Shadow of a Doubt
Classic, brilliant little movie full of Hitch's fascinated humor about the seemingly innocent and perfect being infected and tarnished with evil. However the small town Americana feel has always been a bit too much for me. I've never been able to enjoy it as much as his other films, and while I don't deny its greatness, this combined with some of the odd quirks of the plot have always been a negative.
4 balls out of 4, though it is nowhere near Hitch's best.
Spellbound
Ridiculous mandate to adapt a trashy book into a movie about psychoanalysis. Hitch and Ben Hecht manage to cram in every possible story element to make it work, and they succeed. Gorgeous to look at and unbelievably interesting.
4 balls out of 4.
Notorious
If there is one film you can point to and say: "this is how you make movies", it is Notorious. Sheer perfection on every conceivable level of storytelling and filmmaking, and Hitchcock's pinnacle in his B&W period. The cinematography is stunning, Ingrid Bergman is ravishing, Cary Grant is at his coldest and most debonair (and the true film forerunner of James Bond) and Claude Rains walks away with the film. Again.
The Criterion DVD is the best way to see the film, as it was struck from the nitrate OCN, IP and a fine grain master. It has more fine detail than the MGM disc or Blu-ray with great 1.0 mono. My favorite classic era DVD mastering period.
4 balls out of 4. Perfect. Highest recommendation. One of the best films ever made.
