shadow of a doubt movie 1943 joan harrison

Hitchcock was duly proud of this work as it was looking into the Hardy family and cleverly twisting the values presented. Yet the town & its inhabitants would not seem out of place in 'It's a Wonderful Life' with its apple pie concern for itself. This is not a horror film, but more shocking bec ause the killer of the piece is for once someone's brother & uncle, not some deranged loner as in Thomas Harris. But as the movie progresses & he too begins to see his niece discover the dark past he really shines.Watch the scene with the car in the garage to see the depth in the piece. Cotten, as ever was excellent in the natural way that Uncle Charlie at first seems, hiding out with the family. The use of perspective in the film helps you get inside the head of young Charlie as she begins to understand the motives of her uncle Charlie(Joseph Cotten).

This was the first of his US films to look at small town life & relationships in America, and in the way it's done it steals a march on many family dramas, both of film noir & later styles, including Blue Velvet. Shadow of a doubt lacks the big scenes and stars of other Hitch films, but that's the point.

Shadow of a doubt movie 1943 joan harrison