We may hate him, but he is an understandable, frighteningly recognizable monster. calm so much in the film, and even when he shows his hand as to who he really is, there's a lot of depth to his personality. And, perhaps, one could argue (I might, up to a point) that Cotten's performance rivals that of a Perkins' Norman Bates leading male in the sense of subtleties of the suspense in the film.
It's actually of interest to compare this film to Psycho, I think, in how it's so akin to to how Hitchcock tells the story of the ordinary people of the world getting involved with a certifiable gentlemen. Things start to unravel, however, when two detectives on his trail come into town, bringing to young Charlie to light what could be going down, or what might not be, or what is as clear as psychopathic day. The oldest daughter, also named Charlie (Teresa Wright), almost feels like a kindred spirit to her uncle, happy as can be that he's come to visit. The whole concept to the story is very appealing- a (painfully) normal suburban family gets a calling from a relative- Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten)- who wants to come by for a little while. True, it doesn't go for the immense macabre that lay in Psycho, The Birds, and Frenzy, but it is very effective in telling its stories, and giving us character to either love, or love to hate. Hitchock himself said that it's his favourite film and I can see why.One thing that strikes many who come upon Shadow of a Doubt, one of this filmmaker's triumphs, is the knowledge that it was Hitchcock's favorite among his own films- and many watch it with very high expectations, getting shot down as well, making it one of his more under-rated efforts.
So there are a couple of little flaws but 'Shadow of a Doubt' still is among Hitchcock's awesome pictures. In addition, the romance between the detective and young Charley felt rushed.
I only thought that the portrayal of the two detectives was a little odd. Patricia Collinge is outstanding as the mother and sister. Their on screen interaction is intriguing and brilliantly executed. Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten are superb. The comic relief is very well placed and it certainly had me laughing. I especially liked the dialogues and how toned they were. The music was a little over the top at times but then again it does add to the Hitchockian feel. Starting with the look of the film, well things definitely aren't what they seem. 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. With 'Shadow of a Doubt' he creates another suspensefilled chilling drama. It's no little known fact that Hitchcock was among the pioneers of the suspense thriller genre.
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