Part of Restoration Roundup
When Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) comes to visit the Newton family, his niece (Teresa Wright) begins to suspect that he may in fact be the “Merry Widow Murderer.” Often regarded as Hitchcock’s earliest classic and sometimes mentioned as his personal favorite, the film refined the director’s mastery at interlacing character and suspense while also maintaining a taut economy to the storytelling.
New 4K DCP courtesy of Universal Pictures.
“You've got to hand it to Alfred Hitchcock: when he sows the fearful seeds of mistrust in one of his motion pictures he can raise more goose pimples to the square inch of a customer's flesh than any other director of thrillers in Hollywood.” —Bosley Crowther, New York Times (Jan 13, 1943) “Hitchcock's discovery of darkness within the heart of small-town America remains one of his most harrowing films, a peek behind the facade of security that reveals loneliness, despair, and death. Thornton Wilder collaborated on the script; it’s “Our Town” turned inside out.” —Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader “Hitchcock is fully Hitchcock here, plunging deeply into his characters’ psyches, and remaining in full control of every cinematic effect.” —Keith Phipps, The Dissolve
