Joseph Cotten as Uncle Charlie on a payphone in Shadow of a DoubtImage via Universal Pictures
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Alfred Hitchcock has a murderer's row, so to speak, of iconic, critically-acclaimed films like Psycho and Vertigo whose infamy extends beyond the silver screen. In those films, he wields suspense the way a renowned surgeon would a scalpel, deftly using the cinematic tools at his disposal to play with the viewer's mind. Hitchcock toys with the audience, creating a sense of dread in moments where it's unwarranted, shattering peaceful moments unexpectedly, defying expectations and adding a touch of black humor to the proceedings. The one film that accentuates what Hitchcock does best, however, doesn't get the same level of attention as his higher-profile pictures, a film noir masterpiece that is one of the only films in the genre to rate a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. That film is the 1943 psychological thriller Shadow of a Doubt, which earns its high rating from the moment it begins.
A Tale of Two Charlies in 'Shadow of a Doubt'
Shadow of a Doubt is a tale of two Charlies: Charlotte "Charlie" Newton (Teresa Wright), a sweet young lady who wants nothing more than for the boring routine of everyday life to be shaken up; and Charles Oakley (Joseph Cotten), her "Uncle Charlie," who makes her regret that yearning. Uncle Charlie is evading two detectives in New Jersey, for reasons that aren't entirely clear at first, and telegraphs his sister Emma (Patricia Collinge) to let her know he's coming out to Santa Rosa, California, to visit. The news delights Charlie, who was in the process of sending a telegram inviting him to come visit. It's the first sign of a unique bond between the two, one which Charlie later posits is more like that of close twins as opposed to an uncle and niece. Uncle Charlie comes bearing gifts, including a watch for his brother-in-law, a fur for his sister, and, for Charlie, an emerald ring. Charlie notices that the ring has an engraving with someone else's initials, which her uncle explains away as having been the result of a rush job.
Only it's not the first odd thing that Charlie notices about her uncle. He takes a page out of her father's newspaper before he's had a chance to read it, purposely knocks over a glass of wine to distract from a line of conversation, and refuses to allow his picture to be taken, even growing anxious when his sister says that Charlie has a picture of him, only to realize it's a picture of him as a toddler. Soon, two men appear at the Newton home, taking a survey and photographs of a typical American family. They're particularly interested in trying to get a photograph of Uncle Charlie, but he catches them taking a snapshot and demands the film, which they surrender. One of the men asks Charlie to show him around town, and as they walk around, Charlie deduces that they are, in fact, undercover detectives, the same two detectives her uncle evaded earlier in New Jersey. The detective comes clean and explains that Uncle Charlie is one of two men who are suspects in a nationwide manhunt for the Merry Widow Murderer, a killer with a thirst for rich widows.
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Posts 2 By TanChun Watkins Dec 14, 2024Charlie refuses to believe it, but she learns that the initials in that emerald ring are those of one of the victims, and the page that Uncle Charlie took from the paper has a story about the Merry Widow Murderer. She begins eyeing him with a growing suspicion until dinner one night, when Uncle Charlie goes into a chilling rant about rich widows, likening them to "fat, wheezing animals." That drives it home for Charlie, and she runs out the door in horror. Only Uncle Charlie catches up to her and drags her into a seedy bar, admitting that he is one of the two murder suspects, and he needs her to stay quiet. She reluctantly agrees, not wishing to upset her mother, who adores him, but wants him to leave. He agrees, but when news comes out that the other suspect was killed during a conflict with police, with everyone assuming he was the murderer, he reneges, saying he wants to settle down in Santa Rosa. The news delights the family... except Charlie. And now she knows too much.
Watching a Master at Work in 'Shadow of a Doubt'
With Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock hits all the defining traits of the classic film noir, while at the same time subverting it. There's the theme of good and evil, where the dark, evil secrets of Uncle Charlie infest the idyllic, innocent town of Santa Rosa, a staple of the genre. Masterfully shot scenes create the towering, elongated look of German Expressionism (check out the picture of Uncle Charlie standing on the staircase above). The psychological suspense of the genre is created through the audience discovering the depths of Uncle Charlie's true nature as Charlie does, at odds with the family and townspeople's adoration of the charming businessman, and the greater that divide becomes over the course of the film, the more suspense is generated. Yet unlike the typical noir, the villain is charismatic, charming even, hiding his cynicism and deception beneath that polished veneer. Likewise, the setting of the sunny, bright town of Santa Rosa is atypical of the dark, rainy look of noir. And he adds a dark humor that is uncommon in the genre, courtesy of Charlie's father Joseph (Henry Travers) and his friend Herbie (Hume Cronyn), who openly discuss ideas on how to pull off the perfect murder, in front of an actual murderer.
But where Hitchcock really shines in Shadow of a Doubt is his exploration of the theme of duality, common throughout his works. He telegraphs his intent in the opening credits, which are played out in front of a parade of couples waltzing. The women are in white, the men in black, and they twirl around in a never-ending cycle; the yin and the yang, the good and the bad playing off of one another. Then he does something fascinating by setting up the two Charlies as different sides of the same coin. Uncle Charlie is introduced lying in bed, in black, with the camera approaching him from his left side, the so-called "sinister" side, standing up only when the blinds are closed, covering him in shadow, and generating a sense of uneasiness from the start. Then the scene cuts to Charlie, who is also seen similarly lying on her bed, in white, and is approached from the right side. She's an innocent who wants to escape boredom; he's a wrongdoer who wants to escape capture.
Uncle Charlie himself is an exploration of duality: he exists both as a killer and as a beloved uncle. And it's not coincidental that they share the same name (rarely is there coincidence in a Hitchcock film). They are the visual representation of that idea, "good" Charlie and "bad" Charlie. But then they start bleeding into one another. Uncle Charlie's facade starts to collapse, weakened by the knowledge that Charlie is on to him, and he rails openly against rich widows, seeing them as less than people, the first time his ugly visage is revealed to the family. On the other side, Uncle Charlie's darkness affects Charlie, who fiercely says that she will kill him if he stays, and then burdens her with the lifelong knowledge that he is the Merry Widow Murderer, one of only three people to know the truth. Meanwhile, his death as a "good man" is mourned by the townspeople and her own family, who will never know the truth, generating this question: Who won, good Charlie or bad Charlie?
Shadow of a Doubt is available to rent or buy on VOD services.
Shadow of a Doubt
Like Follow Followed Passed Thriller Film Noir Release Date January 15, 1943 Runtime 108 Minutes Director Alfred Hitchcock Writers Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, Alma Reville, Gordon McDonellCast
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Teresa Wright
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Joseph Cotten
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Shadow of a Doubt
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Alfred Hitchcock
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