While this was humorous in the past, her sudden discovery of Uncle Charlie’s secret life now brings those innocent games into a sinister light. Or is Charlie beginning to distrust the men in her life? Her father and next door neighbor, Herbie (played by Hume Cronyn) constantly play games of imaginary murder with one another. There’s just too much going on in her mind. She knows she likes him as a friend, but it’s just too soon to move forward romantically. In the garage scene, Graham is fully aware of this scenario but he can’t help himself: he tells Charlie that he loves her. Every time she thinks about her Uncle, Graham, the Merry Widow Waltz or even some of the various situations that are sprinkled throughout the film, Charlie will always be reminded of how much pain this whole situation brought into her life. Thanks to Uncle Charlie, her brush with the darker side of life will always lurk in the back of her mind. What does it matter what happens in it? Wake up, Charlie. As he tells her, “I brought you nightmares…How do you know what the world is like? Do you know the world is a foul sty? Do you know, if you rip off the fronts of houses, you’d find swine? The world’s a hell. Her whole world is shaken and nothing will ever be the same, even if Uncle Charlie is innocent. How can Charlie fall in love when a family member thinks that strangling rich, fat women is a good idea? Love pales in comparison to murder. She’s agitated–she asks her mother not to hum the “Merry Widow Waltz” because it bothers her so much. They fall in love, get married and pop out some kids.īut unlike other hometown girls, Charlie is now suddenly faced with the idea that her favorite Uncle (and one that she’s named after!) may be a murderous psychopath. After all, that’s what happens to those girl-next-door types. By all means, Charlie is the type who should immediately fall in love at the drop of a hat. Innocent, sweet suburbia where the biggest scandal might be a controversy at a pie-eating contest. Santa Rosa is the kind of town where you can imagine a girl like Charlie and her family living. She’s cute and all-American–the kind of girl you could bring home to meet your parents. But that’s what makes Wright essential to the plot. She’s not sexy or dangerous like Ingrid Bergman in Notorious or a cool, detached blonde in the Grace Kelly vein. I’ve always felt that Teresa Wright was an odd leading lady for a Hitchcock film. Shadow of a Doubt is one movie that goes against the standard idea of Hollywood romance. In most classic movies, the heroine immediately falls in love with the man who becomes her savior and right before “The End” pops up on the screen, you’re usually treated to a scene where the new couple get married or passionately embrace. What I always find odd about this scene is that, yes, Charlie does reject him. ![]() Every time I talk about this scene, I like to imagine that Charlie is thinking, “Are you nuts? You’re thinking about romance at a time like THIS? My psychopathic uncle is on the loose and you’re thinking about ways of getting into my dress!” And how in the world would Charlie tell her kids about how they met? “I met your father when he was trying to arrest Uncle Charlie for strangling widows.” Yeah, that will go over really well. While it’s not a flat out rejection, there’s certainly a sense of hesitation and even trepidation at the idea. If anything, she rejects him–she tells him she’d like to be friends though (a modern response in 1943!). In the scene, Graham asks Charlie if she’d be interested in pursing a relationship after the whole Merry Widow mess has passed over. I’ve seen this movie countless times and one scene in particular always catches my eye: it occurs in the garage, when Charlie is alone with Jack Graham (Macdonald Carey), a detective who was sent to Santa Rosa in search of Uncle Charlie. As the movie progresses, Charlie discovers that her beloved Uncle might not be what he seems to be–is he the notorious Merry Widow strangler that preys on old, rich women? Or is he an innocent man, wronged by the law? There’s also “Little” Charlie (Wright), who loves and adores her Uncle. If you’re a movie fan, classic or modern, you probably know the story: Uncle Charlie (Cotten) comes back to his old hometown of Santa Rosa to visit his sister and her family. Shadow of a Doubt is my favorite Hitchcock movie, mainly because of the strong performances by Joseph Cotten (who was my first, big classic movie star obsession) and Teresa Wright*. I woke up in time to record Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams and since Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (1943) immediately followed it, I figured I’d watch it. ![]() Last night (this morning?), I wound up falling asleep in front of the tv while Equus was showing on TCM–not because I was bored, but because I was just flat out tired.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |