One of the ongoing matters for cinéphiles is not just the affect of Hitchcock’s output but the methodology by which it was achieved: his manner of work, his dedication to style (and its relationship to content) and his very singular shooting process which were quite particular to him and inimical to the classical studio preference for coverage – master shots, close ups and reverse angles that could be shaped by the cutters into conventionally palatable fare. His avocation of the common man his dedication to the quotidian and his purveying of entertainment for its own sake, endeared him to the general public and yet his technical approach to story retains its fascination for student and fan alike. Hitchcock has long been an aesthetic construct as much as an infamous director but he remains an essential filmmaker not least because he made films that, for the most part, people wanted to see and they continue to enjoy today. Robin Wood famously asked why it was that we should take Alfred Hitchcock seriously – and he then proceeded to explain (Wood, 2008). And as the imitative but inferior Stoker shows, it’s the kind of film that casts a long shadow.The Girl Who Knew Too Much: Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Part One, The Gothic Girls of Hollywoodīy Elaine Lennon Volume 27, Issue 1-2 / February 2023 58 minutes (14271 words) It’s subversive, nail-biting, eerie, and gorgeously shot - no wonder Hitch often cited it as his finest achievement. Hitchcock picks at the placid surface of small-town America like a scab, imbuing each scene with deep-running undercurrents of menace. On the surface, Cotten is the local boy made good, but he’s actually rotten to the core. Written by Thornton Wilder, Shadow of a Doubt is essentially what would happen if you let loose a monster in Our Town. ( EXTRAS include a recycled but informative making-of documentary.) Joseph Cotten plays the original Uncle Charlie, a suave, beloved relative living with his sister’s family until his niece (Teresa Wright) uncovers the murderous secret behind his meticulously crafted facade, which propels the movie toward its iconic final sequence aboard a train. Hitchcock’s brilliant film (also newly available on Blu-ray) is still just as unnerving and masterful 70 years later.
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