Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
CLASSIC FILM REVIEW
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense rarely made a bad film. Hitchcock always liked to play with his audiences. He liked to lead them in what seemed to be one direction only to pull them away suddenly into another. Remember Psycho, which seemed to be about an embezzler on the run until she booked into a country motel and was unexpectedly murdered by the motel owner.
Shadow of a Doubt also keeps the viewer guessing. Charlie Newton (Teresa Wright) has always doted on her Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) after whom she was named. She is a little bit down in the dumps and wants a miracle. She comes up with the idea of sending a telegram to her Uncle Charlie in Philadelphia to invite him to stay. By coincidence, Uncle Charlie has sent a telegram to Charlie's mother – his sister – to say that he is coming to stay. To her this is proof of her telepathic link with her wonderful uncle.
However, Uncle Charlie isn't always cheerful. The world seems to him to be a terrible place and he has sudden flashes of anger which he can't always hide. In addition, Uncle Charlie is quite a private type of a guy. Nobody on the long-distance train to California sees him as he's 'very sick' and confined to his cabin. There are no photographs of him. He seems to be running away from something – or somebody. He is 'in business' but nobody quite knows the nature of his business. What has he got to hide? Why did he steal a page out of his brother-in-law's newspaper? Why doesn't he like the waltz tune, The Merry Widow?
Two men who turn out to be Federal agents are following Uncle Charlie. They are on the trail of a serial killer who marries rich widows and then murders them. They believe that Uncle Charlie is their man. But is he?
Young Charlie dismisses the idea out of hand – at first – but doubts grow as Hitchcock ratchets up the suspense. With a growing sense of dread, she begins to suspect that it might be true after all. Uncle Charlie himself turns harsh and begins to frighten her. Strange accidents begin to befall her. She almost asphyxiates when she gets locked in a garage while a car engine runs. Then she is slightly hurt when a steep wooden back staircase collapses under her. Is Uncle Charlie trying to kill her?
The genius of this plot is that we're never really sure until the last few frames. It could have all been a mistake and young Charlie and the Feds were wrong. On the other hand, he could have been the murderer after all. That's Hitchcock for you: puzzling, enthralling and totally compelling as he draws viewers into all the twists and turns of his stories. We'll never see his like again. This film can be purchased on DVD or can be seen online at http://tinyurl.com/cwgozb
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense rarely made a bad film. Hitchcock always liked to play with his audiences. He liked to lead them in what seemed to be one direction only to pull them away suddenly into another. Remember Psycho, which seemed to be about an embezzler on the run until she booked into a country motel and was unexpectedly murdered by the motel owner.
Shadow of a Doubt also keeps the viewer guessing. Charlie Newton (Teresa Wright) has always doted on her Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) after whom she was named. She is a little bit down in the dumps and wants a miracle. She comes up with the idea of sending a telegram to her Uncle Charlie in Philadelphia to invite him to stay. By coincidence, Uncle Charlie has sent a telegram to Charlie's mother – his sister – to say that he is coming to stay. To her this is proof of her telepathic link with her wonderful uncle.
However, Uncle Charlie isn't always cheerful. The world seems to him to be a terrible place and he has sudden flashes of anger which he can't always hide. In addition, Uncle Charlie is quite a private type of a guy. Nobody on the long-distance train to California sees him as he's 'very sick' and confined to his cabin. There are no photographs of him. He seems to be running away from something – or somebody. He is 'in business' but nobody quite knows the nature of his business. What has he got to hide? Why did he steal a page out of his brother-in-law's newspaper? Why doesn't he like the waltz tune, The Merry Widow?
Two men who turn out to be Federal agents are following Uncle Charlie. They are on the trail of a serial killer who marries rich widows and then murders them. They believe that Uncle Charlie is their man. But is he?
Young Charlie dismisses the idea out of hand – at first – but doubts grow as Hitchcock ratchets up the suspense. With a growing sense of dread, she begins to suspect that it might be true after all. Uncle Charlie himself turns harsh and begins to frighten her. Strange accidents begin to befall her. She almost asphyxiates when she gets locked in a garage while a car engine runs. Then she is slightly hurt when a steep wooden back staircase collapses under her. Is Uncle Charlie trying to kill her?
The genius of this plot is that we're never really sure until the last few frames. It could have all been a mistake and young Charlie and the Feds were wrong. On the other hand, he could have been the murderer after all. That's Hitchcock for you: puzzling, enthralling and totally compelling as he draws viewers into all the twists and turns of his stories. We'll never see his like again. This film can be purchased on DVD or can be seen online at http://tinyurl.com/cwgozb
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