The invention of telephones in the late 19th centuries changed the way of communication

as it allows people to contact with others instantaneously across a long distance. As the
technology continued to develop through the 20th centuries, it also has a great influence on
the grammar of cinema in which the language they created to tell a story. Hollywood has
been interested in exploring the applications and social problems raised by the telephone.
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) by Anatole Litvak engages with the wired telephone in an
interesting way as the narrative is driven by the telephony. At the same time, a range of
telephone features has been explored in the film, including telephone rituals, anxiety
around telephone usage and its ability to weave narrative space.

Throughout the film, Mrs.Stevenson only uses the telephone as a tool to communicate and
connect herself with others across different spaces. This in turn reveals the important role
that the telephone has on daily communication. The profound impact that it has on society
has also been addressed in the film, as telephone rituals have been presented a number of
times, such as the ringing, the answering and the hanging up. These whole ranges of action
represent the social etiquette use of the telephone in real life. Meanwhile, it can be seen as
an educational tool which teaches the audience the correct way to use the telephone both
technically and socially. Yet, every time a telephone call is received in the film, it helps to
build up anticipation as the audience are unaware of the caller. At the same time, the
telephony’s ability to weave narrative spaces are also re-presented in the film. Since it is a
type of instantaneous communication, the telephone line, as well as the conversation, holds
the same for both parties across space. Through the used of parallel montage, radical and
sudden cuts between two spaces are enabled in a logical way. Meanwhile, It enables a
smooth transition from scene to scene when Mrs.Stevenson is calling to a different person.

While the telephone is a reliable technology used for communication, it is sometimes

dubious and causing anxiety. Mrs.Stevenson tries to telephone her husband, but instead,
she is accidentally connected to a wrong line by the operator. While the man cannot hear
her talking, she overhears their conversation about the plan for murder. Here, the corrupted
telephone call provided a sense of anxiety around the unreliability and anonymity of
telephony as Mrs.Stevenson does not know the killer and the victim. Yet, it can also be seen
as an effective prop that drives the narrative forward and helps to build up suspense about
the victim who is going to be killed. Although she asks the operator to trace the telephone
call, they are unwilling to intervene. This reveals the technological constraints of the
telephone at that time since the call can not be traced by the telephone company. The lack
of legal enforcement is also evident when Mrs.Stevenson asks the police for help. The police
not only doubts about the truth of the call but also do not see the telephone call as evident
to start an investigation. Moreover, it suggests the authority are unsympathetic towards the
victim. A number of social problems associated with telephone technology are also pointed
out in the film. Mrs.Stevenson is been confined in her room throughout the film, using only
the telephone to communicate her needs. However, the telephone that she has heavily
relied on ironically becomes the obstacle that stops her from connecting with the outside
people and world physically and meaningfully. While the audience sees and hears
Mrs.Stevenson talking with the operator on the telephone, the camera then moves through
the house to show the emptiness. Here, her isolation is reinforced as she is unable to reach
her husband and spend plenty of time talking to unknown operators alone at home.

The telephone is undoubtedly an important and convenient communication tool to be used

in people’s daily life. It has become a natural component in our home and social life. It also
enables different editing techniques for filmmakers to tell the story, such as parallel
montage. However, there are a number of anxieties and social problems around telephone
technology which causes people to panic. The ambivalence about the technology is also
explored in Sorry, Wrong Number. While people are become heavily relying on telephony,
its reliability should be questioned as it is sometimes corrupt and may threaten the user.
Yet, the film suggests that people should spend more time communicating with others in
meaningful ways and experience the world around us physically, instead of through the use
of technology.