Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

(Please note that I’ve only analysed the first 7:30 minutes)

"Shadow of a Doubt” starts with a posh ballroom setting with people dancing; the soundtrack (non-digetic sound) is “The Merry Widow”, which later is symbolic to the film. Sound bridge and a dissolve editing are used to give a smooth transfer into an industrial, run down long shot scene. We then see many dissolve editing as we move closer into the industrial scene, and then go closer into a long shot of the poor and messy neighbourhood. We then experience more dissolves as we move closer to the window, this is a familiar editing Alfred Hitchcock does – as seen in “Psycho”. We then see a man lying on a bed, and therefore assume that he is in the room via the window that we were being dissolved closer too.

The way the man is lying on the bed and his surroundings tell us a lot about the character – mise en scene. Firstly, the man appears as if he is dead, with his eyes close, however his hand is moving. He wears black clothing with is extremely well made, and he is smartly dressed, which shows he is powerful and gives him sophistication, as well the cigarette adds to his character. As the camera pans, we see money, showing that he is rich, although, as well as this there is money on the floor which shows that he not bothered about money. Moreover, the lack of facial expression shows he is not bothered, when the maid speaks to him.

The lighting in the room is low key lighting, causing shadows, making him appear dark and mysterious. When the maid puts the blind down and the room becomes darker, the man, Uncle Charlie, comes to life, stating his is like a creature of the night. This is all told by Hitchcock visually, without the use of dialogue telling us his character.

The music becomes suspenseful and gradually builds dramatically as Uncle Charlie smashes his glass on the floor. This shows he is very angry and a violent character. We hear, again, the Merry Widow music, which is foreshadowing, meaning to hint that there is trouble or something bad is going to happen, either now or later in the film. Moreover, Uncle Charlie comes out of the house, and the house number is “13” and very superstitious number for a bad omen.

As the two men follow Uncle Charlie, they move to the sound of music played by a piano to create tension. Further on, the silhouette of Uncle Charlie on the roof gives a powerful image to him and a mysterious feel, as he looks down at the two men who were following him making them appear small and weak.

Mirroring

“Mirroring is a human behavior characterized by copying someone else while communicating with them. It is often observed in people exhibiting similar postures, gestures, or tone of voice. It may include miming gestures, movements, body language, muscle tensions, expressions, tones, eye movements, breathing, tempo, accent, attitude, choice of words, metaphors, or other features discernible in communication.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirroring_(psychology)

In the scene, when we met Charlie, Uncle Charlie’s niece. We see the perfect suburban life and city; Santa Rosa, which is posh, sophisticated, pleasant and a happy, cheerful and joyful people. A contrast to the industrial scene, which is shown in the same way, through dissolve editing. This is, therefore, mirroring. As well, the music is much more pleasant to enhance this visually, the contrast between the two places. The same as when we are dissolved via window into Uncle Charlie room, the same process happens into the girl, Charlie, room. She is positioned exactly like Uncle Charlie was, lying on the bed, however, moving more and alive. This shows they are very much similar but also very different. It is as if Uncle Charlie represents the dark and Charlie represents the light. As well as this, light falls on her face, and the room if much more lighter than that of Uncle Charlie, which enhances the idea.