tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post7457675600233391993..comments2023-12-30T01:44:58.368-08:00Comments on The Girl with the White Parasol: Performance Spotlight: Teresa Wright in Shadow of a DoubtAubynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-40201811712298559842013-04-12T07:30:04.280-07:002013-04-12T07:30:04.280-07:00Terrific review of a great movie. I often wonder w...Terrific review of a great movie. I often wonder whatever happened to Teresa Wright's film career. From Oscar nominations at the start of the 1940s to B movies at the end of the decade. It's a mystery to me. I was lucky enough to meet Teresa when she came to Scotland - lovely lady. <br /><br />Vienna's Classic HollywoodViennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06907591161822012949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-7562086336810720392012-05-15T20:43:02.114-07:002012-05-15T20:43:02.114-07:00Sing: Looking forward to reading your post. I welc...Sing: Looking forward to reading your post. I welcome as many angles on this great film as I can get! Never get tired of it.<br /><br />KimWilson: I agree with you. Charlie could have been simpering or weak or bland, but with Wright, she's none of those things.<br /><br />Vulnavia: Thanks for the comment. Shadow's easily one of my top five favorite Hitchcocks.<br /><br />The Gal Herself: I agree with you that Wright's acting doesn't age. In my mind I compare her, not so much to the supporting cast, to other Hitchcock "ingenues", say Priscilla Lane in Saboteur and Laraine Day in Foreign Correspondent and the gap is pretty obvious.Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-65184023859948966942012-05-15T00:08:09.371-07:002012-05-15T00:08:09.371-07:00What a terrific post! Shadow of a Doubt is a Hitch...What a terrific post! Shadow of a Doubt is a Hitchcock movie I just recently saw for the first time. So on the one hand it's fresher on my mind, on the other hand it's less than familiar than others (like Rear Window). Anyway, the thing about Wright's performances for me is how unaffected and contemporary she always seems. Compare her in this movie to Patricia Collinge, who she also appeared with in The Little Foxes. Wright is never hammy, never old school. Watching Pride of the Yankees today, you notice the same thing. Wright and Cooper remain compelling but so many of the supporting actors look dated and corny. I think Hitch did very well casting her.The Gal Herselfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02566779726191649848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-34905101079077766972012-05-14T15:00:40.597-07:002012-05-14T15:00:40.597-07:00I love Shadow of A Doubt. I think you've done ...I love Shadow of A Doubt. I think you've done it justice.Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-82604003468401089712012-05-14T12:38:13.838-07:002012-05-14T12:38:13.838-07:00Teresa Wright was a very gifted young actress. The...Teresa Wright was a very gifted young actress. The character of Charlie in someone else's hands may have turned out totally wrong, but she always had the good sense to realize what the writer and director had in mind for whatever role she played. Not many young actresses could have stood toe-to toe with such an acting powerhouse as Joseph Cotton (let alone Bette Davis in The Little Foxes), but she did it quite well.Kimberly J.M. Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078951928157843937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-48845466963672188062012-05-14T06:28:14.186-07:002012-05-14T06:28:14.186-07:00I'm writing about this one, too, so I almost d...I'm writing about this one, too, so I almost didn't read your post--but we're not competing, after all! And I do like what you say about Wright as an actress and in this film in particular. I hadn't thought about the anger-rather-than-fear angle; that's a revelation (and one that makes Young Charlie resemble Uncle Charlie even more!)......Tinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16338087100460975036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-47017372258998874122012-05-13T17:42:55.398-07:002012-05-13T17:42:55.398-07:00Marilyn: Thanks so much for stopping by. There'...Marilyn: Thanks so much for stopping by. There's so much I didn't get into with Wright's performance, but I didn't want to ramble forever. I love Cotten too in this film although I think you have a point about the suspense.<br /><br />Laura: Agreed. You know one thing I thought of, but didn't bring up, is that Charlie's decision to force her uncle to leave (she must realize on some level that uncaught, this man will kill again) isn't exactly the stuff of noble heroism, is it? But Wright is so determined and strong that I never doubt her character's essential goodness for a moment.<br /><br />The Siren: "Every time someone brings up Hitchcock's blondes, I feel compelled to murmur, 'They're wonderful, but his best was a brunette...'". I love Wright in this film so much. Before this, I was toying with the idea of a post dedicated to Hitchcock brunettes since there are plenty of interesting ones (including the underrated Margaret Lockwood). His blondes are amazing yes, but they're only part of the story.<br /><br />Grandoldmovies: It <i>is</i> a disturbing film, yes, on many levels. But for me, it doesn't have the jump scares and shocks that so many other Hitchcocks do. But that's not a criticism of the film since I don't think that is what it is after. It's about these relationships and the evil that's been hidden there from the beginning. "Luminous transparency," oh, that's a perfect description of Teresa Wright.Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-92013832964206401692012-05-13T15:22:40.018-07:002012-05-13T15:22:40.018-07:00I would disagree that 'Shadow of a Doubt' ...I would disagree that 'Shadow of a Doubt' is not a scary film; there is something deeply disturbing about the effect Uncle Charlie has on the entire family, not only his niece, but his sister, too (Charlie's mother), who seems so helpless under his spell. There's a kind of luminous transparency to Theresa Wright's acting; I always recall her reaction in 'Pride of the Yankees' when she discovers her husband is dying - she doesn't look at the camera, she becomes very still, her eyes cast down, and only says, quite softy, "Lou's going to die." It's a moment that contains volumes.grandoldmovieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773085288675763855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-61753172628254419492012-05-13T15:21:08.522-07:002012-05-13T15:21:08.522-07:00I would disagree that 'Shadow of a Doubt' ...I would disagree that 'Shadow of a Doubt' is not a scary film; there is something deeply disturbing about the effect Uncle Charlie has on the entire family, not only his niece, but his sister, too (Charlie's mother). There's a kind of luminous transparency to Theresa Wright's acting; I always recall her reaction in 'Pride of the Yankees' when she discovers her husband is dying - she doesn't look at the camera, she becomes very still, her eyes cast down, and only says, quite softy, "Lou's going to die." It's a moment that contains volumes.grandoldmovieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773085288675763855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-76864769855801161772012-05-13T13:37:43.639-07:002012-05-13T13:37:43.639-07:00A beautiful tribute to an actress I treasure, too....A beautiful tribute to an actress I treasure, too. This has always been my favorite Hitchcock, and I think it's because it's not a simple coming-of-age tale, it's about innocent, good-nature youth discovering evil's existence. Right after World War II that must have had even more resonance. I imagine someone else as young Charlie and the movie falls apart in my mind. Every time someone brings up Hitchcock's blondes, I feel compelled to murmur, "They're wonderful, but his best was a brunette..."The Sirenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13587505433284584391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-90244783753869490212012-05-13T10:45:19.520-07:002012-05-13T10:45:19.520-07:00Wright's Charlie is such a wonderful subversio...Wright's Charlie is such a wonderful subversion of the typical ingenue victim role. One of Hitchcock's best characters, but one that doesn't come up often, probably because of Wright's lack of self-serving flashiness. She underplays to perfection, and really grounds the movie. Excellent post!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15532386898201721692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193750673421600279.post-18865233000694485642012-05-13T08:39:41.354-07:002012-05-13T08:39:41.354-07:00Rachel - This is one of my favorites, too, and I a...Rachel - This is one of my favorites, too, and I agree that Teresa Wright is the key to making this work. She is the intelligent heart at its core, and her disillusionment and reaction to it shows the healthy transition from child to woman that so many people fail to make. Cotten gets a little too hard a little too fast, in my opinion, and that does kill the suspense a bit. But every time the film comes on cable, I watch. Thanks for participating in such a spectacular way in the blogathon.Marilynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00513072379930200159noreply@blogger.com