Joseph Cotten was the absolute perfect choice to play uncle Charlie. Hitchcock has turned this thriller, which could easily have been routine, into a complex study of a family that retains it's interest throughout due to the multiple themes on display. This is shown by the way that young Charlie still attempts to cover for her beloved uncle even when all the evidence is pointing to him being guilty. As if that wasn't enough, Shadow of a Doubt also exposes the trust we put in our loved ones, and how any person is likely to try and shift the blame, or ignore it completely, if their loved one has done wrong. It's also well done as young Charlie is shown to be the sweetest of characters, and when the dark uncle Charlie enters the fray, her sweet world is infected by nightmares, which also gives way to elements of the classic 'coming of age' tale to enter the proceedings. This gives the story a frightening angle as it follows the classic tale of the strange uncle. Hitchcock puts the focus of the story on young Charlie and her relationship with her uncle. He goes to stay with his sister and her family, which includes a husband, two young children and the eldest daughter his niece and namesake also called 'Charlie'. Joseph Cotten stars as uncle Charlie a man fleeing Philadelphia to escape the law after marrying and then murdering several rich widows. Hitchcock spends much of the early screen time building up the family at the centre of the tale, and then allowing the violence to come to them, which shows Hitchcock's mastery of the medium as showing the story develop in this way makes the tale much more frightening than if we hadn't got to know the family at the centre of the story first. It is also well documented that for this film, Hitchcock stated that he "wants to bring violence back into the home, where it belongs" and he has certainly succeeded at doing that. It is well known that this film is Alfred Hitchcock's favourite of his own oeuvre, and it's a big favourite of mine also. And, of course, a climax that is genuine in theatricality. Another is the use of the dark value on the characters when they talk outside. My favorites included a particular shot closing in from medium close-up to extreme close-up on Uncle Charlie when he's in a memorable monologue at the dinner table. But Shadow of a Doubt contains not only fine acting, but also some trademark Hitchcock camera stylizing. It may take a couple of viewings to really warm up to this film, or you may like it right away. And those kids are just the right icing to the cake the film cooks up. As for Teresa Wright, she finds some good notes as well in playing off of Cotten, even in the earlier scenes. Here, he digs into the character and you'll either find it unconvincing in the 40's sense, or a knock-out. ![]() And it solidifies in my book that Cotten had a wonderful range in his work, when he could go from playing a Jed Leland in Citizen Kane to this film, and then on to The Third Man's Holly Martins. ![]() We may hate him, but he is an understandable, frighteningly recognizable monster. calm so much in the film, and even when he shows his hand as to who he really is, there's a lot of depth to his personality. And, perhaps, one could argue (I might, up to a point) that Cotten's performance rivals that of a Perkins' Norman Bates leading male in the sense of subtleties of the suspense in the film. It's actually of interest to compare this film to Psycho, I think, in how it's so akin to to how Hitchcock tells the story of the ordinary people of the world getting involved with a certifiable gentlemen. ![]() Things start to unravel, however, when two detectives on his trail come into town, bringing to young Charlie to light what could be going down, or what might not be, or what is as clear as psychopathic day. The oldest daughter, also named Charlie (Teresa Wright), almost feels like a kindred spirit to her uncle, happy as can be that he's come to visit. The whole concept to the story is very appealing- a (painfully) normal suburban family gets a calling from a relative- Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten)- who wants to come by for a little while. True, it doesn't go for the immense macabre that lay in Psycho, The Birds, and Frenzy, but it is very effective in telling its stories, and giving us character to either love, or love to hate. One thing that strikes many who come upon Shadow of a Doubt, one of this filmmaker's triumphs, is the knowledge that it was Hitchcock's favorite among his own films- and many watch it with very high expectations, getting shot down as well, making it one of his more under-rated efforts.
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