Notorious (1946)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writer:

Ben Hecht (written by)

Release Date:

6 September 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Notorious woman of affairs... Adventurous man of the world!

Plot:

A woman is asked to spy on a group of Nazi friends in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?

Plot Keywords:

Spy | German | Wine | Love | Wine Cellar

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Cary Grant	...	T.R. Devlin
Ingrid Bergman	...	Alicia Huberman
Claude Rains	...	Alexander Sebastian
Louis Calhern	...	Captain Paul Prescott
Leopoldine Konstantin	...	Madame Anna Sebastian (as Madame Konstantin)
Reinhold Schünzel	...	Dr. Anderson (as Reinhold Schunzel)
Moroni Olsen	...	Walter Beardsley
Ivan Triesault	...	Eric Mathis
Alex Minotis	...	Joseph - Sebastian's Butler
Wally Brown	...	Mr. Hopkins
Charles Mendl	...	Commodore (as Sir Charles Mendl)
Ricardo Costa	...	Dr. Julio Barbosa
Eberhard Krumschmidt	...	Emil Hupka
Fay Baker	...	Ethel

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Portuguese

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Spain:18 | Iceland:L | UK:U (2008) | Norway:16 (1947) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:16 | Peru:14 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #11261)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Vanguard Films

Trivia:

The set used in this film for the interior of the house of Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains) can also be seen in the RKO production The Locket (1946) as the house of Mrs. Willis (Katherine Emery). This is especially noticeable in scenes filmed in the part of the set representing the second floor corridor.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Devlin and Alicia go to find Sebastian riding horses, when viewed from the front Alicia is nearest to the rails. When viewed from behind their positions are reversed and Alicia's horse has changed from chestnut to dapple gray.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Title card]: Miami, Florida, Three-Twenty P.M., April the Twenty-Fourth, Nineteen Hundred and Forty-Six...
[reporters and photographers converse amongst themselves outside the courtroom]
Judge: Is there any legal reason why sentence should not be pronounced?
District Attorney: No, your honor.
John Huberman: Yes, I have something to say. You can put me away, but you can't put away what's going to happen to you, and to this whole country next time. Next time we are going...
Defense Counsel: [whispering] I wouldn't say any more. We'll need that for the appeal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Casino Royale (2006)

Grant + Bergman + Hitchcock = Chemistry

In Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 film, `Notorious', Cary Grant plays T.R. Devlin, an American agent who employs the assistance of Alicia Huberman, (Ingrid Bergman) a German expatriate whose father has just been convicted as a German spy. Devlin brings Alicia to Brazil in hopes to arrange a meeting with Alex Sebastian (the fantastic Claude Rains); another German spy who just happens to have a history with Alicia insofar that he was in love with her. The plan is to get them together so that she can spy on Sebastian and his colleagues so that the Americans can get a leg up on their mutual espionage. Of course, love develops between Devlin and Alicia, which complicates their operation and of course, their lives.

`Notorious', despite adhering to the chaste Hayes Code of the time has some of the steamiest scenes between two actors that I can recall during that era. While the scenes never get beyond the standard close-ups of their kisses, the chemistry is a heavy physical presence. The acting in `Notorious' is top-notch; Grant and Bergman were at their best during this era. Claude Rains, who is a personal favorite of mine, is absolutely fabulous in this film. He gives his character, who should be hateful, a humanistic quality that makes him an even more complicated figure. Screenwriter Ben Hecht and Hitchcock team up for some pretty intense moments in `Notorious', and compliment each others styles and talents wonderfully. There are not many nail-biting moments in `Notorious', but the script is excellent. Coupled with the superior acting and direction, `Notorious' is certainly a Hitchcock film that should not be missed.

--Shelly