Shadow of a Doubt

I really love this film, one of my favourite films of all time.

Spectacular.

While this was a favorite of Hitchcock and Teresa Wright, it was a flop at the box office. The film is tedious and weird, with some bizarre elements, such as the father and friends murder game, the little girl's "step on a crack" nonsense. There are also a couple of non-actors who are quite terrible, such as the little brother with the unintelligbly squeak of a voice and the barmaid who gives the most wooden performance in the history of Hollywood. The film is ham-handed and clearly not among Hitchcock's best. Unless you are a Hitch fanatic, I'd give this one a pass.

I mostly watch old movies because the dialogue is more interesting as movies were more about the story than about special effects. Shadow of a Doubt does not disappoint. It will keep you on the edge until the end.

A perfect film all around. It's neat that it's made in my own home town, and it's a fine piece of cinema overall.

This is perhaps Hitchcock's best film. I hadn't seen it for many years and was astonished at the quality of this film - plot, actors, photography. Black and white films seem to lend a quality often lacking in colored ones.

Hitchcock had just made his move from the U.K. to Hollywood. Immediately, he recieves critical acclaim with Rebecca. Two years later, he releases the shaky but entertaining Sabateur. What was he to do next? Where was he to go from there? The answer: Shadow of a Doubt. Definitely one of Hitchcocks most down to Earth films. Most of his films, not all, but most of them, were so extremely far fetched to the point where I am rolling my eyes when I'm watching them. But this film has a plausible and very entertaining premise, which to me, makes it his best and most relatable. I also feel the writing has somewhat of a timeless quality. The way that the family interacted didn't seem at all dated or unrealistic. This also features some of the best acting in any Hitchcock film. Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright totally knock it out of the park with their brilliant portrayals. Definitely Hitchcock's most underrated film. It's a real shame that this doesn't get the attention it deserves. Oh well, at least I know it and love it.

You have the BIG Hitchcock films like North By Northwest, Psycho, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, etc, but then there are those "smaller" Hitchcock films which should be given their due including The Trouble With Harry, Lifeboat, Frenzy, and Shadow of a Doubt which I would rank as amaongst my favorite Hitchcock films. Leave it to Hitchcock to bring evil to a small town in the charming Joseph Cotten. My favorite scene is in which he is espousing his contempt for a type of women who live off their husband's money in a parasitic manner. Theresa Wright intones : "But they're human." Joseph Cotten turrns slowly to face her and says : "Are they?' A dark and subtle scene that a more modern film would beat you over the head with but Hitchcock lets it just slowly creep into your bones. But even Theresa Wright's character Charlie is not without her dark underbelly. It reminds me of David Lynch's Blue Velvet with its menace just under the manicured lawns of the suburbs. It believe I read that Shadow of a Doubt was Hitchcock's own favorite.

This is quite a good film, especially if you are in a retrospective mood. Don't expect a drawn out action film - this movie lives in the subtext. Does it deserve a higher rating then Casablanca? Certainly not. Will you enjoy it - yes of course. I gave it 3 stars for its quality but subtracted two for being overrated.

I have no idea why everyone seems to be writing as if this is a great Hitchcock film. It isn't. It's so completely dated and the acting is terrible. Don't even bother renting this film. You'll be disappointed, even if you're a fan of his later work. This is not one of Hitchcock's best, or even close to it.