San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Hitchcock’s personal favorite set in Santa Rosa
Alfred Hitchcock once said that “Shadow of a Doubt” was his personal favorite of his films. The filmmaker, who had a particular affinity for Northern California, filmed this suspense movie largely in Santa Rosa and used the city to good effect.
The movie tells the story of Charlie, who comes to visit his older sister and her family. Everyone is excited — Charlie is a suave, glamorous fellow — but none more so than his niece Charlotte (also called Charlie), with whom he has some kind of psychic connection. It’s as a result of this connection, this ability to get inside her uncle’s head, that Charlotte starts to believe, against her will, that Charlie is hiding a very dark secret: He is the notorious serial killer known as the Merry Widow murderer.
The presentation of Santa Rosa as the ideal small city becomes a factor in the action. Here’s Charlie, a polished city slicker, but there’s something in the relentless cheer and perfection of Santa Rosa that seems to insulate it from corruption and evil, even when a malevolent force is actively working within its midst. “Shadow of a Doubt”: 5:30 and 9:25 p.m. Sunday, May 5. $7. Stanford Theatre, 221 University Ave., Palo Alto. 650-324-3700. www.stanfordtheatre.org