It is true that Shadow presents one of the more plausible plots in the Hitchcock repertoire. Several reports over the years indicate that Hitchcock did, in fact, make the claim, but in his celebrated 1967 interviews with French filmmaker (and self-professed fan) Francois Truffaut, the director clarifies, “I wouldn’t say that Shadow of a Doubt is my favorite picture if I’ve given that impression, it’s probably because I feel that here is something that our friends, the plausibles and logicians, cannot complain about.” Hitchcock certainly considered Shadow to be a highlight of his career, though whether he labeled it his personal favorite is questionable. And while I enjoy Psycho quite a bit, and respect the charms Vertigo has to offer, so much critical attention has been paid to these two films that it’s safe to assume many casual film fans consider these movies the “best” because … well, because they’ve been told, by critical minds far superior to my own, that these films define Hitchcock’s artistic milieu. Now, I recognize that Psycho and Vertigo have their champions, many of whom fervently believe that one or both of these films are far superior to the rest of Hitch’s body of work. If I had to make a choice, though, I would choose Shadow of a Doubt, one of Hitch’s more subdued, and thus more sinister and insidious, Hollywood productions, as not only my favorite of Hitchcock’s films, but as the best (I believe) he ever made. But choosing between these two to name “the” best Hitchcock effort? Seemingly an insurmountable task. I can make a pretty decent case (I think) for both of these movies as the pinnacle of Hitch’s repertoire. The final two on that short list, I believe, far and away represent the best movies Hitchcock ever directed. Each of these, I feel, is a perfect example of what makes Hitchcock so fascinating a filmmaker–every film an unparalleled concoction of mystery, suspense, romance, humor, and unrelieved examinations of human behavior. I can give a top five quite easily: North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train, Notorious, Rear Window, and Shadow of a Doubt.
Being an inveterate Alfred Hitchcock fan, when someone asks me to name my favorite film from the prolific director, I find it a difficult question to answer at first.
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