Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Plot:A young woman thinks her uncle may be a serial killer.

Wright plays a very young woman (19-ish) living with her family and sort of depressed and aimless.She is very warm, innocent and genuinely good-natured - completely unlike Hitchcock's usual icy blonds while Cotten is her namesake and favorite uncle, Charlie. Uncle Charlie has come to visit and brought good cheer to the entire family, but shortly after his arrival, young Charlie begins to discover that Uncle Charlie has some sinister secrets. As the clues begin to add up to a coherent conclusion, Wright's character is forced to decide what to do about her growing, troublesome, understanding.
Shadow is taut with sexual tension - the incestuous overtones of the mental affinity of niece and uncle Charlie, the lusty infatuations of Charlie's teenage friend Catherine, and Herb, who just happens to be around the corner where ever we see Charlie.
The cast is excellent, and the lead characters - played by Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright - are very well imagined, written and portrayed. Both characters called for sweeping and dramatic personality changes which Wright and Cotten pulled off convincingly.Hume Cronyn(Herbie Hawkins) & Henry Travers (Charlie's father) give the film the right touch of "black" comedy relief, as mystery novel buffs who are constantly trying to come up with the perfect way to kill someone. Macdonald Carey (Detective Jack Graham) & Patricia Collinge (Charlie's mother) are also well cast. Also look for Hitch's cameo, which has him playing cards, on the train to Santa Rosa.
Hitchcock's direction keeps the film moving at the right pace & brings you into story, as if you were living in Santa Rosa & watching all of this unravel from your front porch.Hitchcock is skillful at showing the contrast between the small-town life of young Charlie's family and Uncle Charlie's jaded big-city life of crime. But he doesn't condescend or patronize.Very good!
3.5/5