Shadow of A Doubt
...of the time were overly optimistic in an effort to keep America’s spirits high in a time of war, Shadow of a Doubt was very dark. Granted, this genre could not really produce an upbeat film, but Shadow of a Doubt seems especially cryptic. Instead of just having the killer be some random person, the film’s killer is a member of the protagonist’s family. Also, rather than taking place in a large city where murder may not seem as shocking, it takes place in a typical American small town. Another difference between Shadow of a Doubt other films of its time is that it is shot almost entirely on location. The excellence of Shadow of a Doubt owes a tremendous amount to the script by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville. The script did an exceptional job of adding to the suspense with the use of irony. This is evident with the ongoing murderous talks between Herb and Joseph Newton; all the while there is a murderer in the house. Another good example of the irony present in the film is when the waitress in the bar talks about how she would die for a ring like Little Charlie’s, having no idea that someone actually had died in order for Charlie to get the ring. All of the Newtons’ lines do an excellent job showing how oblivious they are to the fact that they are housing a murderer. Each of the family members will often go on and on about completely irrelevant subjects making them seem almost completely unconscious of their surroundings. Despite Shadow of a Doubt having a brilliant script it would not be nearly as exceptional without Alfred Hitchcock’s directorial style. This style becomes apparent right from the beginning when Uncle Charlie is being followed by the two detectives. Right after Charlie turns the corner and the detectives begin their pursuit each step they take goes along perfectly with the music. While the rest of the movie may not be perfectly synchronized with the music, the music does an excellent job of setting the mood throughout. Hitchcock also uses ...