Notorious
by Alfred Hitchcock
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cary Grant, Ingrid BergmanDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); Korean (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Dolby, Full Screen, Import, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-02-07
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Seil DVD
Movie Reviews of Notorious
Movie Review: Hitchcock and Bergman at Their Zenith in Brilliant Thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
It's difficult to identify the exact pinnacle of Alfred Hitchcock's masterworks, especially as he had a most fruitful period during the 1950's until the 1960 classic Psycho, but this 1946 melodrama is arguably his most perfectly crafted and cast film. First, there is a sharp, intensely plotted script by the estimable Ben Hecht that focuses on Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, and T.R. Devlin, an American agent hired to convince Alicia to spy on a clandestine group of neo-Nazis based in Rio de Janeiro. This means she would have to seduce and eventually marry Alex Sebastian, a key group member who has never gotten over Alicia in his heart.
This triangle is embodied by three stars at the height of their powers. A primarily poker-faced Cary Grant portrays Devlin close to the vest and charismatically hides his emotions under a veil of cold arrogance. In a series of scenes that pierce with a subverted eroticism, Devlin falls in love with Alicia but cannot find the courage to admit that to himself or to her. Claude Rains, on the other hand, imbues Sebastian with such an open romanticism and sad streaks of jealousy that we can actually sympathize with a Nazi war criminal a year after WWII ended, quite a daring feat within the film's historical context.
At the vortex, though, is Ingrid Bergman, who probably gives her most accomplished performance as Alicia. At the time, she was deified as the chaste Mother Superior in Leo McCarey's harmless The Bells of St. Mary's with Bing Crosby. Bergman turned a smart corner here as a "loose" woman in love with the bottle until she is transformed by her love for Devlin, at which point, she becomes a stylish decoy to draw the naïve Sebastian to her alluring charms. Ethereally beautiful and constantly pained, she conveys much of her character's feelings through her eyes and subtle facial expressions because she and Grant portray two people who can't admit they desperately want to be together even if her life depends on it. Their failure to communicate leads to Alicia sinking deeper into the morass of some nasty espionage business that ultimately puts her life in jeopardy.
The chemistry between the two legends is palpable, especially in the then-controversial, three-minute kissing sequence that put censors into a tizzy. However, above all, this is a Hitchcock film, the film is filled with his genius for ingenious subjective camerawork and suspenseful set pieces, the latter perfectly illustrated by the party sequence at Sebastian's mansion starting with an unbelievable dolly shot right into Alicia's hand clasping the cellar key, which she passes to Devlin to find what is being hidden in the wine bottles. There are intriguing performances on the sidelines with Louis Calhern as the head of the American agency in Rio and the intimidating Madame Konstantin as Alex's ice-cold mother, both displaying a Machiavellian spirit to get what they want. This is a true classic and required viewing for any fan of Hitchcock, Bergman, Grant or Rains.
Summary of Notorious
NOTORIOUS is Alfred Hitchcock's classic romantic espionage thriller, with passionate, brilliant performances by Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, featuring one of the most famous screen kisses in film history. At the end of World War II, American military intelligence drafts the alluring daughter (Bergman) of a convicted Nazi to infiltrate a band of nefarious Germans who have fled to Brazil. @Imported from Korea. (Some DVDs Have Korean Description on Cover) @Some DVDs Have Several Languages & Subtitles. @High Quality as USA Products. @All DVDs are Exactly Same as Description. @Language: English, Commentary by Merrian Keane, Commentary by Ruby Behlmer. @Subtitle: English, Korean, None @B & WOne of Alfred Hitchcock's classics, this romantic thriller features a cast to kill for: Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, and Claude Rains. Bergman plays the daughter of a disgraced father who is recruited by American agents to infiltrate a post-World War II spy ring in Brazil. Her control agent is Grant, who treats her with disdain while developing a deep romantic bond with her. Her assignment: to marry the suspected head of the ring (Rains) and get the goods on everyone involved. Danger, deceit, betrayal--and, yes, romance--all come together in a nearly perfect blend as the film builds to a terrific (and surprising) climax. Grant and Bergman rarely have been better. --Marshall Fine
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