Uncle Charlie is a talker, a charmer and a convincing one whether it be with his sister, Emma, or with Mrs. In Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock uses Joseph Cotten's voice so as to convey the complexity of the villain's personality. First and foremost, it is a cinematic voice, the voice whose magic inflexions shaped such films as Citizen Kane, Orson Welles (1941) and even more so, The Magnificent Ambersons, Orson Welles (1942). What essentially characterizes his presence is his voice. Uncle Charlie's presence is not only a corporeal one. Hitchcock constantly contrasts the villain's wish for physical transparency with his overwhelming presence on screen. ![]() He dreads being photographed and the only picture one sees of him is the one taken for Christmas, just before his accident, a testimony to his long-lost innocence. To the world, Charles Oakley is a faceless figure and he must remain so. These hands are also a variation on the theme of the double, thematically and visually speaking. But those manicured hands are only seen "at work" in the climactic scene on the train, a gruesome and almost obscene visual representation of his pathological urge to kill. A few gestures, the compulsive tightening of his fingers, the shredding of a newspaper, the clenching of a fist, all suggest an underlying fierceness. On various occasions, the camera focuses on his hands, the tools of his trade. He is also a threatening shadow, framed in the entrance hall or an imposing figure on the landing. His dress code is impeccable and he is never seen wearing anything drab. The spectator is meant to be seduced by the charming villain so as to be shocked by his evil deeds and yet, by allowing this seduction to take place, the spectator is compelled to accept and recognize the evil that lies within any human being. He is urbane, charming, "polished" but, beneath the smooth surface, there lurks a brutal and a cynical killer. Later on, on arriving at Santa Rosa, a frail and sick figure, he will instantly become a sprightly and vibrant Uncle Charlie. Such a shift in mood and attitude is typical of Charles Oakley. A vampire-like figure, stretched on his bed, he seems to be indifferent to the world until his landlady informs him about the visit of two "friends." He suddenly comes to life and brushes past his two pursuers as if to taunt them. There is a stack of dollar bills on the bedside table and some other bills are strewn on the rug. He is first shown in a grubby room in Philadelphia, lying supine, lost in thoughts and toying with his cigar. Strangely enough, the fact that the film was shot during World War II at a time which also coincided with Hitchcock's mother's death, is very often overlooked.Ĭharles Oakley, as portrayed by Joseph Cotten, is one of Hitchcock's most disturbing villains. In many interviews Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell dwells upon the creative intensity which presided over the preparation and the actual shooting of the film. The cast is an ideal one: Joseph Cotten plays the bad guy, Charles Oakley Teresa Wright is his radiant "twin niece" Patricia Collinge is the naïve and affectionate mother the little sister, Ann (Ednae Mae Wonacott), coached by Patricia Hitchcock, is astounding and so are the father (Henry Travers) and his neighbor (Hume Cronyn) as they discuss which method to use in order to kill each other. Yet it is also an endearing film, with light-hearted family scenes that are reminiscent of the films directed by Frank Capra in the 1930s. For Hitchcock, appearances are deceitful and there is no such thing as innocence, evil is always on the prowl. Hitchcock was fascinated by this discrepancy, which also fed his life-long interest in the theme of the double. The somber tale of the Merry-Widow Murderer takes place in the fairy-tale town of Santa Rosa, California. Wilder's contribution brought to the film a very special flavor which captured the essence of small town America. The scenario, based on an idea by Gordon McDonnell, was written by Thornton Wilder, the acclaimed author of Our Town. ![]() At the same time, without relinquishing his own culture, he absorbed the moral and cultural realities of mainstream America in the 1940s. He brought into this film what made the stuff of his inspiration, steeped as it was in the frustrations and anxieties of his Victorian upbringing. It is a dark film, with nihilistic overtones, a departure from the comedy thrillers that made his success during his "British period." It was Hitchcock's first truly American film with an American cast in a typical American environment. On many occasions, Alfred Hitchcock stated that Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was his favorite film. No.28 - Good Guy / Bad Guy Uncle Charlie, the smooth arch-villain
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |