SHADOW OF A DOUBT

US, 1943, 108 minutes, Black and white.
Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey, Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge, Hume Cronyn, Wallace Ford.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

According to Hitchcock himself, Shadow of a Doubt was one of his favourite films. After a long career in England, he came to the United States for Rebecca in 1940. It won the Oscar for best film. He followed that with such classics as Suspicion and a number of films concerning the war including Foreign Correspondent and Saboteur. He was then to go on to make Lifeboat and Spellbound.

This film is a domestic thriller. The screenplay was written by playwright Thornton Wilder (Our Town). It focuses on a young woman who invites her uncle to stay with the family in California. She feels he would brighten the family up. However, his influence is far different because he is, in fact, the Merry Widow serial killer. After lulling the family into complacency, the niece begins to have some kind of suspicions, shadows of doubt, and her life is threatened.

Teresa Wright is the niece. Joseph Cotten is Uncle Charlie. He was to work with Hitchcock in Under Capricorn. Wallace Ford portrays one of the detectives searching for Uncle Charlie as does Macdonald Carey.

The film was remade for television in 1991 with Mark Harmon as Uncle Charlie.

1. The quality of this Hitchcock film? Thriller, suspense? A portrait of America? Made during the war? One of Hitchcock's own favourites?

2. The tone of the titlep the overtones of shadow, doubt? In whose mind? The audience's mind? Shadow of a doubt about guilt, crime? Identification with the people in the film, the transfer of guilt and responsibility? Audience suspense?

3. Black and white photography, the use of shadows, as when Charlie's train arrived? Light and darkness, night and day? The importance of the build-up of the small American city? The authenticity of streets, homes, shops? Detail? (The contribution of Thornton Wilder and his plays and writings about small towns?) How important was the atmosphere of the town for the thriller, understanding of the people and the themes?

4. The importance of the motif of The Merry Widow, as seen during the credits, as a chorus of dancers throughout the film? The theme music itself, when it was whistled, hummed? People wanting to identify Charlie and his trying to get people not to identify it?

5. What happened to the audience during the opening sequence, with the presentation of Charlie, lying on his bed, a mysterious figure, in the dark during the daylight, the hostility to his landlady, suspicions? The irony of people chasing him and wanting to visit him? His being elusive and escaping? Audience hostility, fear for family and its very homely atmosphere? The mini-crimes within the family, The personality of mother, father, children? Charlie and her not feeling well, depressed? An important thematic introduction to the family for the later developments?

7. The focus on the the Charlies, especially the bond of the telegram? The bonds of the common relationship and love? Indications of a kind of telepathy? A sympathy between the two which was to deteriorate?

8. The build-up to the arrival of Uncle Charlis. the whole family in eager anticipation? The black cloud over the station and his arrival?

9. Uncle Charlie as seen within the family context, his charm, pleasantness? Their welcoming him? The mother's joy in having her brother present? The father's reticent attitude? Charlie and her delight to have her Uncle present? The ease with which he settled, the joy that he gave, his charming talk, his plans? The plans and the overtones of money and the ambiguity of this?

10. How well did the film portray mother and father, attention to character in particular action? The root of the family?

11. The importance of the interaction of the two Charlies? The happiness, the begining of suspicion, their kinship and yet Charlie's tear? The paper and the taking cut of the item about the murders? The strange circumstances of the money?

12. The presence of the detectives, the confronting of Charlie? The importance of her looking up the newspapers?

13. The audience growing more suspicious with wondering what Charlie would do about her Uncle? What decisions did the audience make?

14. Charlie becoming more auspicious? The mysterious nature
of his attempts to kill Charlie? Their verbal clashes? The build-up to the outing? The garage and Charlie's escaping from death?

15. The importance of the night of Uncle Charlie's talk? The importance of the ring? The pressure on Uncle Charlie to get the ring back?

16. The irony of his decision to leave? Charlie's presence on the train? The clash and the sudden impact of Uncle Charlie's death?

17. Why the cover-up? For the benefit of the family? Charlie and the detectives' discussion about what had really happened?

18. How sympathetic a murderer was Uncle Charlie? Did his long speeches about his philosophy, motives really help audience sympathy and understanding? How sympathetic a villain? How effective a thriller? (The comedy about thrillers and this especially in the discussions between father and Herbie Hawkins the neighbour - and the irony of Herbie Hawkins seeing Charlie in the garage and contributing to the solution?)