Joseph Cotten...

Not very English sounding accent either.

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I just watched this version & the original back-to-back, and I think Joseph Cotten's character was a great improvement over the 'father figure' detective. Here's why...

The story is sexually charged. While it's not explicit, it's implied that the husband & the maid are having sexual relations (more apparent in the original), as well as the maid & the policeman, etc. The husband himself is a bigamist. So basically everyone's "gettin some" except for the wife.

Joseph Cotten's appearance not only adds a hint of sexual intrigue to her life, but we get the opportunity to see how hypocritically jealous the husband becomes at the mere tipping of a hat. This is magnified at the music recital where Cotten's presence drives him in to a rage at the thought of his wife cultivating a paramour. This adds more character to the husband (played by Boyer) and more depth to the wife (played by Bergmann).

In addition, Cotten's youthful & athletic character makes it more of an even match when he & the husband struggle in the end. The Cotten version is able to extend that moment of suspense--which man will prevail?

In every way, I think Joseph Cotten adds a lot of energy to the production. Especially when a play is adapted to the screen, that's very important. He is refreshing & different--I agree, slightly out of place, but I think that was intended to give us a new perspective on this classic British thriller. I even think the American accent & mannerisms reinforce that. Much like in Shadow of a Doubt, he is something of a mysterious stranger. The added explanation of his childhood crush on the opera star is a really clever twist which explains his role.

He certainly did seem out of place in the film, and never for a moment convinces that he's even trying to play a Brit, but Cotten was such a fine and charismatic actor that he's a welcome prescence all the same. I don't recall the equivalent character in the 1940 British movie (years since I saw it).

I really never cared if he was supposed to be British or not, I just think that his performance was great overall (of course not as great as Shadow of a Doubt).

I also never paid that much attention to his accent. I thought he was great, and brought a lot to the film. Besides, it's not as though we're privy to every detail of his character's backstory. It's been a while since I've seen this one, but I don't see any reason why he'd have to have a straight English accent. I know he was in England long enough to meet the Aunt, but for all we know he spent some of his youth out of the country and thus his accent has faded. Or anyway, that's how I'm spinning it in my mind to make it make sense. :)

Mr. Cotten seemed to be the American character (possibly British in this one) that seemed to be sticking himself into the middle of the picture in
GASLIGHT
THE THIRD MAN
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS

He was also great in CITIZEN KANE.

I consider the above 4 to be great films. So Mr. Cotten seemed to have no trouble being believable in this role. One great actor. Films improved when he entered the scene.

I also consider THE THIRD MAN to have one of the best ending scenes in film history. Naturally, Mr. Cotten was in it.

I always enjoy Cotten but the problem with his character in this film to my mind is that he essentially is a minor character since the plot is so powerful in the relationship between the husband and wife, with the maid being just another instrument of torture for the wife.
I think the structure of the story would have been stronger if Cotton had been in it more and earlier. But the writers wanted to concentrate on the painful relationship between husband and wife in order to ramp up the suspense; that was the choice they made.