TV and Movies

[Oznell]

1:15 p.m. Eastern, Saturday--  "Shadow of a Doubt"  Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, Patricia Collinge, Hume Cronyn, Macdonald Carey, Henry Travers, Edna May Wonacott, Wallace Ford

Hitchcock's master work, his personal favorite of all his films, and mine.  What a perfect Saturday matinee!

  

Teresa Wright is a smart, intuitive young woman, with close ties to her visting uncle (Joseph Cotten).  The whole family admires him, and soon, so do much of their circle in their idyllic northern California community.   But what is he hiding?

Hitchcock builds slowly, contrasting the wholesomeness of the family's small town surroundings with the darkening enigma that is Joseph Cotten.  All is charming and sunlit, until it isn't.

It goes without saying, that both the precocious Wright and the seasoned Cotten, are brilliant in this-- it's part of what makes it so great.  That scene between them in the "Til-Two" club, has a forever memorable, shivery, resonating horror just under the surface.  Love the interjections of that languorous waitress too....

 

There are simply too many clever and evocative aspects to this multi-faceted film to cover in one alert.  I want to single out Patricia Collinge (as the guileless mother) and Hume Cronyn (as the fussy, murder-obsessed neighbor) for the great supporting players they are in this.

Nominated for the AFI 100 Greatest American Movies list, and the AFI 100 Most Thrilling Ever Movies list.  Deservedly!

On a trivial note, it's always fun to see the young and handsome Macdonald Carey, as a dogged police investigator, even if his relationship with Teresa Wright is just a bit improbable....

[kaydee50]

One of my top 5 Hitchcock's.  Excellent cast.

[Group 5 minus 1]

One of my fav Hitchcock films and my understanding is it was Hitchs fav.

[Group 5 minus 1]

Hows your Mother? Fair to middlin' and TW wears bird scatter pins. You can see them whenshe crossed the street. Shades of Psycho?

[Oznell]

Hey, I do remember her wearing scatter pins, @Group 5 minus 1 --  good catch!   Very interesting that they were birds, too.   I have no doubt that Hitchcock had certain repetitive motifs and themes he referenced throughout his career, from film to film.  And perceptive viewers like you spot them.

I wish I could remember a very scholarly article I read that was all about the number two, or the symbolism of "doubles",  all throughout "Shadow of a Doubt".   It was amazing how many of them there were....

[Oznell]

Dramatic original trailer for film:

HINT--   Do not watch if you haven't seen movie--  too many spoilers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPqJ_-riDbI

[MW in Iowa]

This was so good , you were always questioning every move. I saw this a  couple years ago , and i would highly recomend to any thriller drama buff. How many movies are they making right now that are even going to  stand up to time , not many.

[Oznell]

You're so right, @MW in Iowa ,  about the "questioning every move".   You get completely drawn in to this highly-charged situation.  And agreed, there are relatively few films that one can foresee standing up to the test of time the way this one does....

[drizzellla]

I set the timer.  Oznell, You picked a good suspenseful movie. And one I think was very well cast.

Several years ago my son made sure I watched this movie, he liked it so much. Worth watching again.

[Oznell]

He has good taste, @drizzellla --  if I recall, he's as much of a classic film aficionado as you are.... you taught him well!