Notorious

Notorious
by Alfred Hitchcock

Notorious

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DVD details

Actor: Fay Baker, Ingrid Bergman, Louis Calhern, Ricardo Costa (II), Wally Brown
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: Portuguese (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-09-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

DVD Reviews of Notorious

DVD Review: Can a Nazi Revival be Thwarted?
Summary: 5 Stars

A group of Germans, including the German scientist "Dr. Anderson", are living in post-WWII Rio de Janeiro, and are working on a secret weapon. Alicia Huberman has been sent by US Intelligence, and an agent named Devlin, to infiltrate this ring. Because her father had been a known Nazi sympathizer, she has a perfect cover.

Things get complicated. She is loved by both Devlin and Alexander Sebastian, the ringleader of the Rio de Janeiro Germans whom she is to marry in order to spy on him. This leads to many awkward encounters. The secret turns out to be in some of the wine bottles, and there are many adventures in reaching them in the locked wine cellar. Sebastian and his mother catch on to what is happening, and she starts to slowly poison Alicia. The movie has an anticlimactic ending.

DVD Review: Hitchcock's most elegant film; stunning star chemistry
Summary: 5 Stars

Hollywood would never approve this today: the male lead, afraid of women, smacks the leading lady in the jaw, insults her repeatedly, then coldly prods her to prostitute herself (for her country, or for his sadistic pleasure?) before he finally finds the strength to be a man and rescue her.

All this in one of the most elegant films ever made-- and with one of the finest screenplays ever written.

Perhaps this gloss was necessary to lure the viewer into such a dark tale-- and to accept Devlin (Cary Grant) as a lead with whom we can identify. (Well, he's harmless compared to Norman Bates).

But then again, is Devlin really the lead? Or is it Alyssa (Ingrid Bergman), the masochistic romantic who dooms herself twice over for love.

The only character in the whole piece who seems right in the head is the character played by Claude Rains, and he has the little blemish of being a Nazi.

All in all, as suggested above, one of the most perversely brilliant and glittering films ever to come out of Hollywood.

In terms of star chemistry, this is up there with Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, and The Adventures of Robin Hood. And of this list, only this film was directed (superbly) by Alfred Hitchcock.

DVD Review: Hitchcock was notorious for creating suspense this sharp...
Summary: 4 Stars

Holding tension and creating a surreal atmosphere of suspense was a specialty of one Alfred Hitchcock, and so it's no surprise that there are moments in `Notorious' where the viewer can do nothing but sit with baited breath awaiting the inevitable (one moment in particular, where Grant and Bergman are alone in a dark bedroom near the films end, is particularly heart-stopping). What is special about `Notorious' is that, not only are we completely engrossed in the tense espionage storyline, we are also given the added layer of sensual tension between Grant and Bergman that literally sizzles on contact. Grant was known for his charm and natural appeal, but Bergman eats him alive with her emotionally invested performance.

They make a marvelous on-screen pair.

My one, and this is a big one, problem with the film is the lack of plot development. There are three stories developing here, and only two of them are really given the time needed to make us care. First, we have the relationship between Grant's character and Bergman's; second we have the suspense driven plot involving Bergman's placement in the care of Alexander Sebastian (played by Academy Award nominee Claude Rains in a brilliantly nuanced performance); third is the actual reason she is there, to uncover Sebastian's plans. The first two sections of the plot are developed nicely, but when it comes to understanding and caring about `why' she is there, well, it just doesn't mesh as nicely as I would have liked it. The film is relatively short for this type of a film. You could have easily added another thirty to forty minutes and fleshed it out masterfully.

And in the hands of Hitchcock, forty minutes would have been well spent.

To me, that is a big thing because I am all about plot development, and so the lack of texture to that portion of the script left me wanting something more, and I hated wanting that (even if the films closing was mesmerizing in itself). All other facets of the film though, come together effortlessly and just sizzle with excitement. As far as the chemistry between Grant and Bergman is concerned; they nail it. Grant is effortless in his transition from charmer to stone-faced bitterness as he watches the woman he loves take on a job he wishes she'd turn down, but like I mentioned, this is Bergman's show. Ingrid Bergman is one of my all time favorite actresses and her performance here is yet another reason as to why I love her so much. The way that she shifts from floozy seductress to loyal lover to scorned soul to internally terrified prisoner is, in a word, magnificent. Add to her transition the intensely powerful presence of Claude Rains and you have classic Hitchcock suspense.

The supporting cast is also spot on, especially that of Madame Konstantin who played Sebastian's mother Anna. Her presence is a powerhouse, although her character is a bit of a clich? (the overbearing mother type is overplayed quite a bit in cinema, don't you think).

In the end I recommend this film. It is a great movie, even if it could have been better had a little time been taken to really develop a certain portion of the plot. The casting is perfect, the dialog is appropriate and Hitchcock's keen eye for dramatic delivery is more than consistent and effective.

DVD Review: 1946 Hitchcock
Summary: 4 Stars

Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant work well together on this film and have a certain chemistry between them. The film itself is a mystery, suspense, drama, shot in B/W.

DVD Review: Top-Notch Hitchcock
Summary: 5 Stars

This film is one of Hitchcock's finest. Everything is well done-- the script, the casting, the acting, the pacing, the camera moves, the overall feel... it may be as close to perfect as film making gets. The extras on the MGM DVD add to the value. Well done. The transfer and sound are just fine too. Highly recommended.

Description of Notorious

One 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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