5/5 Hitchcock's noir classic deserves to be seen
  by Dennis W. Wong
"Shadow of A Doubt" deserves to be ranked along Hitchcock's films like "Vertigo", "Psycho", "Rear Window", "North by Northwest" and "Strangers On A Train" as one of his best--if not the best which can be argumentable. In fact the theme of the killer masquerading as a suave, likeable gent was a first for cinema---and Hitchcock was the innovator of this theme which would be repeated many times later in other films. Although one reviewer complained that the identity of the "Merry Widow" killer is revealed earlier in the film--I believe was Hitchcock was wise in letting us in on it because what was suspenseful about the film was how far the killer would go to conceal his identity--and to what extent he would do to kill his niece. Joseph Cotton would never have a role like this with so much psychological depth and Teresa Wright, who recently passed on, was perfectly suited as the heroine who knows the ugly truth. Also the literate screenplay by Thorton Wilder also added to make this a screen classic--no wonder Hitchcock listed this as his favorite American film.

4/5 Horror in a Small Town
  by Acute Observer (North Jersey Shore)
Shadow of a Doubt, 1943 film

The film opens on a long-gone city scene: boys are playing baseball in the street with no automobile traffic. A landlady tells a roomer that two gentlemen were looking for him; they said they were friends. He leaves and they follow him. Uncle Charlie decides to visit his relatives in Santa Rosa California. Little Ann gets the message. The steam-powered locomotive pulls into the station to meet the waiting family. All are happy. Uncle Charlie presents a wrist-watch to his banker brother-in-law, a novelty for him. We learn about the family. Charlie gives an emerald ring to his niece, named Charlene after him. His niece now thinks of a tune - "The Merry Widow Waltz". This banker has in interest in true crime stories. There is a funny incident with the daily newspaper. Niece Charlie is a sharp observer and figures out the trick. But we see a hidden side of Uncle Charlie.

We learn that two men want to interview the family and take their photographs. Uncle Charlie doesn't like that! (He must have left a back trail.) When he visits the bank he makes jokes in poor taste (displaying a contempt for his relatives). Uncle Charlie demands the film after he is accidentally photographed. Niece Charlie figures out the "reporter" is a detective, and he tells her about the search for an unknown subject who is a murderer of rich widows! At the dinner table Uncle Charlie shows his contempt for old rich widows. There is an odd discussion about poisoning by a neighbor Herb. Charlie runs off, and Uncle Charlie takes her to a cocktail lounge for a chat. He twists a napkin to symbolize his nervousness and troubled mind. Later niece Charlie is warned by a detective that the photograph was sent east and they could arrest her uncle in two hours. But fresh news points to a solved case, by default. It seems to be over. But new events bring danger from accidents. Uncle Charlie presents a speech, then announces he is being called away on personal business. At the railroad station there is a final chapter to this story. [I found the ending improbable.]

Alfred Hitchcock's films often show the horrors that can pop up in everyday life in a small town, or a large city. Crime and violence are mostly suggested, except at the ending. Imagine having a distant relative who was a serial killer? This film presents small town life around 1943. The war is hinted at by the men in uniform. No mention of rationing. It is a forerunner to those TV dramas that portray parents as bumbling fools oblivious to the realities of teen-age life. The discussion about crime (or sports) suggest the censorship that forbids that forbids any mention of politics, the economy, or the unmentionable war. They didn't want to upset their customers.

1/5 I didn't get what I ordered!
  by Carlos R. Sanabria (Wisconsin)
I ordered the enhanced DVD, which is more expensive than the
regular DVD. Guess what? I got the cheaper one, but at the more enhanced price.
Not worth it to me to send back and pay the extra postage.
Will be careful about buying anything from Amazon, with any extra frills.

2/5 Before the beginning of his classic works
  by Dr. James Gardner (California)
Shadow of a Doubt has the benefit of being written by Thornton Wilder, based on a real story, and starring Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright, so why is it so dull? Just one year earlier Wright shined in "Pride of the Yankees" and shortly after this film she would win everyone's heart for her role in "The Best Years of Our Lives." Cotten was a mainstay in Orson Welles' players, had just finished "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons," and was at the top of his game. So what went wrong? Difficult to know. For one thing, the masculine hero, Macdonald Carey, is relatively weak. So we're left with Wright, who was a great actress, but as the heroine and prime mover, she's not awe inspiring (Hitchcock would find his tough female stars years later in Tippi Hedron, Grace Kelly, and Doris Day).

Hitchcock is an acquired taste, and many of his signature techniques that worked so well in other movies are missing here (e.g., the unusual photographic angles, the average day things that take on a menacing purpose). Indeed, Hitchcock only begins to show his great form in 1944's "Lifeboat" and then in the 1950s ("Rear Window", "Dial M for Murder", "The Man Who Knew Too Much") when, IMHO, his best films were made.

In summary this is an interesting film from the point of view of Hitchcock's development as a director, but as a stand alone film, it really doesn't much to recommend it.

BTW - Hitch appears 18 minutes into the film as a card player on a train.

5/5 Hitch's greatest psychological thriller
  by Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France)
I watched this film in astonishment: not only does it have psychological depth that is in no other Hitchcock film, but the sense of dread in it builds slowly and inexorably to a frightening climax. The best part of this by far is Teresa Wright's performance, as the intelligent child who enters adulthood as she sees a terrible truth she cannot deny. I was utterly riveted by her introspective performance and natural beauty.

The story is that a serial killer, Cotton, decides to hide at his sister's house, far away from his hunting ground in the northeast. It is clear that he is the killer from the very beginning, so there is no suspense about that. Once in CA, he meets his sister and his niece, both of whom adore him. However, it becomes clear that neither of them recognizes him for what he is: a sociopath and con man on his last desperate run.

The emotional center is Teresa Wright, who cannot ignore her suspicions at his strange yet simple behavior. Not only does she observe him, but he makes cryptic and frightening utterances to her that seem to reveal what he really is underneath.

The most amazing thing is that nothing much really happens. And yet a sense of menace and terror grows until it is undeniable. This makes it the best kind of psychological thriller: most of the development is internal, as revealed by the body language of Wright, in her perfect acting. Cotton too is great, a creepy presence who emerges from the shadows now and then, whose actions occur almost entirely offstage. Of course, young Charlie's parents and siblings form the perfect backdrop, normal people unaware of the drama going on inside of her, yet curiously reflecting the mind of the older Charlie, who is charming the entire town. Wright wants to protect all of them from the truth as it dawns on her, a grief that will mark her and her alone for the rest of her life.

Highest recommendation. No wonder this is Hitchcock's favorite of all his films.