Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) – A young woman begins to wonder if her beloved uncle is who she has always believed him to be.

Director – Alfred Hitchcock                       Starring – Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotton, Macdonald Carey

Both Hitchcock and Wright said that this was one of their personal favorite movies.  It’s a solid if unsurprising story carried along nicely by the director and a veteran cast.  There’s certainly plenty to like here, even with the predictable outcome.

Charlie (Wright) has a bit of hero worship for the uncle for whom she was named (Cotton).  He is the spoiled youngest brother of her mother and something of the family golden boy.  An unexpected visit brings along some unexpected questions about what Uncle Charlie really does for a living.

Hitchcock does his usual job of keeping the action moving, and all the parts of the story bound tightly together.  There isn’t much in the way of his signature visuals, however.  You won’t come away with an image burned into your memory, like the shower scene in “Psycho”, the stairs in “Vertigo” or the bird attack in “The Birds”.  This is pretty much straight ahead movie making.  It’s less a matter of figuring out what is going on and more a matter of when the characters will discover them.  So while it’s a solid effort, it didn’t deliver the “bang” that I expect from Hitchcock.

A couple interesting folks in the supporting cast.  This was Hume Cronyn’s film debut, longtime star of the television soap opera “Days of Our Lives” Macdonald Carey plays the love interest, and veteran character actor Henry Travers plays the father to Wright’s character.  Travers is best known as the angel Clarence in “It’s A Wonderful Life”.

Not one of the director’s classics, but a worthy film.

Why You Will Like It – A solid thriller from the master, Hitchcock.

Rating – *** Worth A Look