With two detectives hot on his heels, he takes shelter with his older sister Emma (Patricia Collinge). Charles Oakley (Joseph Cotton) who has run into some trouble in the city flees to Santa Rosa, California. The premise centers on Teresa Wright, cast as Charlie Newton, whose favorite uncle comes visiting. Shadow of a Doubt isn’t any different, and the 1943 psychological thriller received yet another stamp of approval in 1991 when the National Film Registry selected it for preservation. As the movie came out during WWII, it seems to have a direct parallel to the evil leaders loose in the world, particularly in the film's final scene.Alfred Hitchcock films have a reputation for earning critical acclaim and cementing their place on the list of cult-favorite productions. The second half, including the increasing revelation of Uncle Charlie's dark views of humanity and the lengths to which he will go to protect himself, is what make the film so sinister. On the other hand, there is a real small town feeling to this setting, helped in no doubt by Thornton Wilder being one of the screenwriters, and the characters of Charlie's father (Henry Travers) and his friend (Hume Cronyn) passing the time by talking about the perfect murder are absolutely priceless. Some of the tension is also missing because we're pretty darn sure Uncle Charlie is guilty. I considered a slightly higher rating, but thought the pace in the first half of the movie was a little slow. Trouble is just behind him though, and it gets worse when his niece (also 'Charlie', named after him, and played by Teresa Wright) begins to suspect him of being the "Merry Widow Murderer". Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) is on the run from the law on the East Coast, and he settles in with his sister and her family in Santa Rosa. Hitchcock said this was his favorite film, and there is a quiet evil about it that makes it truly horrifying.
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