Alma, Hitch, Niece Charlotte and Uncle Charlie: Are They all One in the Same
This paper examines the Alfred Hitchcock film Shadow do a Doubt from an artistic, theatrical and personal perspective. It draws a relationship between Hitchcock's personal life and his characterizations. It concludes that Uncle Charlie is Hitchcock and niece Charlotte is Hitchcock's wife Alma. Shadow of a Doubt is a film of doubles and opposites; a paradox of good and evil, and a portrait of Hitchcock's dissatisfaction with the family life in the 1940's Uncle Charlie appears to be the rich uncle and on the surface the Santa Rosa family is average America, but in fact it is hot bed of unrest, sexism, and anger with each family member vying for personal identity and recognition. Considerable evidence in the film indicates that the social and family relationships portrayed in this film may have been a reflection of the relationship between Alma and Alfred Hitchcock.
