Shadow of a Doubt

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. Joseph A. Valentine behind the camera. Dimitri Tiomkin scores. Milton Carruth cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 183 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Joseph A. Valentine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Milton Carruth shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten and Macdonald Carey carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "What horror did her secret life hold… that made her dread this man of her dreams?".
• 7IMDB entry: tt0036342 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Classified under 31 themes, including "small town", "california", "library", "widow".
• 9Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Joseph A. Valentine

Original score

Dimitri Tiomkin

Editing

Milton Carruth

Costume design

Vera West

Runtime

108 min · 1h 48m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

100% 🍅 Fresh

Metacritic

94/100

IMDB rating

7.8/10 · 72,106 votes

MPAA

PG

Also by

Alfred Hitchcock

• 
  Psycho

  1960 · ★ 8.4
• 
  Rear Window

  1954 · ★ 8.3
• 
  Vertigo

  1958 · ★ 8.1
• 
  Dial M for Murder

  1954 · ★ 8.0
• 
  North by Northwest

  1959 · ★ 8.0
• 
  Rope

  1948 · ★ 7.9

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

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  The Making of Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a Doubt'

  Behind the Scenes
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  VIDEO CLIP 1, Shadow of a Doubt

  Clip
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  Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - Uncle Charlie in Bed

  Clip
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  Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Trailer

  Trailer
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  Original Theatrical Trailer | Shadow of Doubt | Warner Archive

  Trailer · Official
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  Hitchcock Shadow of a Doubt Dinner Scene

  Clip

Community reviews

What people are saying

• John Chard2019-08-06
  ★ 9/10

  Merry Widow Murderer - Hitchcock style! Shadow Of A Doubt was believed to have been Hitchcock's own favourite movie, the one that he was most proud of as he felt his critics hadn't got any justifiable ammunition to shoot him down with. The film stands out because it doesn't have the tongue in cheek dark humour traits that light up most of the maestro's classics. The cheeky bonus is that of having the central premise of the main protagonist being a hero of the people. His family all adore him, where he is on the surface a man that all men want to be, and it's here that Hitchcock moulds a chilling filmic arc, in fact, it's a masterstroke of filmic manipulation. The plot involves Uncle Charlie returning to his adoring family in Santa Rosa after avoiding his apprehension for the murder of a widow. His niece Charlie treats Uncle as a hero, she worships the ground he walks on, but as the detectives close in, niece Charlie starts to piece together things and suspects herself that Uncle may just in fact be The Merry Widow Murderer. We are then pitched into the cat & mouse story and become privy to Uncle Charlie's switch from debonair handsome hero, into that of the devil incarnate. The reoccurring theme of The Merry Widow Waltz adds to the uneasy feel, while the relationship between Uncle & Niece is one that I'm sure Hitchcock was revelling in. Make no bones about it, it's in itself bordering on being unhealthy, and it's something that helps make this a more edgier thriller than other genre pieces of the era. Joseph Cotten is special as Uncle Charlie, his duality acting hits the spot on both fronts, whilst Teresa Wright is beguiling as the niece because she really makes the character infectious. Thus it's with these two great performances that the pics final reel brings socko results. Screenplay is written by the wonderfully talented Thornton Wilder, and with the master directing with swagger in tow, this rounds out as a triumphant classic that shouldn't be missed by fans of such terminologies. 10/10

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Universal Pictures

  US

• SK

  Skirball Productions

  US

Key crew

• Set DecorationRussell A. Gausman
• ProducerJack H. Skirball
• EditorMilton Carruth
• Costume DesignVera West
• ThanksThornton Wilder
• Visual EffectsJohn P. Fulton
• Sound DirectorBernard B. Brown
• Art DirectionJohn B. Goodman
• SoundRobert Pritchard
• Original StoryGordon McDonell
• Assistant DirectorWilliam Tummel
• Set DecorationEdward R. Robinson
• Costume DesignAdrian
• Art DirectionRobert F. Boyle
• OtherDorothea Holt
• Second Assistant DirectorRalph Slosser
• Stunt DoubleVivian Keegan
• Music DirectorCharles Previn
• Script SupervisorAdele Cannon
• Additional MusicFranz Lehár

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• small town
• california
• library
• widow
• bank
• detective
• telegram
• housewife
• film noir
• incest overtones
• murder
• fugitive
• teenage girl
• black and white
• murderer
• police detective
• privacy
• visit
• gender roles
• brother sister 
• wealthy widow
• precocious child
• misogynist
• americana
• uncle niece relationship
• money in the bank
• murder suspect
• northern california
• conflicting worldviews
• defiant
• bluebeard

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere1943-01-12· New York City, New York
• Theatrical1943-01-15

Also known as

International titles

• 疑影CN
• De schaduw van een twijfelBE
• Sombra de uma DúvidaBR
• Ani stín podezrení?CZ
• Η Σκιά της ΑμφιβολίαςGR
• Şübhənin KölgəsiAZ
• 心声疑影CN
• To heri pou skotoneiGR
• Een schijn van twijfelNL
• BănuialaRO
• O umbră de îndoialăRO
• ÎndoialaRO
• Тень сомненияSU
• Shadow of DoubtUS
• Uncle CharlieUS