Norman Rockwell with a Twist in Hitchcock's America: Shadow of a Doubt

...by Rockwell

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was Alfred Hitchcock’s fifth American film and the first in which he believed he'd truly depicted America. His “first draft” attempt at this had been Saboteur (1942), but Hitchcock hadn’t gotten the cast he wanted, he felt the script was weak and that he’d been rushed into the project.

...by Hitchcock

The narrative of Shadow of a Doubt was based on a story called “Uncle Charlie” by Gordon McConell. For the adaptation, Hitchcock turned to Thornton Wilder, confident the author of Our Town possessed the vision of small-town American he wanted to incorporate into Shadow of a Doubt. Wilder, who helped Hitchcock select Santa Rosa, California, as the setting, wrote a prose outline for the story before he was mobilized into World War II. Hitchcock then turned to Sally Benson, another writer deeply steeped in Americana. Her “5135 Kensington Avenue” stories became the basis for Meet Me in St. Louis.

Once upon a time in America...

Santa Rosa, scene of much location work, provides the idyllic setting: a tree-filled little town of two-story homes with broad porches, nosy neighbors, fussy librarians, crusty cops, busy churches and a stately and bustling bank. This is provincial America during “the war years.”

The opening scenes of Shadow of a Doubt establish that the man we will soon come to know as Charles Oakley (Joseph Cotten) has troubling secrets and, by the time he descends on tranquil Santa Rosa and his sister’s family (the Newtons), we know something sinister is at hand. But Oakley is smooth; his voice is velvet and his manner insinuating. He has seen the world and dazzles with his money and his style. When he settles in with the Newton family, their staid community is charmed and responds with an open embrace.

Central to the film is a doppelganger theme personified by young Charlie (Teresa Wright) and her Uncle Charlie. They are avowed “doubles,” she was named for him and adores him; he openly favors her. The two Charlies seem to share a psychic link, a restless spirit and other traits.  Teresa Wright’s young Charlie is an intelligent and decent girl, impatiently verging on womanhood. Intuitive and determined, she grows up rapidly once she discovers her beloved uncle is not at all who she imagined him to be.  Joseph Cotten’s Uncle Charlie is a cunning sociopath of chilling charisma whose view of humanity snarls with cynicism:

“Do you know the world is a foul sty? Do you know if you ripped the fronts off houses you’d find swine?”

Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten

Wright and Cotten play against each other in perfect counterpoint; she was never more fetchingly wholesome, he never more darkly complex. Supporting the two is a distinguished cast: Hume Cronyn in his memorable film debut as the Newton’s eccentric next-door-neighbor, Herbie; cozy and congenial Henry Travers as small-town-dad Joe Newton; underrated Patricia Collinge as fluttery and sentimental Emma Newton. Adding nuance and color are Edna May Wonacott as cheeky little sister Ann Newton and Wallace Ford as one of two detectives on Oakley’s trail. Macdonald Carey, as the other detective, is Wright’s love interest.

Shadow of a Doubt has been called Hitchcock’s first fully realized masterpiece. I can’t ignore his direction and overall imprint on Rebecca or his early triumph with Blackmail, but agree that Shadow of a Doubt, multi-layered and meticulously constructed, is among his very best films.

Uncle Charlie revealed

For a chance to win a DVD copy of Shadow of a Doubt and an autographed photo of Edna May Wonacott (Ann Newton), send an email to ladyevesidwich@gmail.com and include your mailing address. A random drawing will take place at noon (Pacific) on August 13, 2011, the 112th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's birth. The winner will be posted on this blog later that day. U.S. residents only, please...

Names in a bowl for the upcoming Shadow of a Doubt drawing

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Wednesday, August 10, 2011