"Shadow of a Doubt" was reputedly Alfred Hitchcock's favorite of his own films, and I guess that really must mean something since he directed more than three dozen of versatile cinematic classics that are all universally considered as brilliant. With all due respect, however, I don't concur with the Master. Even though "Shadow is a Doubt" is an intelligently scripted and highly original thriller, my personal preferences lie with the more visceral horrors that Hitch made, like "Psycho", "Frenzy" and "The Birds". Nevertheless, I like to think it's very significant that Hitchcock names this one as his favorite and, to me, it proves that he also has a predilection for horror and sadism. Rather than choosing for his uptight thrillers ("Read Window", "Vertigo" ...) or his convoluted conspiracy thrillers ("North by Northwest", "The Man Who Knew Too Much" ...), he prefers the dark little tale of a cold-hearted psychopath arriving in a sleepy small town and turning the lives of his unsuspecting family members upside down. Our visionary director clearly finds tremendous joy in unleashing pure evil, in the shape of charming and wealthy self-made man "Uncle" Charlie Oakley, upon the peaceful community of Santa Rosa, California. But even more remarkable is that the naïve and picturesque community, and particularly Charlie's beloved adolescent niece (also named Charlie after her uncle), is subconsciously craving for and warmly welcoming the embodiment of evil! Young Charlie is desperate for some excitement in her mundane life, so imagine the confusion when she slowly realizes that her "special-bond" uncle is the notorious Merry Widow Murderer and the subject of a nationwide police manhunt. It's praiseworthy how Alfred Hitchcock delivers a tense and atmospheric thriller in which the fearsome serial killer isn't even seen committing any of the vile crimes he's wanted for! Young Charlie puts the pieces of the mysterious puzzle together herself, with the help of her love-interest police inspector, and meanwhile Uncle Charlie becomes less lovable and more menacing. I've rarely seen a director playing with the emotions of his lead characters so efficiently, while both Theresa Wright and the genius Joseph Cotton make the most out of their unusual roles. The eye of detail in the script and in Hitchcock's direction is fantastic! For example: as a sort of running game, young Charlie's father and a befriended neighbor (Hume Cronyn) are always debating original and vicious methods for murdering each other, even though they are both normal and slightly dull family men. It's further proof of how the whole of Santa Rosa is unwillingly embracing the coming of evil.
I'm changing my mind, in fact... "Shadow of a Doubt" must be listed in my top five favorite Hitchcock films!
