![]() ![]() And, in a memorable scene at the family’s dinner table, he delivers a misogynistic rant about elderly widows, whom he sees as “fat, wheezing animals,” taking up space and hoarding their deceased husbands’ money. ![]() He gives her an expensive ring engraved with someone else’s initials. But young Charlie’s enthusiasm is quickly deflated when she notices some strange things about her beloved uncle: He hides pages of the newspaper and grows irate when she brings it up. The family is delighted to host him, and he charms their small town with his debonair ways. Her prayers for excitement are answered when she receives word that Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton), her mother’s brother and young Charlie’s namesake, is coming for an extended visit. ![]() Teresa Wright stars as Charlotte “Charlie” Newton, a teenage girl who has grown weary of the boredom and averageness of her nuclear family’s life. That in of itself is a subtle way in which women in this film refuse to be victims of patriarchal power.Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (1943), allegedly the director's favorite of all his films, is a tense masterpiece, anchored by two tremendous lead performances. Instead of the instances of castration in Rebecca and the 39 Steps where man is castrated by woman, but eventually regains his phallic features, Uncle Charlie is castrated by Young Charlie and does not come out on top. Through these actions, she asserts power as a patriarchal figure in the film. She individually figures out the truth and puts the pieces together by going to the library, sneaking into her uncle’s room, finding the crumbled newspaper, and eventually taking the ring back. Young Charlie is intelligent-she does not blindly follow what her Uncle, or even her parents believe. Though we know Young Charlie is inevitably doomed from the beginning, solely because of her identity as a woman in a male-dominated world, she does not give up and eventually assumes a role as the patriarchal figure when she kills Uncle Charlie. Though Alfred Hitchcock himself is seemingly a misogynist, he provides subtle hints of feminism in this film through the character of Young Charlie. Out of the three films we have seen so far, I think Shadow of a Doubt is by far my favorite. ![]()
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