James Duarte

Professor Steve Foster

MCA 101 | Sec 4RS2

September 25h, 2010

Film analysis of Shadow of a Doubt

The narrative film is embedded with the principles of storytelling. It is the plot that will

construct the story by providing a pattern of development from the opening scene to the closing

shot. Nevertheless it is the use of salient cinematic techniques by the director that dictates how

the film’s story will be most effectively portrayed. Stylistic analysis from pictures like that of

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1943 film Shadow of a Doubt demonstrates, from its distinct lighting

composition and soundtrack to the more nuanced arrangements of shots and characters, how

Hitchcock is able to effectively present a compelling visual narrative to his audience.

Some of the most prominent and clever cinematic techniques utilized by Hitchcock are

his use of motifs to emphasize crucial aspects of his narrative. Hitchcock capitalizes on the film’s

title Shadow of a Doubt and uses a wide range of shadows in the film. This film can be

characterized as film noir for its stylistic integration of silhouettes and contrasting shades.

Virtually every shot throughout the film is lit in a way in which characters along with vital

objects are cast with shadows. This visual medium is accomplished in way that focuses on the

obscure nature of characters like Uncle Charlie. This style is present during the entire film, most

notably in the bank scene. Hitchcock stocks each shot with captivating shadows casted by

intricate blinds. Every character in the scene posses a contrasting silhouette respectively.

Smoke is another motif used by Hitchcock. He associates it exclusively with Uncle

Charlie. When introducing Uncle Charlie, the character is seen twirling a lit cigar in his hand

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emitting a trail of smoke. In a subsequent scene we see a wide shot of an approaching locomotive

carrying uncle Charlie and discharging plumes of thick black smoke. There is a demonic feel that

derives from this scene; it suggests that something morbid has arrived in this town. The smoky

bar scene is a literal visual translation for it transpires in the midst of a hazy situation in the story.

Uncle Charlie drags little Charlie into the bar in the moment where she is struggling most to

decipher whether or not her uncle Charlie is in fact the culprit. Hitchcock makes it blatantly clear

that when smoke is visible, uncle Charlie is not afar. It should also be noted that the Garden of

Eden is present in the film. The technique is used in order to invoke the concept of using beauty

to hide evil. In this case uncle Charlie, who is apparently the most handsome character, is

actually the villain. In one scene, uncle Charlie is scene plucking a flower and making it into a

boutonniere. It is one of he many ways in which Hitchcock develops characters.

Character introductions are essential to the plot. They allow the viewer to get a sense of

the type of role they will play throughout the film. In the very first sequence we are introduced to

Mr. Spenser, who is dressed in a dark business suit and lying firmly in bed with his eyes closed.

He is awake and pensively twirling his lit cigar with his right hand. The camera slowly pans in

on the man, and then shifts to a pile of money that has overflowed onto the floor. This shot is

completed in one fluid motion. From his suit to the cigar, it is suggested that he is an affluent

man. However, the modest room in which the scene takes place indicates that this could not be

the home of such person. Such a discrepancy adds mystery to Mr. Spenser’s character, a

successful technique accomplished before the first line of dialogue. Before we get a glimpse of

Spenser, Hitchcock takes us through a series of establishing shots in order to orientate the

viewer. First we see a wide shot of a city, then of a town, followed by medium shot of a house

and lastly of close up of a window.

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Later we learn that Mr. Spenser is actually named Charlie Oakley—uncle Charlie and

what follows is a familiar sequence in which the protagonist Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Newton is

introduced. Hitchcock again revives his series of establishing shots. First a wide shot of the city

in this case Santa Cruz, followed by medium shot of a house and lastly a close up of a window.

The succeeding shot is also a frame, which closes in on little Charlie. She too is lying down.

Though this scene is strikingly similar to the first, there are notable differences. Unlike in the

first scene, where uncle Charlie is dressed in fancy attire inside of a modest looking room, the

second scene is arranged inversely where little Charlie is dressed in a modest dress inside of a

fancy looking bedroom. Hitchcock uses repetition as a way to link characters with each other all

the while juxtaposing them to reveal the intricacies of the roles respectively. This is the aesthetic

that Hitchcock has applied to the film suitable for establishing the theme of duality.

Uncle Charlie’s character development is noteworthy for Hitchcock infuses patterns of

actions as a technique to convert this attractive East Coast businessman into a diabolical uncle.

By establishing duality, uncle Charlie’s character growth becomes more compelling. The twin-

like insinuation between both Charlie’s makes their relationship dynamic, yet alluring. By

presenting these two characters as parallel it is easier to show disparities that occur later. As the

film progresses uncle Charlie begins to slowly depart from being comparable to little Charlie.

Hitchcock gives the viewer several indications of uncle Charlie’s slow yet steady development.

In an early scene when settling into the home, uncle Charlie is told not to place his hat on the bed

for it invites trouble. However, when uncle Charlie is left alone he mischievously throws his hat

on bed indicating that he does not mind to inviting trouble. His true motives are revealed in

certain scenes. In example, there is a scene when he attempts to engage Ann Newton into

building a house out of newspaper, when in reality he is trying dispose of an incriminating

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article. Later, little Charlie discovers the article. By sharing little Charlie’s perspective it allows

us to empathize with her sensibility with the situation. This is effectively shown when she is

reading the article in the library. Hitchcock gives us access to exactly what she is reading, as if

from her perspective. Then using a crane tracking shot he pulls back from little Charlie,

revealing her isolation in a desolate place while also giving the viewer a feeling of loneliness.

Dinner scenes are also revealing of the characters. In the first dinner scene, uncle Charlie

presents ostentatious gifts to the family, but also presents his sister Emmy with photographs of

their parents. We see his endearment toward the family and little Charlie gleaming. All this

changes during the second dinner scene. Little Charlie’s character no longer seems to exuded

qualities of admiration and gayety. We see an establishing shot of the family like before. Though

in this case, after praising the lifestyle of small town woman, uncle Charlie goes into a

monologue in which his hatred for women is disseminated on screen. Hitchcock goes from the

wide shot of the family, to a medium shot of little Charlie whose is anxiously attentive. The next

cut is a medium shot of uncle Charlie who continues to spew his abhorred talk. This is a critical

shot as we slowly track closer into his blank face. He does not blink. Then, finally we hear off-

screen little Charlie repudiate his horrid statement. Instead of cutting to little Charlie, we stay on

uncle Charlie’s face that now engulfs the entire frame. On this long-shot uncle Charlie turns to

little Charlie, looks into the camera and responds with swift adamant rhetoric. This technique

renders successful. This stylistic presentation along with the expressionless monologue, allows

the audience to feel intimate with uncle Charlie as if we were in his head. This makes the

situation particularly haunting. The decision to have uncle Charlie look at camera is part of

Hitchcock’s pattern to provide the perspective of little Charlie. From this we get the full evil

manifestation that protrudes uncle Charlie’s character. No longer is the audience, nor little

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Charlie, in doubt. Harmonious suspense carries the film out with uncle Charlie in final attempt to

kill his niece.

The film’s score is an influential element of the film. From the beginning we are

serenaded with a composition that invokes mystique, suspense, and thrill. This is evident in the

first scene when Mrs. Martin informs Mr. Oakley that two men have come to visit him. She

proceeds to pull down the window blind subsequently darkening the room and casting a shadow

over Mr. Oakley’s face. At this point a foreboding soundtrack emulating the aggravated and

peculiar nature of Mr. Oakley’s character is cued. Hitchcock intends to mirror the soundtrack to

the actions playing out on screen as a form of stressing anticipation. This is a technique used not

only as a means to raise tension, but also to relate the mood to Mr. Oakley’s character. This style

continues to be articulated in the following scene, also known as the film’s first chase scene,

when two men follow Mr. Oakley. Piano keys can be heard copying the hard steps of these two

men as they follow Mr. Oakley. As momentum builds so do the tones of the instruments being

played. The sound is conscious with the image on screen and is played accordingly in order to

stir emotion.

Alfred Hitchcock demonstrates that he has the capacity to eloquently channel the

protagonist’s perspective, as they face their trials and turbulences from a beloved antagonist. The

story is executed with a series of effective techniques without ever losing the principles of

storytelling. From beginning to end we are fed a narrative told with a unique style. Providing the

parallel characters named Charlie enhanced the future diversion. The contrasts were more

perceptible to the viewer. Motifs utilized supplemented the plot with great distinction and the

soundtrack is fitting. With Shadow of a doubt Hitchcock provides his unique direction in creating

a stylistically sound narrative film.

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Works Cited

Vargas Llosa, Mario. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. New York: Picador, 2007. This was the

best book ever.

Vargas Llosa, Mario. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. New York: Picador, 2007. This was the

best book ever.