Movie Review: Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Synopsis: Charlie Newton is thrilled when she learns her mom's younger brother, Charlie (the man she is named after) is coming to visit. However, when her uncle arrives, she notices his behavior is erratic and begins to suspect he is wanted for murder when two detectives arrive looking for him.
Who's in it? The movie stars Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Henry Travers, MacDonald Carey and Wallace Ford.
Review: I came across Shadow of a Doubt on one our movie channels last night and, since I had the day off and needed a break from running errands, I decided to re-watch it. Since it had been a long time since I last watched it, I didn't remember a whole lot about it. However, the Alfred Hitchcock movie more than lived up to my expectations.
I think the thing I liked best about this movie was the mystery surrounding Uncle Charlie (Cotten). He was definitely acting suspiciously. However, since it was a Hitchcock film, I wasn't sure if he was really the killer or if he was hiding something completely different.
Not to mention, I wasn't really sure if he was really Charlie's (Wright) uncle or an impersonator. As the movie progressed, that became somewhat important, especially when she began pushing him. If he was really family, I wasn't sure if he would actually harm her if given the chance, though that wasn't guaranteed either.
I was very impressed with the way the younger Charlie was written. As I've said in other reviews, I like movies with strong female leads and, as soon as Charlie became romantically interested in one of the detectives (Carey), I was afraid she'd end up playing second fiddle to him. However, she did an excellent job standing up for herself, even as she started to realize her life may be in danger, and that only added to the overall excitement.
I also loved how Hitchcock threw in some interesting supporting characters. Her father's (Newton) friend, Herbie (Hume Croyn) was actually kind of creepy. The way he seemed to take so much joy in discussing ways to get away with murder did make me wonder, for a short while at least, if he would end up being the bad guy. I also found I had a hard time trusting the detectives because, after all, they were strangers to her town as well and could just as easily be lying about who they were.
Final Opinion: This is a great classic thriller that I genuinely enjoyed watching. I recommend taking the time to watch it if you have an opportunity to.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other Alfred Hitchcock movies:
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