With support from the Robert Jolin Osborne Fund for American Classic Cinema of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. LOUIS), and Hitchcock’s wife (and closest collaborator) Alma Reville. 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.Starring Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, Henry Travers, Macdonald Carey, Patricia CollingeĪs wealthy widows keep disappearing, victims of the so-called “Merry Widow Murderer,” Joseph Cotten's lovable Uncle Charlie visits niece Teresa Wright in her average American town – a cozy family scene, until he’s heard whistling “The Merry Widow Waltz.” Often claimed as Hitchcock’s own favorite, this is perhaps his ultimate evocation of evil nesting among the mundane (and, along with PSYCHO, only one of two Hitchcocks with a villain as central character), with authentic Americana provided by screenwriters Thornton Wilder (OUR TOWN), Sally Benson (MEET ME IN ST. 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.
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