SHADOW OF A DOUBT
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1991 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: The Hallmark Hall of Fame again does a
very creditable remake of a classic story. This time they
have taken Hitchcock's suspense film SHADOW OF A DOUBT and
nearly everything works. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4).
When I was growing up, I was aware that there were a series of dramas brought to television by the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It seemed that near card-sending holidays Hallmark would do a television play, and some were decent, but I would have preferred to go out to a movie any day. I think as I got older Hallmark really did get better. I know my perspective changed, but I genuinely feel that objectively they improved also. I first noticed how good they had gotten in 1979 with the remake of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. I liked the film a lot and really wanted to see the original classic film. Actually I was a bit disappointed by the original, which did not seem to be so detailed a story or have so well-developed characters. But I told myself it was not a fair comparison. The original was an early sound film before a lot of techniques were developed. Besides, I'd seen the remake first and it had formed my opinions on the story. I also preferred their BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to Cocteau's, but then I am not a big fan of Cocteau's style.
I ran out of excuses with Michael Tuchner's HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. I had seen the three major film productions with Lon Chaney, Charles Laughton, and Anthony Quinn in the title role. Anthony Hopkins was the best Quasimodo and this production was the most detailed. I have also liked some of their original productions, but have only recently started paying closer attention to them. DECORATION DAY was among the best five films I saw last year. If I was going to put made-for-television movies on my "Top Ten of the Year" list, this would have made the list. Now Hallmark is back, remaking the classic film. This may be their first real suspense film, but they are starting with grand style.
Overall, the production values of SHADOW OF A DOUBT were very good. They used the original script, which was co-authored by Thorton Wilder. The murderous gigolo "Uncle Charley" was played by Mark Harmon, in the role that Joseph Cotten originally filled. Now, Harmon is a lot better looking than Cotten--almost pretty. Had someone with Harmon's looks played the role in the Hitchcock, you have never have been able to put someone with Cotten's looks in the remake. But putting someone better-looking in the role of the charming and villainous lady-killer works just fine. Harmon is not a very good actor and he does not project much emotion. In this role his synthetic charm and the veiled emotion work in his favor. The remake on its own is a pretty good suspense film.
The Hitchcock film was made in 1943 and, being made during the war, it was intended to show the soldiers what they were fighting for. It was a portrait of somebody's idea of an ideal American town: pearly-white, Anglo- Saxon, Protestant. It was a town where just about everyone sees each other in church. It was set in its present of 1943. The remake is a slight update, being set in 1953, the year Fidel Castro was captured and imprisoned--we hear about the event on the console radio. That really is the film's one questionable note. In a town like Petaluma, California, I doubt there were still many wind-up Victrolas in 1953. With that one minor objection, this remake is done in fine style. I would give it a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
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