A Synopsis of the Movie Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a Doubt: The Function of the “Doubt” The film Shadow of a Doubt (Hitchcock 1943) is most definitely true to its title. The very structure of the film is based on doubts: What are the motivations of these characters? How will the plot line resolve? According to Hitchcock’s “Enjoyment of Fear,” suspense is created by a gradual “leading up to” the moment of fear, as opposed to a sudden shock of terror. Hence, the suspense in this film is primarily created by doubts. It is the build-up, the guesswork, and the uncertainty, which feed into the psyche and propel the film forward. These doubts, and many others, exist both in the mind of the audience and various characters throughout the film. Doubt serves not only to captivate the audience and increase suspense, but as a tool to break down and level the film into sections, with each section depicting different major doubts for different characters. In this way, doubt shapes the film’s structure. The first so-called “section of doubt” can be categorized as follows: The audience doubts Uncle Charlie’s innocence. They suspect there is something distrustful about him. Jack, and his fellow detective also doubt Charlie and are on to his case. Every other person in the film, including young Charlie and the Newton family, do not have any hesitance, reservations, or semblance of doubt in their minds towards Charlie.
To begin with the film’s opening scene: Charlie’s housekeeper gives Charlie the news about two “friends” stopping by for a visit. The deafening music, ominous lighting and script writing of this scene do much to make the audience doubt Charlie’s good intentions right away. It is something about the way he jumps out of bed right after she leaves that tells the audience he is the one hiding something and not the mysterious two men. But there is an inkling of something somewhere, that won’t let the audience be too sure. The pile of money all over the floor is a big red flag, but “innocent until proven