The only thing that is illuminated is the bottom-half of his face his eyes remain in the shadows. As Charlie lies on the bed in the small, darkened room, the camera lingers on his motionless face. Much can be learned about Uncle Charlie from paying attention to the cinematography of the first seven minutes of the movie.įrom that very first scene in the movie, lighting also plays a key role in establishing Uncle Charlie’s character. This shows us that Uncle Charlie is elusive, tries to confuse people and may have a few dark secrets that will be explored in this film. The scene ends with a bird’s-eye view of the two men running around confused, with Charlie looking down at them from the top of a building.
This seems to spook Charlie as he makes immediate plans to leave, walking out the door and right past the two men. After we see him on the bed, we learn that two men are looking for him. The cinematography in the rest of this first scene gives insight and foreshadowing into Uncle Charlie’s true character. At first, the audience does not know who this man is or what he is doing, but we know that the movie is all about him. This series of shots sets the stage of the film’s focus on Uncle Charlie. After the street we see a building, then a window, then Charlie laying on a bed in a formal suit, with a slow movement to his face, and then the camera lingers there. The shots fade into a neighborhood, then a street with kids playing ball in the street of that same neighborhood. As the intro credits fade, we see a sweeping vista of a large bridge and a city’s skyline. In the opening scene, cinematography sets the stage for the movie and its focus: Uncle Charlie.
Uncle Charlie’s true character is skillfully revealed through stylized cinematography, intriguing lighting, and an uneasy plot. Shadow of a Doubt is the story of a seemingly charming man, Uncle Charlie, who has a dark and sinister side which is slowly unraveled by his niece. Perhaps best of all, it has a 100% rating on the movie website Rotten Tomatoes from critics and fans alike. It was nominated for an academy award for Best Story in 1943 and was selected in 1991 by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States national film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Critics and fans agree that Shadow of a Doubt is director Alfred Hitchcock’s finest film.
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