Review of Shadow of a Doubt (1943) by Jacob M — 29 Jun 2013

Out of all the films Alfred Hitchcock made, such as Psycho, Vertigo, and North by Northwest, Hitchcock revealed that his favorite film to make was Shadow of a Doubt, an early Hollywood film that helped define Hitchcock's career, though it's hardly noticed by viewers who have been into Vertigo.

In Shadow of a Doubt, we meet a mysterious man named Charlie (Joseph Cotton), who is a notorious criminal known as the "Merry Widow Murderer", who heads to the family of her niece Charlie (Teresa Wright), in order to hide. The niece Charlie loves her uncle, claiming that it's a miracle for him to show up. When a pair of detectives, led by Macdonald Carey, disguised as photographers show up for some information about the family, Young Charlie gets suspicious, and when she finds out the truth, Uncle Charlie starts a plot to kill off his "favorite" niece.

Henry Travers plays Joseph Newton, Charlie's father, a banker, Patricia Collinge plays Charlie's mother, and although I missed this, Alfred Hitchcock supposedly cameos as a man who plays bridge on a train. Boy, does Hitchcock love his trains.

With Hitchcock claiming this to be his favorite film, I knew I had to see it. And boy, was I wowed. One again, Hitchcock delivers on the suspense, with some moments coming out as disturbing, such as Uncle Charlie's plots and the really crazy climax on, you guessed it, a train.

As for the acting, it's incredible. Joseph Cotton is menacing as the uncle, and some moments are downright creepy, such as a scene where he describes widows as swine. I enjoyed the family portrayed in the film, and it provides some good humor for the 1940's, and still does in 2013. But who is the real star of the film? For me, that would be Teresa Wright as Young Charlie, and SHE'S NOT EVEN A BLONDE!!!!!! It's incredible that a non-blonde actress, that Hitchcock usually picks in his films, would deliver a strong performance as this. In her scenes with Cotton, the chemistry delivers, even if they weren't a romantic couple, a couple that Hitchcock succeeds a lot.

Hitchcock's favorite film is a winner, even if I prefer Vertigo. To put it straight, Shadow of a Doubt is a Hitchcock delight with a suspenseful plot and some phenomenal casting. Highly recommended for every fan of Hitchcock who hasn't seen it already.