Review of Shadow of a Doubt (1943) by Matthew D — 25 Jul 2018

Hitchcock's first all-American feature finds its home in the world of white picket fences and apple trees where he attempts to show what happens when a darker world enters there. I'm all for slow burners, and this one has its moments, and a splendid performance from Joseph Cotton, but far too much time is spent on the trivialities of American small-town life, triteness cannot sustain interest throughout nearly two hours, and there's little sense anything has changed once we leave there.

This story would have been better suited to an hour-long Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, although this wasn't an option for another decade.