Notorious
1946
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 .. Read more
| Starring | Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern |
|---|---|
| Director | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Genres | Drama |
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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. She is teamed with a dashing but chilly agent (Cary Grant) with whom she falls deeply in love. Because of her past, however, the rigid and judgmental agent refuses to trust her--and their relationship falls completely apart when she agrees to marry the ringleader of the Germans (Claude Rains) in order to have better access to information. The marriage touches off an intricate downward spiral of deceit and betrayal, leaving Bergman trapped in the home of an enemy. If her husband ever discovers the truth about her mission, her life will be in mortal danger. Punchy dialogue animates this action-driven thriller that maintains its suspenseful drama to the very end.
| Starring | Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Alexis Minotis, Moroni Olsen, Wally Brown, Reinhold Schunzel, Ivan Triesault |
|---|---|
| Director | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Studio | FREMANTLE |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 38 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Top Thrillers |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 22 Oct 2001 Production year: 1946 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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This romantic thriller from Alfred Hitchcock caused some disquiet on its release by dealing with uranium at a time when it was still supposed to be top secret. While not as thematically complex or technically audacious as some of the director's later classics, this is among the most purely entertaining of all his movies. He allows himself one moment of technical virtuosity (the stunning crane shot swooping in on a key), but mostly confines himself to spinning his yarn with customary skill. Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant strike sparks off each other, while Claude Rains excels as the lovesick villain.
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One of Hitchcock's finest films of the '40s, using its espionage plot about Nazis hiding out in South America as a mere... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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9 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Notoriously good
The more I watch Hitchcock, the more I come to see his genius as a director of thrillers. Notorious is another example of the great director at work, telling the story of a female spy asked to find out what prominent Nazi supporters in Brazil are planning.
Ingrig Bergman plays Alicia, the daughter of a Nazi traitor in the US who is persuaded by spymaster Devlin (a wonderful complex Cary Grant) to help the US find out what a Nazi group in Rio is planning. As she begins to form deeper associations with the group, even marrying its leader Alex Sebastian. However, Alex becomes suspicious of his new wife and starts to take measures against her before Devlin comes to her rescue.
The film is one of Hitchcock's first in Hollywood and certainly one of his best. Grant is excellent as Devlin, giving an edgy and less charming performance than usual. Bergman simmers with beauty and performs her role with great fervour. Hitchcock again displays his visual flair with some fantastic leading shots, especially involving the wine cellar key. One piece of useless trvial - the long kiss between Grant and Bergman was the longest in cinema history at the time! -
Most recent members' review
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9 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Notoriously good
The more I watch Hitchcock, the more I come to see his genius as a director of thrillers. Notorious is another example of the great director at work, telling the story of a female spy asked to find out what prominent Nazi supporters in Brazil are planning.
Ingrig Bergman plays Alicia, the daughter of a Nazi traitor in the US who is persuaded by spymaster Devlin (a wonderful complex Cary Grant) to help the US find out what a Nazi group in Rio is planning. As she begins to form deeper associations with the group, even marrying its leader Alex Sebastian. However, Alex becomes suspicious of his new wife and starts to take measures against her before Devlin comes to her rescue.
The film is one of Hitchcock's first in Hollywood and certainly one of his best. Grant is excellent as Devlin, giving an edgy and less charming performance than usual. Bergman simmers with beauty and performs her role with great fervour. Hitchcock again displays his visual flair with some fantastic leading shots, especially involving the wine cellar key. One piece of useless trvial - the long kiss between Grant and Bergman was the longest in cinema history at the time! -
News and features
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Lust, Caution
- 02 Jan 2008
Ang Lee's new film - his second filmed in China, after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and his first since the acclaimed Brokeback Mountain - begins with such an intensely observed game of mahjong you half expect the Hulk to appear from underneath the table and scatter these society ladies who have so little to talk about but their husbands, business, and black market goods. We are in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, 1942. The hostess, Mrs Yee (Joan Chen), is sitting pretty. Her husband (Tony Leung) Read more
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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 (...
-