Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

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 | California | 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)
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 portrait that hangs on the wall of Charlie's room to the right of her door is one drawn by Willy Pogany of actress Mary Philbin, who was a leading lady at Universal just 20 years before.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Charlie examines the ring at the library, the manner the ring is held in the closeup is not the same as immediately before or after.

Quotes:

Ann Newton: Step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 'Torn Curtain' Rising (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Merry Widow Waltz

A misogynist who prayed on women

Shadow of a Doubt is a film with the hallmark signature which defines it as one directed by Hitchcock. This is exemplified by unique camera angles,delivery of character dialogue, set pieces, and of course the suspense. As is the way of Hitchcock, he has a knack of making the actors fit neatly into their character roles. This is particularly the case of Joseph Cotton, who plays a sinister character in Uncle Charlie, who is only made to appear clean living by being placed into the context of residing with the all American, Church going family. Therefore it is by making Uncle Charlie at odds with his clean living family, which creates the intensity, and suspense for the audience who know different, in that it realises all along that he is not all that he appears to be.

Uncle Charlie relies heavily on his relationship with his niece and name sake Charlie to make him appear like butter wouldn't melt. However, as soon as Niece Charlie puts two and two together and comes to realise the truth about her Uncle the close relationship between them deteriorates at a rapid pace. But, it is less the fact that niece Charlie realises what her uncle really is, but it is because she is growing into a woman that Charlie doesn't like. In becoming a woman niece Charlie now represents all that her uncle can't abide. And it is this misogynistic streak in Uncle Charlie that compels him to attempt to murder his niece, as opposed to what she knows of him.

In all, this film has an excellent cast who give their all for Sir Alfred Hitchcock.