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Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943) poster

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Thriller, Mystery • 1h 48m

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best English-friendly & video release · updated 1 month ago

UHD tiers

Excellent
Universal

Overview

Just when Charlie is feeling especially frustrated by the lack of excitement in her small town in California, she receives wonderful news: Her uncle and namesake, Charlie, is coming to visit. However, as secrets about him come to the fore, her admiration turns into suspicion.

Release details

Best Audio Release

Universal Blu-ray

Featured Lists
National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 1991

TSPDT
2026: #586
2025: #583
2024: #573
2023: #565
2022: #565
Length
108 mins
Type
Movie

Featured in National Film Registry

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Director: Steve James

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray and UK Dogwoof Blu-ray probably similar

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Victor Fleming

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D: Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

3D: Warner Bros 3D Blu-ray or Apple Vision Pro

Best Audio:

1989 MGM LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

(caveat: "there's" in first "there's no place like home" utterance in final Kansas scene truncated)

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 MGM LaserDisc

Director: Morton DaCosta

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray Nov 24th

Director: Tony Scott

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

70mm 6-track mix in 5.1: Paramount THX LaserDisc

Dolby Stereo mix in 2.0: Paramount THX LaserDisc

Additional Info:

The 70mm 6-track mix has a higher bitrate on the Paramount 1998 DVD, but is more limited than on the THX LaserDisc The Paramount 1998 DVD also has open matte versions in fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 instead of the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1, but the 2.00:1 widescreen presentation is non-anamorphic. The THX LaserDisc is available in both fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 variants.

Director: Terrence Malick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Lovely underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion but encode is sadly low-pass filtered by Pixelogic, and even then, the encode is still less than ideal. Still easily obliterates any prior disc release, but certainly wouldn't hurt to have a UK or German label take a crack at this same master.

Best Audio:

1999 Paramount DVD

Director: Anthony Mann

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray, Universal 2008 DVD

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2008 Universal DVD mono

Audio Notes:

The mono on the Criterion is severely filtered resulting in it sounding incredibly muffled. It is nearly as filtered as the 2003 original Universal DVD which had extreme filtering and sounds horribly thin. The 2008 DVD remaster and original Laserdisc analog mastering are mostly left alone. The original LD master is from a worn element but otherwise sounds very natural. The 2008 DVD is the highest quality version we have without the heavy filtering and the defects of the LD master. It isn't perfect but easily the best of the main four sources by a dramatic margin. 

Additional Info:

The existing 4K SDR restoration looks excellent, but the Criterion extras are limited and disappointing. The classic Stewart interview commentary from the LD is ported over but given a new mastering. Compared to past releases it has been very slightly noise reduced.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

2005 Universal DVD

Director: Howard Hawks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set coming October 20th with FiM encode, work done to un-Nolan the 4K master, the first ever appearance of the 35mm mono track on physical media and a new restoration/remastering of the 70mm 6-track mix.

Video Notes:

(early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)

Best Audio:

1997 MGM LaserDisc, 1998 MGM DVD

More from Alfred Hitchcock

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Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1987 WB LaserDisc

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1985 MCA LaserDisc

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Best English-Friendly & Video:

France Carlotta Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

France Carlotta better encode than Criterion

Best Audio:

2004 Prism Leisure DVD

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

2005 US DVD

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Turbine Germany Blu-ray, WB DVD(?)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K

Best Audio:

1984 MGM Hi-Fi VHS

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray

3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion vs Network Blu-ray?

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1989 Criterion LaserDisc

More from Universal

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Director: Joel Coen

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Director's Cut: Disappointing UK StudioCanal/US Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: LaserDisc or 2001 UK Universal DVD

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=21782879#post21782879 - comparison. StudioCanal is a massive improvement to the Criterion but still flawed in some areas (chroma noise)

Director: Leo McCarey

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal DVD

Upcoming Release:

Universal Blu-ray Nov 10th

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set coming on October 20th with FiM encode

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD has additional features not found on the 4K Blu-ray

Director: John Carpenter

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: blog.sporv.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:
Audio Notes:
  • the only track on Universal 4K, which is in DTS:X, has a mixing error of around 6dB too low on side channels, otherwise very similar to other 5.1 mixes.

Director: Norman Taurog

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Director: Victor Schertzinger

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Director: Raoul Walsh

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Director: Frank Tuttle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Director: James Whale

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Universal Complete Legacy Collection 4K Blu-ray set on September 26 2026

Best Audio:

?

Director: James Whale

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Universal Complete Legacy Collection 4K Blu-ray set on September 26 2026

Best Audio:

1993 CIC Video LaserDisc

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Researched and maintained by

AdamA

· last reviewed 1 month ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.