Editing Shadow of a Doubt (section)

==Reception==
[[File:Shadow of a Doubt (1942 poster - Style D).jpg|thumb|Alternate "Style{{nbsp}}D" theatrical release poster]]
Upon release, the film received unanimously positive reviews. [[Bosley Crowther]], critic for ''[[The New York Times]]'', loved the film, stating that "Hitchcock could raise more goose pimples to the square inch of a customer's flesh than any other director in Hollywood".<ref name="rt">{{cite web|title=Shadow of a Doubt |work=Rotten Tomatoes |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1018688-shadow_of_a_doubt/ |access-date=December 21, 2021}}</ref> ''[[Time Magazine]]'' called the film "superb",<ref name="rt"/> while ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' stated that "Hitchcock deftly etches his small-town characters and homey surroundings".<ref name="rt"/> The entertainment [[trade paper]] ''[[The Film Daily]]'' was yet another reviewer in 1943 that praised every aspect of the production. The publication predicted big [[box office]] for theaters presenting Hitchcock's latest work:{{blockquote|Of all the startling feature films directed by Alfred Hitchcock—superman of suspense and wizard of mystery—this one is geared most highly to thrill American audiences and to pour coin into the [[Safe|coffers]] of U.S. theaters....There are no [[red herring]]s yanked across the trail in this attraction, as was the case in his recent hit, {{sic|''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspense]]''}}. The story moves inflexibly toward an ending which the onlooker more or less clearly expects, but which elicits the periodic hope that the worst fears of Teresa Wright will not be realized.
...Production values under Jack H. Skirball are first-rate, as is Joseph Valentine’s photography. There is not a shadow of a doubt about this picture’s success.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/filmdaily83wids#page/n41 "Reviews Of New Films"], ''Shadow of a Doubt''; ''The Film Daily'' (New York, N.Y.), January 8, 1943, p. 5, columns 3-4. [[Internet Archive]], San Francisco, California. Retrieved August 27, 2018.</ref>}}

In a 1964 interview on ''[[Telescope (TV series)|Telescope]]'' with host [[Fletcher Markle]], Markle noted, "Mr. Hitchcock, most critics have always considered ''Shadow of a Doubt'', which you made in 1943, as your finest film." Hitchcock replied immediately, "Me too." Markle then asked, "That is your opinion of it still?" Hitchcock replied, "Oh, no question." At the time, Hitchcock's most recent work was ''[[Marnie (film)|Marnie]]''. When later interviewed by [[François Truffaut]], Hitchcock denied the suggestion that ''Shadow of a Doubt'' was his "favourite".<ref>Jim McDevitt, Eric San Juan. ''A Year of Hitchcock: 52 Weeks With the Master of Suspense''. {{ISBN|9780810863880}}. Page 158.</ref> But in the audio interview with Truffaut, Hitchcock confirmed it was his favourite film, and later reiterated that ''Shadow of a Doubt'' was his favorite film in his interview with Mike Douglas in 1969 and in his interview with Dick Cavett in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-13 |title=Alfred Hitchcock names his favourite own movie |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/alfred-hitchcock-names-favourite-own-movie/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Far Out |language=en-US}}</ref> Hitchcock's daughter [[Pat Hitchcock]] also said that her father's favorite film was ''Shadow of a Doubt''.<ref name="makingof">{{cite AV media|people=[[Laurent Bouzereau]] (Director)|year=2000|title=Beyond Doubt: The Making of Hitchcock's Favorite Film|medium=Making-of documentary|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wq7FU3mC2o|location=United States|access-date=9 November 2024|publisher=Universal Studios Home Video (DVD)}}</ref> Hitchcock also enjoyed making ''Shadow of a Doubt'' the most, due to his "pleasant memories of working on it with Thornton Wilder" according to his conversation with Truffaut.<ref>François Truffaut. ''Hitchcock/Truffaut''. [[Éditions Robert Laffont]]. 1962.</ref>

Today, the film is still regarded as a major work of Hitchcock's. Contemporary critic [[Dave Kehr]] called it Hitchcock's "first indisputable masterpiece."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/shadow-of-a-doubt/Film?oid=2345510|title=Shadow of a Doubt|work=Chicago Reader|date=April 5, 1985 |access-date=April 19, 2016}}</ref> In 2005 film critic [[David Denby]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' called it Hitchcock's most "intimate and heart-wrenching" film.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Denby|first1=David|title=Master's Choice|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/12/12/masters-choice|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=4 December 2005}}</ref> Based on 48 reviews on the website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has received [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes|a 100% approval rating]], with a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] of 9.20/10. The site's consensus reads: "Alfred Hitchcock's earliest classic&nbsp;— and his own personal favorite&nbsp;— deals its flesh-crawling thrills as deftly as its finely shaded characters".<ref name="rt"/> On [[Metacritic]] it has a score of 94 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/shadow-of-a-doubt/critic-reviews|title=Shadow of a Doubt|website=[[Metacritic]] }}</ref> When asked by critics as to an overarching theme for the film Hitchcock responded: "Love and good order is no defense against evil". In his book ''Bambi vs. Godzilla'', [[David Mamet]] calls it Hitchcock's finest film.<ref>David Mamet, ''Bambi vs. Godzilla'' (Vintage, 2008).</ref> In his 2011 review of the film, film critic [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film four stars out of four and included it in his [[Great Movies]] list.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|title=Uncle Charlie brings excitement to a small town|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-shadow-of-a-doubt-1943|website=Roger Ebert|date=9 November 2011}}</ref> In 2022, ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine ranked the film at No. 41 on their list of "The 100 best thriller films of all time".<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 best thriller films of all time|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/best-thriller-movies|website=Time Out|date=23 March 2022}}</ref>