The Birds hitchcock folder icon shadow of a doubt 1943

In short, Shadow of a Doubt is concerned with the incestuous bonds of family: how they are made, how they are upheld, and what it takes to break them. Shadow of a Doubt has much less to say about the relationships between husbands and wives, but it places that energy on brothers and sisters, uncles and nieces. Rear Window and Vertigo both keep watch (quite literally) on domestic violence and the awkward lines in family settings between nastiness and outright wickedness of family dynamics. But Shadow of a Doubt has an eye on the same kind of ugliness that the no-doubt-about-it classics from the ’50s indulge in. There are more macabre movies, like Lifeboat and Rope, and more tense ones, like Saboteur or Suspicion. Shadow of a Doubt is almost certainly Hitchcock’s best picture of the 1940s. Starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey As the movie came out during WWII, it seems to have a direct parallel to the evil leaders loose in the world, particularly in the film's final scene.Dir. The second half, including the increasing revelation of Uncle Charlie's dark views of humanity and the lengths to which he will go to protect himself, is what make the film so sinister. On the other hand, there is a real small town feeling to this setting, helped in no doubt by Thornton Wilder being one of the screenwriters, and the characters of Charlie's father (Henry Travers) and his friend (Hume Cronyn) passing the time by talking about the perfect murder are absolutely priceless. Some of the tension is also missing because we're pretty darn sure Uncle Charlie is guilty. I considered a slightly higher rating, but thought the pace in the first half of the movie was a little slow.

Trouble is just behind him though, and it gets worse when his niece (also 'Charlie', named after him, and played by Teresa Wright) begins to suspect him of being the 'Merry Widow Murderer'. Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) is on the run from the law on the East Coast, and he settles in with his sister and her family in Santa Rosa. Hitchcock said this was his favorite film, and there is a quiet evil about it that makes it truly horrifying.

The Birds hitchcock folder icon shadow of a doubt 1943