Shadow of Doubt (1935) Review - A mystery where the victim had it coming

Shadow of Doubt is a movie you watch when you’ve already seen all the famous ones. It’s a 1935 mystery that feels like it’s trying to be a hard-boiled story but stays stuck in a fancy drawing room. If you like tuxedos and snappy dialogue, you’ll probably have a good time. But if you want something with actual tension, you might be disappointed. 🕵️‍♂️

The story is all about this guy Haworth, a show biz producer who is basically a complete jerk. He spends his time hitting women and getting engaged to two people at the same time. Honestly, when he finally gets murdered, it feels like a win for humanity. Ricardo Cortez plays him with this oily, smug look that is just perfect. You really want to see him get what’s coming to him.

The plot gets a bit messy once the police show up and start asking questions. Everyone has a reason to want him dead. It’s a classic setup, but it gets hard to keep track of all the ex-girlfriends. There’s Lisa and Trenna, and then a whole bunch of others who seem to just be hanging around for the drama. It reminded me a bit of the vibe in The Secret Sin, where everyone is hiding something.

The Real Star

The best part of the whole movie is Aunt Melissa, played by Constance Collier. She is this sharp-tongued older lady who decides she’s better at solving crimes than the actual cops. She has this funny way of looking at people like they are bugs under a microscope. There is one scene where she’s just sitting there, watching the suspects argue, and you can tell she’s the smartest person in the room.

The movie definitely picks up whenever she's on screen. Without her, it would just be a bunch of people in suits crying about a dead guy they didn't even like. She makes the whole thing feel much more lively than it shoudl be.

Small Details I Noticed

• The ice cubes in the glasses sound incredibly loud, like they’re made of actual rocks.
• Haworth’s apartment has some of the weirdest art on the walls I’ve seen in an old film.
• There is a reaction shot of a butler that lasts way too long, like he forgot his next line.
• The fight between Sim and Haworth is one of those classic old movie scuffles where nobody actually seems to land a punch.

They just sort of grapple and knock over a lamp. It’s supposed to be this big dramatic turning point, but it looks more like two guys trying to share a coat. After that, Haworth is found dead, and the movie turns into a game of 'Who did it?'

The police are kind of useless, as they usually are in these things. They mostly just stand around looking confused while Aunt Melissa does the heavy lifting. I actually liked the scene where they investigate the apartment. The shadows are long and it feels a little bit spooky for a second. But then someone makes a joke and the tension just evaporates.

It’s a bit like The Reckoning Day in how it balances the serious stuff with the lighthearted bits. One thing that bothered me was how fast Trenna falls under suspicion. The movie doesn't really give her a chance to defend herself before everyone assumes she’s the killer. It’s a very '1930s logic' kind of situation. 🙄

I also noticed a weird extra in the background of the club scene who was just staring directly at the camera for like three seconds. It’s those little mistakes that