Shadow of a Doubt

It's no little known fact that Hitchcock was among the pioneers of the suspense thriller genre. With 'Shadow of a Doubt' he creates another suspensefilled chilling drama. I must be very careful with what I reveal of the story for it is important for the viewer to be'deceived' when they first 'meet' the characters.

Starting with the look of the film, well things definitely aren't what they seem. I liked the setting of the town. It really captured that small-town feel. The music was a little over the top at times but then again it does add to the Hitchockian feel. Camera-work is exceptionally good.

The screenplay is solid. I especially liked the dialogues and how toned they were. The comic relief is very well placed and it certainly had me laughing. The performances are remarkable. Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten are superb. Their on screen interaction is intriguing and brilliantly executed. Patricia Collinge is outstanding as the mother and sister. Hume Cronyn is very funny.

I only thought that the portrayal of the two detectives was a little odd. They were quite stupid. In addition, the romance between the detective and young Charley felt rushed.

So there are a couple of little flaws but 'Shadow of a Doubt' still is among Hitchcock's awesome pictures. Hitchock himself said that it's his favourite film and I can see why.