![]() ![]() Either way, the film never attempts to make an sympathetic with the fracture so it's not a true redeeming quality. It's purposefully left ambiguous whether the skull fracture altered his personality, or he willingly choose to go down the dark path he did. This is the movie's attempt to give an excuse for his sudden change in behavior. Then after the fracture, he would regularly "get into mischief" with a drastic personality change. 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.Not to much is known about Charles' early life, although what is known is that he grew up with an older sister named Emma, and he used to be a quiet boy who loved to read and had a childhood incident one Christmas with his new bicycle which gave him a near-lethal skull fracture. ![]() 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. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |