1948’s Rope was his first color film, and what followed seemed an endless beloved parade of wrong men, guilty women, and nefarious murderous plots: Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, and on and on.

When color became the movie standard, he ascended to the Master of Suspense mantle that will become his enduring legacy. And yet Hitch was only just getting started. He started in the 1920s during the silent era ( The Lodger), transitioned to sound when many of his peers and actors could not ( The 39 Steps), and came to America at the height of Hollywood’s Golden Age (Best Picture-winning Rebecca). As director, Hitchcock withstood every significant upheaval of the industry and, in fact, seemed to flourish with each transition. Watching the movies Alfred Hitchcock made over his five-decade career is not only a thrilling way to spend your free time, but doubles as a legitimate lesson in the history and development of cinema. As the movie came out during WWII, it seems to have a direct parallel to the evil leaders loose in the world, particularly in the film's final scene.(Photo by Universal) Alfred Hitchcock Movies Ranked by Tomatometer The second half, including the increasing revelation of Uncle Charlie's dark views of humanity and the lengths to which he will go to protect himself, is what make the film so sinister. On the other hand, there is a real small town feeling to this setting, helped in no doubt by Thornton Wilder being one of the screenwriters, and the characters of Charlie's father (Henry Travers) and his friend (Hume Cronyn) passing the time by talking about the perfect murder are absolutely priceless. Some of the tension is also missing because we're pretty darn sure Uncle Charlie is guilty.

I considered a slightly higher rating, but thought the pace in the first half of the movie was a little slow.

Trouble is just behind him though, and it gets worse when his niece (also 'Charlie', named after him, and played by Teresa Wright) begins to suspect him of being the 'Merry Widow Murderer'. Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) is on the run from the law on the East Coast, and he settles in with his sister and her family in Santa Rosa. Hitchcock said this was his favorite film, and there is a quiet evil about it that makes it truly horrifying.

Shadow of a doubt uncle charlie lecture