Shadow of a Doubt

Pianist/composer/improviser Ran Blake and coproducer Aaron Hartley celebrate Hallowe'en with two specimens of that most haunting genre, film noir: Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and Claude Chabrol's Le Boucher (1970). Though far removed in time and space, the two films have much in common. Both take place in suffocating small-town settings, and both include the viewpoint of a child whose world is clouded by the "shadow of a doubt" when they realize an admired adult may be a murderer.

Originally a film critic who authored an influential book on Hitchcock, Claude Chabrol began directing films himself in the late 1950s, often turning to a Hitchcock-influenced suspense idiom. Early key collaborators included composer Pierre Jansen, cinematographer Jean Rabier, and iconic actress Stéphane Audran. More recently, Chabrol has featured Isabelle Huppert in a number of starring roles, and since the 1980s his films have frequently been scored by his son Matthieu Chabrol.

Students and faculty of NEC's Contemporary Improvisation department—along with guests—perform in response to the plots, moods, scenes, spirit, and music of these two films as clips appear onscreen. Ran Blake and Aaron Hartley coach a Storyboarding/Noir Ensemble that will play a key role in this concert.