Little Charlie (Theresa Wright) is excited when she hears the news that her great uncle (and namesake) Uncle Charles (Joseph Cotten) is visiting in their town of Santa Rosa. Little does Charlie know who her uncle really is, and his purpose for visiting. Soon, their seemingly perfect relationship is shattered by a shadow of a doubt: Good ol' Uncle CHalrie may be the wanted Merry Widow Murderer.
Regarded by the Master himself as his personal favorite among his works, SHADOW OF A DOUBT is one of Hitchcock's best works. With his emphasis on suspense rather than surprise, the story is not really about Charlie finding out who her uncle really is. In fact, if it won't take you halfway throughout the movie without knowing who Charles really is. But Hitch doesn't aim for surprise; to shock us with a twist ending that might come of as implausible if not obvious. Instead, he focuses on his characters and the tension brimming between them. If Charlie knew of her uncle's identity, what would she feel? And how far will Charles go to keep his identity hidden? Will he risk killing his favorite niece (not to mention the daughter of his only sister)? There's so much tension going on that in fact, it's the ending (not the climax) that comes of as the weakest point (Once again, Hitch leaves a number of things open for debate and curiosity that comes off a little frustrating).
But despite just that little quibble (after all, it's a pretty common Hitch trait that I've learned to live with), SHADOW OF A DOUBT is an expertly-crafted and intriguing thriller, held together by strong performances and Hitch's touches of suspense and dark humor. Not his best ever, but up there in his Top 10.
Rating: ***** out of 5.
Regarded by the Master himself as his personal favorite among his works, SHADOW OF A DOUBT is one of Hitchcock's best works. With his emphasis on suspense rather than surprise, the story is not really about Charlie finding out who her uncle really is. In fact, if it won't take you halfway throughout the movie without knowing who Charles really is. But Hitch doesn't aim for surprise; to shock us with a twist ending that might come of as implausible if not obvious. Instead, he focuses on his characters and the tension brimming between them. If Charlie knew of her uncle's identity, what would she feel? And how far will Charles go to keep his identity hidden? Will he risk killing his favorite niece (not to mention the daughter of his only sister)? There's so much tension going on that in fact, it's the ending (not the climax) that comes of as the weakest point (Once again, Hitch leaves a number of things open for debate and curiosity that comes off a little frustrating).
But despite just that little quibble (after all, it's a pretty common Hitch trait that I've learned to live with), SHADOW OF A DOUBT is an expertly-crafted and intriguing thriller, held together by strong performances and Hitch's touches of suspense and dark humor. Not his best ever, but up there in his Top 10.
Rating: ***** out of 5.