Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Thornton Wilder (screenplay) &
Sally Benson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 August 1943 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A Blast of DRAMATIC Dynamite exploded right before your eyes!

Plot:

A young woman discovers her visiting "Uncle Charlie" may not be the man he seems to be.

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Suspect | Murderer | Visit | Detective

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Teresa Wright	...	Charlotte 'Charlie' Newton
Joseph Cotten	...	Uncle Charlie Oakley
Macdonald Carey	...	Jack Graham
Henry Travers	...	Joseph Newton
Patricia Collinge	...	Emma Newton
Hume Cronyn	...	Herbie Hawkins
Wallace Ford	...	Fred Saunders
Edna May Wonacott	...	Ann Newton
Charles Bates	...	Roger Newton
Irving Bacon	...	Station Master
Clarence Muse	...	Pullman Porter
Janet Shaw	...	Waitress Louise Finch
Estelle Jewell	...	Catherine

Also Known As:

Shadow of Doubt (USA) (poster title)
Uncle Charlie (USA) (working title)
L'ombre d'un doute (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Im Schatten des Zweifels (Austria) (Germany) [de]
La sombra de una duda (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Îndoiala (Romania) [ro]
A Sombra de uma Dúvida (Brazil) [pt]
Ani stín podezrení? (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
De schaduw van een twijfel (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Epäilyksen varjo (Finland) [fi]
I tvivlens skygge (Denmark) [da]
L'ombra del dubbio (Italy) [it]
Mentira (Portugal) [pt]
Skuggan av ett tvivel (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 (2004) | Brazil:14 | USA:PG (re-rating) (1984) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Ireland:PG | Peru:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #9011) (original rating) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

904 McDonald Avenue, Santa Rosa, California, USA

Company:

Skirball Productions

Trivia:

The name "Charlie" is spoken approximately 170 times.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the beginning of the movie, Ann answers the phone when the telegraph office calls. She delivers all her responses without pausing long enough to allow the caller to respond.

Quotes:

Uncle Charlie: What's the use of looking backward? What's the use of looking ahead? Today's the thing - that's my philosophy. Today.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Les cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma (1995)

Soundtrack:

The Merry Widow Waltz

Among the greatest Hitchock classics of the 40's

The ultimate master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock directed his fascinating masterpiece "Shadow of a doubt" at the age of 44 and it was a terrific improvement after the classic "Saboteur" which was definitely a great Hitch movie too, don't get me wrong here. Could it be more simple: this one just had a perfect story that really touched the audience and the whole wicked idea of finding out you have a killer uncle is most exciting when you think of it. It could happen to anybody, I'm sure. No wonder this was one of Hitchcock's own personal favorites. "Shadow of a doubt" may not be the finest Hitchcock-movie of the 40's, though. I admit I haven't seen all of them but I think "Rope" was ever better and "Spellbound" at least just as marvelous but it's safe to say this is one of the most stylish Hitchcock-movies of the decade. What a shame Joseph Cotten never became a bigger star because his powerful performance was one of the most memorable elements of the film.