Review of Shadow of a Doubt (1943) by Gavin S — 06 Apr 2013

Yet another Hitchcock masterwork. This time, the villain (or IS he?) is Charlie Oakley, played to perfection by Joseph Cotten. Charlie is on the East Coast, and slips by some detectives on his way to small town California to stay with his sister and her family. His niece (named after him) is at first delighted to see him, but begins to notice strange things he does and how he reacts oddly to others. When 2 reporters show up at the house to do an interview, it is revealed that they are actually detectives tracking Charlie, as he's one of the suspects for the 'Merry Widow' murders back East. Jack, the younger detective, asks Young Charlie to keep an eye on Uncle Charlie and see what if anything happens. She is torn between loyalty to the Uncle she worships, and the common sense that tells her something isn't right. Is Uncle Charlie really a cold-blooded killer? Or is it just a case of mistaken identity? Hitch has you hanging on until the very last moment to find out what happens.

This really is the master of suspense at work...the first chunk of the movie just sets things up, but the second part is where it really takes off. The camera work in Hitchcock films is marvelous making everyday things seem off, and combine it with a score from the great Dimitri Tiomkin (who worked on many Hitchcock scores) and you've got a great piece. This also includes a famous/infamous speech made by Uncle Charlie about the nature of women that would surely set off a firestorm of controversy today, but in the film is perfectly suited to the character and advancing the plot at the same time. The genius of his films are that they take place in the everyday world, which makes them even more genuinely believable and therefore, potentially able to happen for real, even to people like you and me. I mean, when a director can make a trip to the library seem like a matter of life and death, you know he's got you in the palm of his hand.

The only thing that kept this from 5-stars is the first half, which is a bit slow, and the performance of Teresa Wright as Young Charlie, who really grates on my nerves early on. Keep your eyes open for Henry Travers (Clarence in 'It's a Wonderful Life') and Hume Cronyn.

Right up there with the Hitchcock classics, but not my absolute favourite. Definitely a must-see though.