cinephiliabeyond: One of the most subversive films Alfred Hitchcock ever made is a disquieting littl
cinephiliabeyond: One of the most subversive films Alfred Hitchcock ever made is a disquieting little masterpiece called Shadow of a Doubt that was brought to life back in 1943, in the very midst of the Second World War. It’s somewhat surprising, some would even say remarkable, that at this very point in history Hollywood produced a film like this, as it portrays a typical American small town polished on the surface, seemingly full of innocent, kindhearted people, one of those ideal communities where everybody knows each other’s names, unexpectedly bring over apple pies and smile gently and warmly at each other in front of the church before the Sunday mass. But underneath this sugarcoated surface a psychopathic serial killer walks the streets, inhabits their dinner parties and sleeps in their rooms. To make things worse, a teenage niece of the killer becomes suspicious of her uncle’s activities, but keeps her findings, as brutally dark as they are, to herself in order to save her family from destruction.As many have pointed out, there are some elements of the plot that, in hindsight, seem implausible, stretched and unconvincing. It is to Hitchcock’s enormous credit that these objections are deemed unimportant, because as you watch the film, immersed in the story and paralyzed by its suspense, you probably do not notice or care about these trifling details. Shadow of a Doubt was written by no less than six people, four of whom received credit for the screenplay. Born as a story called Uncle Charlie, the theme was developed by Gordon McDonnell, husband of the head of David Selznick’s story department Margaret McDonnell. His 9-page outline was then sent to Thornton Wilder, whom Hitchcock admired for his play Our Town. Wilder and Hitchcock labored over the story, developing the whole skeleton of the film, and ultimately Sally Benson, a New Yorker writer, came on board to add some comedic elements. Actress Patricia Collinge wrote at least one scene, and Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville reportedly had an immense contribution, as she often did on her husband’s movies, but Shadow of a Doubt remains one of the few pictures for which she was given official credit. The sixth author was, of course, Hitchcock himself, who once said that in order to make a great film you need three things—the script, the script, the script. And what these talented people produced was an intriguing, subversive story obviously toying around with the concept of sexual abuse and incest, intelligently disguised but shockingly evident for a film made seventy years ago. Shot by the Oscar-winning cinematographer Joseph A. Valentine, embellished by the legendary Dimitri Tiomkin’s music, carried on the shoulders of Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright’s impeccable career performances, Shadow of a Doubt is a psychological thriller that manages to stand out even in a record sheet as impressive as Hitchcock’s.‘Shadow of a Doubt’: Hitchcock’s Disquieting Little Subversive MasterpieceWhat an amazing year for Cinephilia & Beyond! We wish all of you a New Year of joy, good health, and plenty of success for 2016. Cheers! -- source link