Shadow of A Doubt Review

"Shadow of A Doubt" (1943) Blu Ray 

Turn back the clock to 1943, and you will have a different view of Hollywood. Movies didn’t always rely on explosions and cheap tricks to get you entertained. They featured strong performances from actors, great lighting, camera tricks, and professional writers that knew what they were doing. Of course this is a classic in many people’s views, and it was nominated for an Academy Award because of it. "Shadow of A Doubt" is a movie that was directed by the master of suspense and horror, Alfred Hitchcock. It stars Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotton, Macdonald Carey, and Patricia Collinge.

The plot of this one is simple, Charlotte Newton is stuck in a boring town, and gets the news that her uncle is going to come to town. Set in Santa, Rosa California, this seems like a simplistic plot. A young woman is getting a visit from her uncle and that’s it, right? Nope. Her Uncle is hiding something, but what? It turns out that he is a slasher, and she worries that she may be his next victim. Over the course of the 108 minutes of this movie, she unravels a case against him, and eventually confronts him.

The movie here is going to be boring to many. Remember, this is 1943 in which the film was released and you are not going to get the modern fast paced story telling. There’s a lot of dialogue and push forward to give a sense of suspense. Even though there are some marks of horror, you’re going to find that this is a straightforward thriller, with a slow progression that tightens towards the climax. The final moments carry over into an epilogue that has a sense of finality, but overall, you find a standard suspense film. Is Uncle Charlie a killer? Is Charlotte just worried for nothing? You find it through the sequences that Hitchcock masterfully puts together.

Visually this movie is good, with cinematographer Joseph A. Valentine doing a great deal of work to make this story come to life. I find it refreshing to see Charlotte as a strong female lead, and not just running around screaming for her life as a killer is on the loose. She has resolve, and is a feminist heroine that most people skip over when thinking about horror and suspense.

Overall, this is an instant classic. You have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it, however. It’s in black and white, it’s somewhat slow to start, and definitely requires your full attention to get the work that Hitchcock pushes through. You may not like it. However, if you’re a fan of the classics, this is a great one to sit back and enjoy. They remade this one as “Step Down To Terror” in 1958, but this one is better, in my opinion.

Pick up “Shadow of a Doubt” on Blu Ray if you know what’s good for you. Otherwise, stay in the dark and never learn just how good Hitchcock was as a director.

The Birds Review

The Birds is a classic to anyone that loves horror. It was released in 1963, which makes this film older than most of my readers and even myself. This movie starred Rod Taylor and Jessica Tandy, and it is still one of those movies that gets a lot of chatter on top 10 lists, and a lot of television programs. Alfred Hitchcock directed this masterpieces and perhaps the most compelling of it all is that it was only rated PG! That’s right, it wasn’t even rated R and yet it appears on a lot of lists as one of the greatest horror movies of all time.

The movie follows a couple that is moving to a new locale, one with a lot of nature, including birds. When they attack our leading lady, Melanie Daniels, things start to start to boil over. As the plot progresses, we see a couple transitioning into love. This change of pace is definitely going to rub some people the wrong way because it’s very slow. The pacing will get most people bored fast, but if you’re a fan of suspense, you will love this boiling water of a film. The Birds start to prove to be suicidal and start to appear evil, as they try and get the young lovers.

This film is an example of how Alfred Hitchcock was able to frame suspense and horror into such a simple manner. The birds that are attack should not be something that scares the average person, but the way he frames it, makes it quite interesting. From first person shots, to a frenzied pace of real feathers and so much more, this movie captures that scary momentum that many experience on a daily basis. Ever been attacked by a black bird? I have, and it’s scary.

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds may not be your immediate favorite, but if you go back and watch it, you’ll be treated with a good overall horror tale, spun in classic format that only a master of suspense could create. You’ll find that the anticipation for the climax is worth your wait, even when things are getting a bit slow. If you haven’t picked this up yet, you owe it to yourself to look for it. It’s well worth the price of admission, even if you find it streaming. It’s a stiff, slow moving, powder keg that explodes in the third act and doesn’t let up with frenzy. I love it, and you will too, so what are you waiting for?



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