 gem that leads the 2010s with 4.5-stars from **Matt Lynn Digital**).

Argo (2012) leads the way for movies from the 2010s. The film earned 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 stars, which is the highest rating matched only twice for movies this year. Earning 4.0-stars for the decade were Game Night (2018) starring Jason Batemen and Rachel McAdams, Captain Phillips (2013) starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi and The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) starring Matthew McConaughey and, for a second time this decade, Bryan Cranston.

(Matt Damon makes two appearances for the 2010s, the first with the 2019 film **Ford v Ferrari**).

Ford v Ferrari (2019) offers the first of two starring roles in the Matt Lynn Digital movie reviews for Matt Damon and Christian Bale. The story of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans earn a rating of 3.75-stars along with The Martian (2015), which starred Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig and Jeff Daniels and Gravity (2013) starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and Ed Harris.

(**Tom Hanks** returns to our list with the 4.25-stars granted Cast Away by **Matt Lynn Digital**).

The Robert Zemeckis film Cast Away (2000) starts in the holiday season where the character portrayed by Tom Hanks faces tremendous odds while delivering an outstanding movie granted 4.25-stars. The movie Ray (2004), starring Jamie Foxx in the role as Ray Charles and the Ang Lee movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) starring Michelle Yeoh and Yun-Fat Chow each earned 4-stars in their 2020 reviews.

(The Martin Scorsese film **Gangs of New York** featured among the best portrayals of a movie villain ever delivered by Daniel Day-Lewis. The film earned 3.75-stars from **Matt Lynn Digital**).

Gangs of New York (2002) leads a stable of five movies to earn 3.75-stars from the decade that began the 21st century. While prominent, the performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson and John C. Reilly held sway in part for where the ranking placed. Other films from this decade gaining 3.75-stars included The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, The Blind Side (2009) starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, Friday Night Lights (2004) starring Lucas Black, Billy Bob Thornton and Tim McGraw, and Elf (2003) starring Will Ferrell, James Caan and Zooey Deschanel. The Skulls (2000) starring Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker and Craig T. Nelson earned 3.5-stars.

(**Fight Club** starring **Brad Pitt**, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter and the **Martin Scorsese** movie **Goodfellas** starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco lead the 1990s with 4.5-stars granted by **Matt Lynn Digital**).

The film Fight Club (1999) and the film Goodfellas (1990) bookend the 1990s with a pair of movies earning the 2020 top rating of 4.5-stars offered by Matt Lynn Digital. The football movie Rudy (1993) starring Sean Astin and Ned Beatty is joined by baseball movie The Sandlot (1993) with Denis Leary and the military, political intrigue movie The Hunt for Red October (1990) starring Sean Connery, James Earl Jones, Alec Baldwin and Sam Neill with ratings of 4.0-stars.

(**For Love of the Game** starring Kevin Costner, **John C. Reilly** and Kelly Preston lead 1990s films getting 3.75-stars by **Matt Lynn Digital**).

Baseball and borderline romantic comedy film For Love of the Game (1999) earned 3.75-stars from Matt Lynn Digital in 2020. The film Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) with Richard Dreyfuss and the Ron Howard film Far and Away (1992) with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman join For Love of the Game with 3.75-stars. Earning 3.25 stars is the film The Usual Suspects (1995), which starred Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Pollak.

(The Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone film **Scarface** with Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia and Steven Bauer kicks off the 1980s with a 4-star rating by **Matt Lynn Digital**).

The 4-stars earned by the organized crime movie Scarface (1983) is joined by the Steven Spielberg film Empire of the Sun (1987) starring Christian Bale, John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliano and Tim Burton‘s film Beetlejuice (1988) starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton. The Richard Donner film Scroooged (1988) starring Bill Murray, John Forsythe, David Johansen and Carol Kane completes the decade with 3.75-stars.

(Ridley Scott‘s film **Alien** starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and Ian Holm earns the best rating of the 1970s for **Matt Lynn Digital** at 4.25-stars).

Alien (1979) closed out the 1970s with quite the impact, garnering 4.25-stars for a science fiction story that stands on its own. The Martin Scorsese concert goodbye The Last Waltz (1978) with The Band leads three other productions getting 3.75-stars. Joining The Last Waltz with 3.75-stars include the baseball movie The Bad News Bears (1976) with Walter Mathau and Tatum O’Neal, the western movie The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) starring Clint Eastwood and John Vernon and the comedic war movie Kelly’s Heroes (1970) starring Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O’ Connor and Gavin MacLeod.

(**The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance** and **The Lady Vanishes** achieved two different things in two different decades to complete the movie reviews by **Matt Lynn Digital** in 2020).

The John Ford movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance (1962) starred John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin and Vera Miles in a western that earned 3.75-stars. The Lady Vanishes (1938) put Alfred Hitchcock on the proverbial map with a political commentary in the guise of a thriller starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas and May Whitty. The Lady Vanishes earned 4.0-stars from Matt Lynn Digital.

(Blog friend **Cobra** reviewed the movies **Before Sunrise**, **Before Sunset** and **Before Midnight** in a single sharing on **Matt Lynn Digital**).

Matt Lynn Digital also enjoyed sharing a review of Richard Linklater‘s Before Trilogy of movies. Blog friend Cobra reviewed Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013) in a single review. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy explore the notion of relationships a bit more fully and cleverly than often happens with any movie franchise. It is with thanks that we look back to this sharing.

Share the Matt Lynn Digital blog with your friends if you see value in what we are doing. We feel these reviews provide excellent content that we would like to continue offering.

Matt – Wednesday, December 30, 2020

John Wayne and James Stewart in the movie ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’

Movies set in the old west haven’t been the cinematic fashion lately. There was a time when they were moneymakers. Mixing the genre with an Academy Award winning director John Ford and stars John Wayne and James Stewart brings us the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

(From left, **Lee Marvin** as Liberty Valance, **James Stewart** as Ransom Stoddard and **John Wayne** as Tom Doniphon in the movie **The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance**).

The film opens with Senator Ransom Stoddard, as portrayed by James Stewart, coming back small town Shinbone in an unnamed western state with his wife Hallie Stoddard, as portrayed by Vera Miles. We know the couple has come back to Shinbone to attend a funeral for a man we learn is Tom Doniphon, who is portrayed by John Wayne.

(From left, **Andy Devine** as Link Appleyard and **Vera Miles** as Hallie Stoddard *in the movie* **The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance**).

The story introduces the couple coming back to Shinbone, flashing back 25 years to the origin story of Shinbone and, ultimately, what proves to be a fuller and deeper truth about who the Stoddards are in the present day of the film. The flashback opens with Ransom Stoddard being beaten and robbed by Liberty Valance and his gang upon entering the unnamed territory. The nearby town of Shinbone takes ownership for tending to Ransom’s injuries, which sets in motion a series events where the fates of Tom Doniphon, Hallie Stoddard, Ransom Stoddard and the future of the Shinbone and the larger territory are all mixed together and up for grabs. The one thing we know is that Liberty Valance, as portrayed by Lee Marvin, will be shot.

(From left, **Edmond O’Brien** as Dutton Peabody, **Andy Devine** as Link Appleyard and **Ken Murray** as Doc Willoughby in the movie **The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance**).

Besides the main storyline of telling the backstory of the intrigue amongst Liberty, Ransom and Tom along with the romantic triangle of Hallie, Tom and Ransom, there was the story of newspaperman Dutton Peabody, as portrayed by Edmond O’Brien. It was Peabody and Ransom who are put forward as delegates for the territory seeking statehood. The lawlessness of the west in part were tied to the question of cattlemen controlling territorial rights or the people controlling their own collective destinies in acquiring statehood. When and how that was to occur became a significant story of the movie, accompanied as it were by Andy Devine as Marshall Link Appleyard and Ken Murray as Doc Willoughby.

(The winner of four Academy Awards for best director, **John Ford** directed the 1962 film **The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance**).

The film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance told an interesting story filled with some movie tropes about the wild west and sidekicks that are less pronounced in today’s popular culture. Clearly articulated characters of morally ambiguous decision making having the moral compass to act decisively for a sense of right and wrong, on the other hand, was present in this film yet remains strong. The way that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance went about addressing the latter question, and how the central and compelling questions of the story turned out, still offers something for a modern audience. I rate The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance at 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, September 23, 2020