I know I'm committing sacrilege, but...

Rating: 7/10 (30 September 2015)

For some reason, over the years, I've seen only bits and pieces of this movie and never in its entirety. Finally, tonight, I did. And this is all I have to say: Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on a Train, Notorious, North by Northwest, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Young and Innocent, Psycho, Saboteur, Sabotage, and a few others warrant more acclaim than this over-long, over-rated, over-done and over-wrought production. It can be rated a seven-starrer and on a night when I'm feeling giddy with generosity, 8. But all in all a sour disappointment. How it managed to grow in acclaim, I am at a loss. The acting was superlative, with Stewart growing from a barely bearable personality (dull and duller) to a thoroughly dislikable fellow who'd been done wrong. Kim Novak was a delightful surprise. I've always liked her and found her to be very sympathetic whenever I've seen her - Middle of the Night, Picnic, - and a much better actress than was generally granted. In this she excelled. Barbara Bel Geddes should have been elevated to greater stardom and Tom Helmore was perfect as the heel. The photography was good, colorful, with interesting collage-like minutes of sailing/falling through air. The music was non-stop (unusual in movies) - there was never a moment when some notes were not being heard and they heightened the intensity. But...But: 2 hours and 8 minutes! No movie should be 2 hours and 8 minutes. It's like reading a fat book that can't help but repeat itself. I did like it though and would REALLY have liked it had it shaved off at least 20 minutes in the middle. But Shadow of a Doubt? Now, THAT'S movie magic. And that's my 2 cents!