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Shadow of a Doubt (1943 version)
One of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies and one that was based on an original screenplay (with one of the writers being Alma Reville, Hitchcock's wife).
The story is abt Charlotte (who everyone calls Charlie in the movie, played by Teresa Wright), a young woman who lives in a quiet California town with her family. Thing is, she's BORED and wishes there was a way to shake up her routine. On a whim, she decides to send a telegram to her favorite uncle Charles "Charlie" Oakley (played by Joseph Cotten) asking him to visit them.
While at the telegram office, she gets the happy news that Uncle Charlie has sent the family a telegram announcing his visit. Charlie is THRILLED! Her Uncle Charlie is such a man of the world! He's lived the most exciting life ever and now, as if dictated by Fate, he's coming to see her and the rest of the family!!!
At first, Uncle Charlie's visit is going great. Soon enough, however, things start to go a little off. Younger Charlie begins to wonder what exactly is going on…
This movie is considered to be Hitchcock's fave movie he ever directed. He's doing what he does best: show an idyllic/mundane setting before adding darker touches until suspicion and paranoia settle in for good.
The cast is amazing. Joseph Cotten as Uncle Charlie is one of the standouts. He's full of charisma mixed with flashes of anger. In this day and age, it's easier to notice what's wrong faster than audiences back in the 1940s. But that doesn't lessen the overall impact or enjoyment of the film.
IMO, the most memorable actor is Teresa Wright as the younger Charle. Her portrayal is of a pretty average, girl next door who wants to go out into the world. She's probably in her v. 20s? (there's a point where she mentions graduating high school a while ago). In any case, her character journey is FASCINATING. Even though the story is set in the town of Santa Rosa, by the end of the movie, she understands a lot abt what the world is like both in the good and bad sense.
Also, she's Uncle Charlie's conscience, his moral values made flesh. There's an intense and strange push-and-pull between them that toes the line into disturbing waters. Namely, an argument could be made for extremely mild incest vibes between them. Their connection is palpable from the start of the movie. So, askew as things might be, it is pretty sad to see younger Charlie having to protect herself from the one person she loves the most in the world.
Excellent suspense as the build-up feels neverending.
Do I have any criticisms?
I actually don't! The themes, direction, plot, acting, cinematography work in tandem to present a fantastic movie.
Do I recommend it?
OFC! It's by Hitchcock during the peak of his 1940s period so, you know, QUALITY IS ALL OVER THE PLACE. Deffo worth watching if you want to give it a try. I'm giving it a solid 5 out of 5!.
I watched it during a period when it was available for free on YouTube, but I've also seen it (on and off) on Hoopla. It's available for renting in digital format and it's also one of those movies that are part of TCM's usual rotation.
Queerness level
Low. There's a neighbor called Herbie Hawkins (played by Hume Cronyn) who is BFF with Charlie's dad who pings me for reasons I can't quite explain.
Shadow of a Doubt (1991 version) (YouTube)
This was a made-for-TV movie that stars Mark Harmon (the dude who played Jethro Gibbs in the original NCIS for decades), Diane Ladd, Tippi Hendren, and others.
Its plot follows abt 85% of the 1943 movie--with some scenes AND dialogue being pretty much c&p.
Two actors stood out for me. One was Tippi Hedren as Mrs. Mathewson. Her scenes are too short, but wow, TALK ABT TALENT!!! Meanwhile, I loved Dianne Ladd as Emma Newton (Charlie's mom). There's nothing outstanding abt her role per se. The "magic" so to speak comes from how Ladd's acting felt so natural.
The costuming was solid and the setting (which was the same town the 1943 movie was filmed at) was good too.
Do I have any criticisms?
I do have three.
1. The way things are presented go into so much detail that viewers end up knowing far more than the characters in the movie. And so it becomes a waiting game for everyone to catch up. Maybe this is a result of it being a made-for-TV movie. IDK. So all of the suspense was sucked out of the plot from the get.
2. Like I mentioned in the section above, around 85% of the movie is the same one as the 1943. The remaining 15% is a mix of expanded or added scenes. It all comes across as filler.
3. My two biggest disappointments in the casting had to do with the two principals.
Margaret Welsh's version of Charlie is definitely spunkier and less naive than Theresa Wright's. She seems a lot more aware of things. Unfortch, though, her acting isn't good during pivotal scenes. Such as the 1-2 punch of one of the dinnertime scenes followed by a conversation at a bar (you'll know it when you see it). These two moments are for Welsh to show her character's confusion, despair, and hurt with minimal dialogue. Instead, she ends up underemoting to the point that Harmon might as well be talking to a wall. It's v. disappointing. Especially when Theresa Wright acts the hell out of those two scenes in 1943, IJS.
Meanwhile, Mark Harmon's really great in the scenes where Uncle Charlie has to exude charisma. It's v. easy to understand why most ppl flock to him. He does have a kind of v. specific magnetism that v. few ppl can fake. The flipside is that he lacks the ability to successfully project an intimidating vibe when he needs to. Such as the key scenes I mentioned for Welsh. And so his overall portrayal of Uncle Charlie feels weaker than the one Cotten did.
Do I recommend it?
I can't quite do that, but IDK... OTOH, it's not an awful movie. OTOH, it's not a good one either. Maybe have it in the background or while doing chores? I'm giving it a 2.4 out of 5.
Queerness level
Extremely low. Even the guy who plays Herb is there, but his scenes are too few to even count.
One of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies and one that was based on an original screenplay (with one of the writers being Alma Reville, Hitchcock's wife).
The story is abt Charlotte (who everyone calls Charlie in the movie, played by Teresa Wright), a young woman who lives in a quiet California town with her family. Thing is, she's BORED and wishes there was a way to shake up her routine. On a whim, she decides to send a telegram to her favorite uncle Charles "Charlie" Oakley (played by Joseph Cotten) asking him to visit them.
While at the telegram office, she gets the happy news that Uncle Charlie has sent the family a telegram announcing his visit. Charlie is THRILLED! Her Uncle Charlie is such a man of the world! He's lived the most exciting life ever and now, as if dictated by Fate, he's coming to see her and the rest of the family!!!
At first, Uncle Charlie's visit is going great. Soon enough, however, things start to go a little off. Younger Charlie begins to wonder what exactly is going on…
This movie is considered to be Hitchcock's fave movie he ever directed. He's doing what he does best: show an idyllic/mundane setting before adding darker touches until suspicion and paranoia settle in for good.
The cast is amazing. Joseph Cotten as Uncle Charlie is one of the standouts. He's full of charisma mixed with flashes of anger. In this day and age, it's easier to notice what's wrong faster than audiences back in the 1940s. But that doesn't lessen the overall impact or enjoyment of the film.
IMO, the most memorable actor is Teresa Wright as the younger Charle. Her portrayal is of a pretty average, girl next door who wants to go out into the world. She's probably in her v. 20s? (there's a point where she mentions graduating high school a while ago). In any case, her character journey is FASCINATING. Even though the story is set in the town of Santa Rosa, by the end of the movie, she understands a lot abt what the world is like both in the good and bad sense.
Also, she's Uncle Charlie's conscience, his moral values made flesh. There's an intense and strange push-and-pull between them that toes the line into disturbing waters. Namely, an argument could be made for extremely mild incest vibes between them. Their connection is palpable from the start of the movie. So, askew as things might be, it is pretty sad to see younger Charlie having to protect herself from the one person she loves the most in the world.
Excellent suspense as the build-up feels neverending.
Do I have any criticisms?
I actually don't! The themes, direction, plot, acting, cinematography work in tandem to present a fantastic movie.
Do I recommend it?
OFC! It's by Hitchcock during the peak of his 1940s period so, you know, QUALITY IS ALL OVER THE PLACE. Deffo worth watching if you want to give it a try. I'm giving it a solid 5 out of 5!.
I watched it during a period when it was available for free on YouTube, but I've also seen it (on and off) on Hoopla. It's available for renting in digital format and it's also one of those movies that are part of TCM's usual rotation.
Queerness level
Low. There's a neighbor called Herbie Hawkins (played by Hume Cronyn) who is BFF with Charlie's dad who pings me for reasons I can't quite explain.
Shadow of a Doubt (1991 version) (YouTube)
This was a made-for-TV movie that stars Mark Harmon (the dude who played Jethro Gibbs in the original NCIS for decades), Diane Ladd, Tippi Hendren, and others.
Its plot follows abt 85% of the 1943 movie--with some scenes AND dialogue being pretty much c&p.
Two actors stood out for me. One was Tippi Hedren as Mrs. Mathewson. Her scenes are too short, but wow, TALK ABT TALENT!!! Meanwhile, I loved Dianne Ladd as Emma Newton (Charlie's mom). There's nothing outstanding abt her role per se. The "magic" so to speak comes from how Ladd's acting felt so natural.
The costuming was solid and the setting (which was the same town the 1943 movie was filmed at) was good too.
Do I have any criticisms?
I do have three.
1. The way things are presented go into so much detail that viewers end up knowing far more than the characters in the movie. And so it becomes a waiting game for everyone to catch up. Maybe this is a result of it being a made-for-TV movie. IDK. So all of the suspense was sucked out of the plot from the get.
2. Like I mentioned in the section above, around 85% of the movie is the same one as the 1943. The remaining 15% is a mix of expanded or added scenes. It all comes across as filler.
3. My two biggest disappointments in the casting had to do with the two principals.
Margaret Welsh's version of Charlie is definitely spunkier and less naive than Theresa Wright's. She seems a lot more aware of things. Unfortch, though, her acting isn't good during pivotal scenes. Such as the 1-2 punch of one of the dinnertime scenes followed by a conversation at a bar (you'll know it when you see it). These two moments are for Welsh to show her character's confusion, despair, and hurt with minimal dialogue. Instead, she ends up underemoting to the point that Harmon might as well be talking to a wall. It's v. disappointing. Especially when Theresa Wright acts the hell out of those two scenes in 1943, IJS.
Meanwhile, Mark Harmon's really great in the scenes where Uncle Charlie has to exude charisma. It's v. easy to understand why most ppl flock to him. He does have a kind of v. specific magnetism that v. few ppl can fake. The flipside is that he lacks the ability to successfully project an intimidating vibe when he needs to. Such as the key scenes I mentioned for Welsh. And so his overall portrayal of Uncle Charlie feels weaker than the one Cotten did.
Do I recommend it?
I can't quite do that, but IDK... OTOH, it's not an awful movie. OTOH, it's not a good one either. Maybe have it in the background or while doing chores? I'm giving it a 2.4 out of 5.
Queerness level
Extremely low. Even the guy who plays Herb is there, but his scenes are too few to even count.
