(2012-04-28 18:18:00)

how things are not always how they seem

Shadow of a doubt, staring Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright is about how things are not always how they seem. A young girl, played by Teresa Wright, has always thought highly of her uncle Charley. Lately She believes that he had been hidding something and she slowly comes to realize that her beloved uncle is the merry widow murderer! She is unsure if she should turn him into the police or just tell him to leave, but she decides on the later so that the police do not kill him. Soon her Uncles obsession becomes worse as he repetitively attempts to kill her. This movie has some up and downs in it. On one hand you have a classic mystery movie by Alfred Hitchcock, well that is IF you can stay awake. I recommend only the movie freaks (with includes me) see this to observe Alfred's talent. I love his use of camera angels for the feelings of the actors. And don't forget to look for him in his comeo appearance, which he makes in all of is movies. Hint: he is one of the passengers on the train and he is playing poker with a flush in his hand. This film was shot in my home town, Santa Rosa and I drive by the house it was filmed in often which makes me feel famous (it's just a little handicap I have, don't let it affect you). Please E-mail me if you have seen this movie or read my review. thank you ~Juliet4808@aol.com~

(2012-04-28 07:02:52)

strains 2010 credulity

Love Hitch, but I wasn't feeling this one, which I had never previously seen. Setup is nice but strains 2010 credulity; I guarantee this was really creepy and foreboding in 1943, when scenes played out in front of rear-screen projected backdrops didn't jar you right out of the mood.

(2012-04-24 20:35:39)

Amazing thriller!

This review is from: Shadow of a Doubt [VHS] (VHS Tape) As an avid Hitchcock fan since my first viewing of "Rear Window", I thought I'd seen all his best ones - until last night. I watched "Shadow of a Doubt" for the first time and realized why I love Hitchcock's stuff so much! His every story seems to give you one genuinely innocent person to cheer for who continually gets into one bad situation after another. This movie is no different! It grabs you from the beginning and takes off in a hurry! The tension builds slowly from the first few minutes of the family's first dinner together and then goes into overtime at the end. By the time Charley starts falling victim to several "accidents" from her Uncle's hand, you know you aren't going anywhere until it's all over. There are far too many plot twists and grabbers here to mention. Suffice it to say that this is vintage Hitchcock, and it easily goes into his top 5 movies.

(2012-04-23 22:19:53)

First Hitchcock Film Made in USA

This review is from: Shadow of a Doubt (DVD) This Alfred Hitchcock suspense thriller is about a man that runs from the past to live in a small town with his sister and her family.Set in Santa Rosa, California in the mid 1940's, Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton) quickly makes friends with his favorite niece and namesake, Young Charlie (Teresa Wright).Young Charlie soon comes to suspect that Uncle Charlie could be the Merry Widow Murderer.However, until all the evidence is in, the audience will vary in opinion as to his guilt, while the Merry Widow Murderer plots to kill Young Charlie.A great film; a down to earth murder mystery.

(2012-04-19 08:04:08)

Shadow of a Doubtful Transfer

This review is from: Shadow of a Doubt (DVD) I've seen worse transfers but this one is not great. The opening titles are cut-off, they start with the director's credit and the film begins. The gray range is OK from black to white but it appears that this transfer is from a video that had "Time-Compression" used on it. As you watch in some panning shots there appears to be a "strobing" movement, a bit jerky, like we used to see on old TV shows that needed to get more commercials in the time slot. Get the Universal product for this film...much better!

Galina

(2012-04-18 20:01:32)

The Truth About Charlie

"Shadow of a Doubt" (1943), the story of a serial murderer as a lovinguncle is the movie which Hitchcock himself had declared as hisfavorite. This movie is quite a departure from Hitchcock's previousHollywood productions. For the first half, it is an intimate familydramedy that describes a typical American family in a typical smalltown, USA which in this film is called Santa Rosa, CA. Hitch said aboutthe movie, "I am extremely anxious to avoid the conventional small-townAmerican scene and the stock figures that have been seen in so manyfilms." Much of the film was shot on location in a real Californiasmall town far away from the studio. The director worked closely withthe famous writer Thornton Wilder on the screen (Oscar nomination)about a charming attractive young man (Joseph Cotten) who after manyyears comes to Santa Rosa to visit with the family of his older sisterwhom he truly loved. He brings into the lives of his relatives,especially his older niece and namesake Charlie (Teresa Wright)excitement and joy. Soon things begin look puzzling and even grim whentwo undercover detectives from a big city on the East Coast show up inSanta Rosa and reveal to Charlie who by the words of her father, "hasbrains" and the power of observation that her beloved uncle Charlie maybe an infamous "Merry Widows murderer" on the run. The girl does notwant to believe the detectives but she can't help noticing her uncle'sstrange behavior, his sudden and scary mood changes. The inscription ona gorgeous emerald ring he gave her as a gift makes her think of aprevious owner of the pricey jewelry. She grows increasingly suspiciousof the uncle who loves his niece but he loves his freedom much, muchmore...Unbearable tension builds up, leading to the series of accidentsand to hair-raising climax in the best traditions of Hitchcock'smovies.8.5/10

(2012-04-10 19:13:54)

Preserved and Restored

Three Hitchcock-directed films have been restored and preserved according to The Film Foundation (film-foundation dot org): Suspicion (1941), Saboteur (1942) and Mr. Hitchcock's favorite...Shadow of a Doubt (1943). I hope Mr. Hitchcock's name will be honored through a Blu-ray version of Shadow of a Doubt at some point. My favorite Hitchcock-directed film is The 39 Steps (Criterion).

TigerMann

(2012-04-10 06:12:35)

"And I brought you nightmares. Or did I?"

You know, I don't necessarily like being told something is a "classic"until I finally see it for myself and judge it on its merits. I don'twant to base my opinion on what some swarthy critic condescendinglytells me what makes the film so great, worthwhile ... classic. So,while I was watching "Shadow Of A Doubt," I really tried to retain thatin the back of my mind. First of all ... I think "Shadow Of A Doubt" IS a classic. AlfredHitchcock's name-sake alone makes this film worthwhile. Maybe I amchanneling more than just a few critics, here, but even Hitchcock'slesser films have flourishes of masterful cinematic technique. "ShadowOf A Doubt" is certainly NOT one of those films, however. There's morethan enough, here, to place it on the same shelf as "Rear Window," and"The 39 Steps." Here, in his first American film, Hitchcock whittlesout an excellent story of deceit, suspicion, and outright terror. Onethat plunges us, the viewer, deep into its guts. Joseph Cotton plays Charlie, a man whose mysterious criminal pastprompts him to flee for California, where his sister, nieces andnephews reside. As he arrives, his niece Charlie (Teresa Wright) greetshim with love and more than just a little hero-worship. And yet, aftera firm warning from a police investigator, she begins to suspect thather uncle may, in fact, be a vicious killer who has sought asylum inher mother's home. As the tension slowly rises, Charlie's mistrustgives way to bone-chilling terror. And we, as the audience, questioneverything that we/she sees until the surprising finale. You know ... my only real complaint about "Shadow Of A Doubt" is itsdawdling pace. Hitchcock takes WAY too much time establishing eachcharacter. He's a master filmmaker, but the suspense really didn't addup until well after the mid-way point of the movie. And while I enjoyedthe development and the fine writing, some of it becomes moot at thevery end. But ... lingering for the climax was well worth the admission price.Besides, Joesph Cotton is pure gold, here. When, at the dinner table,he begins a sort of silent but deadly tirade about widowed women,frivolously squandering their husbands' money, Hitchcock's camerareluctantly pushing in to Cotton's face. "Are they human or are they fat, wheezing animals, hmm," asks Cotton."And what happens to animals when they get too fat and too old?" I don't know where this seething hatred originates ... but it's enoughto evoke a nightmare or two. Cotton does it quite well. He knows how todominate the screen without appearing to even try. He's strikinglyhandsome, but not pretty enough to be your average dispassionateHollywood heart-throb. He had the look of an everyman, who onlyhappened to know are really great tailor. I think that "Shadow Of A Doubt" indeed is a classic. It's slow tostart ... but it finishes very well, under Hitchcock's knowing eye.Also ... check out Joseph Cotton in one of my favorites, "The ThirdMan."

whpratt1

(2012-04-03 11:05:25)

NIce Hitchcock Production

Always enjoyed the great acting of Joseph Cotten, (Uncle Charlie) whostarts off this movie laying in bed and smoking a cigar and and juststaring into space, with money thrown all over the floor of hisboarding house room. His landlady tells him that two men were lookingfor him, but she told them he was not feeling very well and she did notwant to disturb him. It is from this point in the film when Charliedecides to take off to visit his sister's family in a small town andhide out from who ever is trying meet up with him. Charlie is wellliked by his sister's daughter, Charlie Newton, (Teresa Wright) whothinks the world of her uncle Charlie. Charlie Newton is a very smartyoung gal and starts to get suspicious of the way her uncle is actingand the story begins to get very interesting which will keep you gluedto the silver screen. Great Hitchcock film with great actors and agreat ending which will definitely surprise you.

sheepie87

(2012-04-03 02:11:02)

Wow ... Twisted my stomach in knots

I can see why this was Hitch's personal favorite. Everything about itis really wonderful- wonderfully twisted! Most everyone has commentedon the plot twists, etc, but what I really noticed about this movie wasthe strange ... dare I say it? ... sexual tension between Charlie andCharlie! Her description of her relationship with her uncle is morelike that of a soulmate than a "twin." She reacts to his homecomingmore as a girlfriend than as a niece. Just the physical interactionsbetween the two of them are strangely ... romantic? Uncle Charlie grabshis niece and, instead of giving her a ring, he slips it on her finger,like an engagement ring. Young Charlie enjoys being seen with her uncle(notice the jealous looks on her friends' faces-they don't know he'sher uncle!). Even as her suspicions grow and *spoilers* he becomes moreviolent with her, he always grabs her so that her face is very nearhis. He's upset about her relationship with Jack, not just because he'sa detective, but because Jack is taking away HIS Charlie. Uncle HAS todominate. He dominates his sister by manipulating her emotions throughmemory, but his domination of Charlie seems more sexual. Just anothertwist in Uncle Charlies malformed character. Deliciously juicy noir!

dinky-4

(2012-03-25 03:06:20)

Good but flawed

Several things about this movie are bothersome. For example, the policesuspicion that Joseph Cotten may be the Merry Widow Killer results intwo of them visiting the family with whom he's staying so that they canpose as survey takers. This seems contrived and somewhat implausible.True, it may provide the basis for a sub-plot romance between TeresaWright and Macdonald Carey but this sub-plot is unnecessary andbesides, there's never any real ardor in this romance. Then there's thematter of the Uncle Charlie character. He's supposed to be one of thosecharmers whose appearance on the doorstep provokes delight on the partof his hosts. Yet he often comes across as a bad house-guest -- surlyand even rude. That scene in the bank, for instance, when he loudlyjokes about embezzlement and thus causes real embarrassment for hisbrother-in-law. What a boor! And if he's so smart, why does he give hisniece a stolen ring which bears the engraved initials of its owner, oneof his victims? Wouldn't he have checked over this ring first? And whytry to hide the news item about the Merry Widow Killer by tearing itout of the newspaper? This only drew attention to the item whereas, ifhe left it alone, it would probably have passed without any specialnotice. On the other hand, I've always liked this movie's basic set-up,(though I could do with a bit less of the bookwormish kid sister), andit has a number of fine moments in it, such as when the camera pansdown the Merry Widow newspaper article, line by line, as the MerryWidow Waltz plays ominously on the soundtrack.

Sgt. Schultz

(2012-03-24 13:41:47)

Great Suspense Until A Botched Ending

Hitchcock reveals and builds the suspense layer by layer, like apeeling of an onion, setting up a truly frightening situation, withtrue danger lurking within what is supposed to be one's most trustedand safe place, the home.But then what? How does this get resolved? Unfortunately in aridiculous ending that is completely unbelievable. I heard on TCM wherethe writer (Foote) was running out of time because he had to move ontoother projects, and it's clear from the ending that this was true.This would have been a complete masterpiece with a better ending, butunfortunately it's now just a big tease.

Kristine

(2012-03-19 12:46:38)

Incredible, where are these movies now a days?

Shadow of a Doubt is an incredible film once again directed by AlfredHitchcock, not to mention that he claims this is his favorite movie byhimself. Shadow of a Doubt is well acted and again well put together.It's about a girl, Charlie, her Uncle Charlie (she was named after him)comes to visit her and her family. They love him to death, he's verygenerous, kind, and always giving them lavish gifts. But when Charliestarts to wonder why he is tearing up news papers and won't answer ortake pictures by reporters, well, you know the saying "curiousitykilled the cat"? That's the perfect sentence to sum up this film.It's original and exciting to watch. I would always again recommendthis movie for any movie appreciator or Alfred Hitchcock fan. This is atrue classic and an exciting thriller.10/10

(2012-03-18 23:22:05)

Powerful and Involving, intertwining good and evil

SHADOW OF A DOUBT is a wonderful movie using one of Hitchcock's favorite themes: "evil" or danger in the most unexpected places, here, the small town of Santa Rosa. Joseph Cotton is great as the disturbed Uncle Charlie with a strange relationship with his niece, Charlie(wonderfully played by Teresa Wright- she is so *pretty* hehe) Anyway, back to the review, Joseph Cotton gives Uncle Charlie an understandable psychotic view of the world, while Wright's character gives her Uncle humanity- but soon, Young Charlie is exposed to the world of madness when she is forces to take action against her Uncle... With Uncle Charlie's sweet sister and the taunting Merry Widow Waltz, this haunting film is pure masterpiece. Cotton is great and Wright is wondeful, giving her character innocence, homeliness, and also a struggling girl going against the dark world. Uhh... where was I? Oh yes, I recommend this to EVERYONE!

(2012-03-16 15:46:58)

Theres no Shadow of a Doubt that this is the version for you...

I am always sceptical of buying a new version of an old movie...Especially one that has so many versions already available.I bought this one mostly for the 2 Bonus Features but I was very happy to see that both the sound and video quality were much improved over the version that I already owned. I watched it first on my old TV and the picture was as good as anything you will see on a classic movie channel. Then I put it on my HD just to check it out and the picture was relatively clean and the sound was crisp.

(2012-03-15 21:19:42)

A Gripping and Engaging Plot With Unforgettable Characters

I first became acquainted with this movie through seeing it on Turner Classic Movies not to long ago. As I have come to find out, it is one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorites which he directed. It is verry easy to see why! This movie deals with the initial innocence and growing maturity of a young girl who comes to realize that her beloved uncle is not what he seems to be. The movie symbolically relates this girl's awakening while examining the deep psychological bond between herself and a charming yet repellent evil.Charlott, (Chharlie,) played by the exceptional Teresa Wright, is a young teenager who is brooding over the fact that nothing of interest and sustenance occurs within the small town in which she lives. She decides to send a telegram to her dearly beloved Uncle Charlie, ( wonderfully portrayed by Joseph Cotten,) who, unknowingly to her, has already sent a telegram saying that he will come and visit her and her family. Charlie learns this, and the audience becomes aware of a deeply loving and almost telepathic bond between Charlotte and her uncle. After Uncle Charlie's arrival, Charlotte becomes aware of suspicious behaviors on her uncle's part, besides his inherent charm. The movie climactically builds as Charlie discovers her uncle's true nature as a coldblooded serial killer with a cynical view of the workings of the world, but who has a likable nature that can tempt others. Charlie must struggle with the dilemma of deciding what to do with these revelations as she wrestles with conflicting feelings of love and repulsion about her uncle. This movie explores with frank clarity the shattering of innocence through experience, and the realization that evil can exist within anyone whom we feel closest too."Shadow of a Doubt" is filled with many unforgettable supporting characters who are represented as innocent and idyllic individuals in a small town. The use of gentle humor on the parts of these other characters makes the plot move along and also provides commic relief. The script for this movie, written by Thorton Wilder, provides a good balance of the lighthearted and sinister. I can hardly believe that Thorton Wilder, who wrote "Our Town," could write something so vastly different, but his play shows the sinister side of life in a small community.This movie is truly superb, and one which I thoroughly recommend to anyone who loves stories about childhood development through experience, and true psychological examinations of the human heart. Happy viewing!

Bill Slocum

(2012-03-11 20:08:59)

Unusual Hitchcock outing scores winning performances

Joseph Cotten made one of the great screen villains ever with his UncleCharlie, who gathers complexity not because of the possibility of hisinnocence (from the opening scenes it's clear Hitchcock is not playing thatgame) but because of the identification he elicits from both the viewer andfrom his niece. He's a tortured soul as well as a torturing one. TeresaWright matches Cotten every step of the way, as a good girl who never fallsinto the stilted ingenue trap of the period. That confrontation at the backsteps near the conclusion is a classic cinematic confrontation, and themenace is all hers ("Go away or I'll kill you myself...that's how Ifeel...")The supporting players are uniformly fine, especially Patricia Collinge assnookered sister Emma and Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn as the comic-reliefpair (the latter two do a lot to liven up some duller patches in the secondhalf.) I may be the only one who feels this way, but I love Janet Shaw asthat poor waitress Louise, the kind of person Charlie might have become ifher uncle had his way. ("I've been in half the restaurants in town...Yessir, for a ring like that I'd just about die.")The most interesting thing about "Shadow of a Doubt" is the marriage of twogreat artistic visions, Hitchcock's belief in the core evil of humankind andThornton Wilder's sunnier but no less complex focus on how society, informedwith some sense of spiritual responsibility, can shape man for the better.There's a duality here that is presented to us in varying ways throughoutthe film, most successfully with the two lead characters, "twins" who liveon opposite ends of a wide moral chasm.I just wish this film moved a bit faster and that the characters weren't somarble-mouthed at times. I don't think this is MTV-era carping, it justfeels slow for a Hitchcock film. Then again, compared to "Our Town," this isa Will Smith video, so maybe that Hitchcock-Wilder duality has its downside.I give it an 8, not tops but I really enjoy it and think you will,too.

(2012-03-11 05:45:12)

Possibly his best

I've seen 'em all, and, with the possible exception of Vertigo, this is Hitchcock's best. Certainly Joseph Cotton's performance is the creepiest in a Hitchcock film until Anthony Perkins' in Psycho. And the film's pace is perfect. The audience slowly learns of Uncle Charlie's past and his prejudices, but are blinded by his amiable demeanor. Slowly, young Charlie discovers her uncle's secret, and the movie becomes Hitchcock's scariest.

Polaris_DiB

(2012-03-07 04:16:00)

"We're twins, aren't we?"

Uncle Charlie has a secret, and his niece, Young Charlie, wants to findit out. But what she just thinks is a playful little thing is actuallya very dark and criminal thing; Uncle Charlie's on the run from thelaw, and her knowledge of his actions can turn to disastrous effects...like him willing to kill even her to keep his secret safe.DUH DUH DUH! No, but seriously, it was a very good look into the whole"tearing the veil off of Suburbia", a la Blue Velvet (I know, it camelater) and Hitchcock's own repeated motif of "looking behind thecurtain." Within an average, normal (and very stressed as such)household, complete and diabolical evil exists.It's some good stuff. I can never really fault Hitchcock his skill orhis technique because he was great at it. I just regret to say I getkind of tired of having him basically show variants of the same storyover and over again. But considering that this was, apparently, hisfavorite film of his, and being that it's a lot more personal andpsychological than the common "mistaken-identity-man-on-the-run" withthe "blond-woman-exploring-her-place-in-society-and-coming-of-age" thathe tends to do much more often, it is quite definitely one of hisbetter works.--PolarisDiB

billymac72

(2012-03-06 18:16:46)

And their wives...their greedy little wives...

This is certainly my favorite Hitchcock (mmm…'Strangers on a Train' comespretty close too). It has so many great things going for it that I'm noteven sure where to begin. For a film made such a long time ago, the way itholds up today speaks volumes about its power. I showed this film to my grandmother who, having never seen it, fell in lovewith the depiction of 40s small town life (the on-location shoot in SantaRosa really made a difference here. It is in fact a character unto itself.).By the 40s, my grandmother was a schoolteacher/housewife living in Queensand by no means the teenager Charlie is in the movie. But I think for thoselooking to capture a fairly accurate glimpse of how people spent their timeback then, this film will be of great interest. Here we see as world whereteens are certainly not the entity they are now and are more or less treatedas adults. Where people took to the streets at night for enjoyment withtheir friends and neighbors instead of sitting in front of TV or a computer.Where people lived a fairly contained, contented life in a place where thelocal cop might cut you a break just because he knows you.But this ain't all Frank Capra, baby, it's Hitchcock, and he is definitelymaking a certain kind of statement about the small town America he foundhimself fascinated with when he arrived from his native London (this, Ithink, is his first real American made film). He manipulates us with thisgreat, comfortable, familiar – and accurate! – American atmosphere and showsus something extremely sinister lying-in-wait through the arrival of UncleCharlie (check out the dark shadow cast by the train carrying Charlie as itpulls in to Santa Rosa). In our modern terminology, I guess one could saythat Hitch is showing a world that, while a very nice place, is blanketed indenial. The mother, played by Patricia Collinge, perhaps best personifiesthis notion to the point where she practically flat-out refuses to believeanything amiss could possibly be happening within her glorious household.She is hysterically happy in an almost forceful, even disturbing,way! For younger audiences, I think they will begin the movie with apreconceived Frank Capra-type expectation (which really seems old fashionedtoday), but slowly develop appreciation as these two worlds begin tocollide. John Carpenter approached `Halloween' in much the same way: evil isa natural force in human nature that cannot be avoided or reasoned with nomatter how hard one tries to act superior to it. Anyone who believes theycan is merely deluding themselves. We often cannot control where or when itwill enter and throw our lives asunder. As for the players, they are entirely outstanding. Teresa Wright practicallygrows up before our eyes. Hume Cronyn provides intelligently fun comedicrelief. Joseph Cotton is absolutely amazing as the heavy. His smirk reflectsa cynicism and arrogance that attests to the hardships of the many darkcorners of his world – the world Santa Rosa consciously shuts out. Hisnegative energy would make him the perfect villain, but he's not an easy guyto hate. Just as his niece, Charlie, observes, we too find him dashing,charming, experienced, interesting and even friendly. By returning to SantaRosa, we know that he's looking for something that has long been corruptedfrom his soul. We slowly realize that he can't ever truly return to hishome, or what it represents for him, ever again. In that sense, UncleCharlie is quite tragic. On the other hand, Hitch doesn't spare us of theevil lurking within, and Cotton's soliloquy at the dinner table is nothingshort in awesome in giving us a peek inside the violent hatred fueling thisserial killer.