Week 3 Shadow of a Doubt

     Just as the title of the film suggests, Hitchcock frequently uses shadows to gauge the evil inside Uncle Charlie.  Uncle Charlie leads a double life where his outward appearance is extremely attractive, especially for women.  Whenever he reveals his true self, Hitchcock's subtle use of shadows amplifies the darkness that seem to emanate from him.
     These instances are most noticeable after Young Charlie discovers that her beloved Uncle Charlie is a murderer.  A prime example is when Young Charlie tries to force her uncle to leave town (7:15 part 9/11).  A light shines brightly over Young Charlie's head on the right side while Uncle Charlie is almost completely engulfed in shadows on the left side.  This setup is a pretty clear representation of the battle between good and evil.
     This dichotomy of light and darkness extends to another scene later on when Uncle Charlie tells Emma that he must leave town (7:05 part 10/11).  Once again there is a light on the right side while Uncle Charlie stands on the left.  However, the contrast of the shadows is a lot smaller here.  One explanation could be that since Emma is still in the dark about Uncle Charlie's other identity, she still sees him as a bright and amiable man.  The slight shadows on Uncle Charlie reflects her suspicions earlier towards Young Charlie's "accidents", but they are only shadows nonetheless.
     Hitchcock uses not only lights, but also hats to cast shadows.  In the scene near the end when Uncle Charlie talks to Young Charlie, the brim of his hat casts a shadow over his eyes (0:15 part 11/11).  Once again, this shadow is not as dark or large as the first scene.  That is because at that time, Young Charlie believed Uncle Charlie would truly leave her town in peace.  But the existence of the shadow shows that even then, he is still hiding something
     The intensity of shadows fluctuate with the suspicions toward Uncle Charlie.  The shadows are almost nonexistent when we initially met Uncle Charlie, but turn into complete darkness when suspicions become realization.