Why it's here:
Included as one of my all time favorite films.
Specs:
Just over an hour and a half, black and white. Available on dvd in a beautifully restored version with lots of special features.
Our family's rating on a scale of 1-10:
8.75
More about the film and our reaction to it:
In the commentary to the film, Alfred Hitchcock is quoted as explaining the difference between "surprise" and "suspense." A bomb unexpectedly going off, he says, causes
surprise and you have the audience's reaction for a few short seconds. But, he says, if you first disclose that there is a bomb, allow the camera to show where it is, then, cut to a clock and film people chatting about stupid things, all the while the the viewer is thinking "look underneath the table! there's a bomb! don't just sit there chatting!" -- well, that's
suspense and it can last for a long time.
In
Notorious, suspense is everywhere and used so powerfully, that viewer can hardly breathe. One of the most powerful dramatic devices, for instance, is the camera showing the champagne bottles at the climatic party, fewer and fewer of them, and with each one gone, a growing likelihood that Claude Rains will have to go to the wine cellar. The brilliance of Hitchcock lies in his use of simple objects (like the key to the wine cellar) taking on so much meaning. Hitch can make a
key an object of tension! I found it hilarious that after the movie, while cleaning up in the kitchen, I looked at the counter where my husband's key ring was lying and it gave me a real start!
The film is profoundly good both a thrilling spy story and a powerful romance. The briefest plot summary goes like this: Bergman plays Alicia, who's father is sentenced for treason at the start of the film. We learn that she is a devil-may-care party girl and does not share her father's politics. She is approached by the spy, Devlin (Grant), to do a job for the feds, infiltrating the organization that her father had been a part of. In doing so, she gets close to, and ultimately marries Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains).
Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman are incredible stars and give profoundly great performances. Their relationship is nuanced, beautiful and heartbreaking. They are both loved by the camera and you can just gaze at their beauty for an hour and a half without needing more. But, there is so much more . . . On the spy story end, it is amazing how much tension and fear can be created when there is absolutely no violence, gore, terror or death shown on screen or even threatened. The script is fantastic, and the cinematography dramatic, meaningful and very beautiful. All aspects of the film seem to layer on top of the others to add to the experience. Even hairstyles and costumes are meaningful. Edith Head dressed Ingrid Bergman stunningly and so appropriate to the themes and drama.
Family viewing notes:
Although my 10 year old was impressed with the movie (its hard not to be), I would recommend this one for 13+ simply because the plot is too complex and the human emotion too grown up to really expect most children to follow or enjoy. On the other hand, because there is no real violence nor outright fear-inducing scenes, and most of the troublesome undertones will be incomprehensible to younger kids, it makes a good starting picture for younger people to experience Hitchcock.
The film is full of adult themes - ultimately Alicia is willing to sleep with the enemy and even marry him to serve her country - though, is it really to serve her country?? Oddly, she seems to marry this other man because Devlin wishes it - or at least doesn't tell her not to. There is extraordinary passion depicted between the two (famously, through a very long passionate kissing scene, punctuated for dialog every couple of seconds so as not to run afoul of the censor's 3-second kissing rule). There is also a fair amount of inuendo and slights on Alicia's character for being a woman of loose morals who has been with many men in her life. The double standard for women is unsettling.
Iconic shot:
