Notorious reviews (1946)

Notorious

1946

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Though Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious was produced by David O. Selznick's Vanguard Films, Selznick himself had little to do with the production, which undoubtedly pleased the highly independent Hitchcock. Ingrid Bergman plays Alicia Huberman, who goes to hell in a handbasket after her father, an accused WWII traitor, commits suicide. American secret agent Devlin (Cary Grant) is ordered to enlist the libidinous Alicia's aid in trapping Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), the head of a Brazilian neo-Nazi group. Openly contemptuous of Alicia despite her loyalty to the American cause, Devlin calmly instructs her to woo and wed Sebastian, so that that good guys will have an inside woman to monitor the Nazi chieftain's activities. It is only after Alicia and Sebastian are married that Devlin admits to himself that he's fallen in love with her. The MacGuffin in this case is a cache of uranium ore, hidden somewhere on Sebastian's estate. Upon discovering that his wife is a spy, Sebastian balks at eliminating her until ordered to do so by his virago of a mother (Madame Konstantin). Tension mounts to a fever pitch as Devlin, a day late and several dollars short, strives to rescue Alicia from Sebastian's homicidal designs. Of the several standout sequences, the film's highlight is an extended love scene between Alicia and Devlin, which manages to ignite the screen while still remaining scrupulously within the edicts of the Production Code. In later years, Hitchcock never tired of relating the story of how he and screenwriter Ben Hecht (who was nominated for an Oscar) fell under the scrutiny of the FBI after electing to use uranium as a plot device -- this before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A huge moneymaker for everyone concerned, Notorious remains one of Hitchcock's best espionage melodramas. In 1992, Notorious was remade for cable television; it goes without saying that the original is vastly superior.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Notorious details

Format:	U DVD
Starring:	Reinhold Schunzel, Claude Rains, Ingrid Bergman, Louis Calhern, Cary Grant, Moroni Olsen, Wally Brown, Alexis Minotis, Ivan Triesault
Director:	Alfred Hitchcock
Genres:	Drama, Romance - Thriller
Studio:	FREMANTLE
Collections:	100 Top Thrillers

DVD 1 disc

Name	Discs
Notorious	U Feature

DVD Information

Run time:	1 hour 38 minutes
Rental release:	22 Oct 2001
Main languages:	English

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Most helpful review Notorious

Notoriously good

By Welshwaspy (126 reviews) from London , 08 Feb 2005

[Highly rated reviewer]

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!
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Another great Hitchcock

By Abby88 (167 reviews) from Bognor Regis , 28 Sep 2012

I really enjoyed Notorious. There's a lot of suspense and the film has a lovely feel to it. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman are wonderful.
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dedicated lady

By dancingknight (10 reviews) , 09 Oct 2011

two great actors, grant and bergman. i wish they'd known such lasting and strong love in their own lives as they portrayed in this movie. riveting.
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Definitely Watch

By Ahooters (5 reviews) , 22 Sep 2011

Brilliant film. Thank you, Hitchcock for another great suspense. Grant and Bergman have awesome chemistry and style. Another film that simply draws you in.
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Good old Hitchcock

By BeccyMalloi (124 reviews) from Kersey, Suffolk , 22 Feb 2011

Ok so for me it didnt have the same impact as say Lifeboat, Rear Window or North by Northwest which I absolutely love, but it was still pretty good! I love the little effects he used, camera shots like that must have been pretty unusual when the film was first released; things we take for granted in modern cinema. But team his unique style with the fantastic cast and you've got a winner of a film. The one thing perhaps that let it down for me was the slighly abrupt ending, but other than that- a brilliant watch.
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Notorious

By Miriam from Ealing, London , 30 Jan 2011

Another masterpiece from Hitchcock.

Ingrid Bergman was a wonderful actress, well-matched with Cary Grant in this film.
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