This is the story of a girl named Charlie who is rather fond of her uncle, whom she is named after. One day Uncle Charlie comes from the east coast out to Santa Rosa, California to visit Young Charlie and the rest of the family for a while. Things start off well enough, but then Uncle Charlie begins to act as if he's
got dark secrets to hide, something made more curious due to his increasingly odd behavior and the activities of some men desperate to talk to him.Filmed in beautiful black and white with some great lighting and camera work, this is a top notch psychological suspense thriller filled with great mood and wonderfully established tension and suspense that keeps rising and rising until a fine and thrilling climax. Hitchcock gives his usual masterful direction, and Dimitri Tiomkin provides an excellent musical score. The real highlight though, are the performances, especially the two show stopping ones from Joseph Cotten as Uncle Charlie, and Teresa Wright as Young Charlie. They have some wonderful tense cat and mouse moments with one another, and it is just a joy to watch Wright as she tries to unravel the mystery, and an even bigger delight to watch Cotten shift from sly, playful, and charming one minute to creepy, suspicious, and menacing the next. This is a real gem and a wonderful picture. My only real gripe are the performances from the two little kids. They're annoying, loud, and obnoxious. On the plus side though, the little girl reminded me a lot of young Abigail Breslin (young as in her early roles). You should really give this a watch. It's some great stuff.
June 18, 2006
Top Critic
