Notorious (1946)

Intro.
I have to admit, I've never been one for suspense films.  I've liked some Hitchcock films, but also fallen asleep on some.  But as January is Cary Grant month, I was determined to watch a few of the pictures considered his best - Notorious being one of them.  Immediately, I was drawn into the story and stayed fixated until the end.  It aired on Turner Classic Movies as one of "The Essentials" and I have to agree, as far as a stellar entry in Hitchcock's filmography, it is also one of the greatest performances of both Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant.  It also marked Hitchcock's first film as both director and producer.

Overview
Notorious refers to both of the Hubermans.  First the father, who at the film's opening, has been convicted of treason and sentenced to 20 years.  Second is his daughter Alicia (Ingrid Bergman), who is a notorious party and good-time girl with society friends and a penchant for cocktails.  After her father's trial, she is approached by Devlin, (Cary Grant), a quiet and mysterious guest at her party.  The two have instant chemistry, but when she wakes the next morning, her hang-over isn't her only source of pain - Devlin is also an FBI agent who was sent to recruit her for a special assignment.  Reluctantly she agrees to go with him to Rio, where they will get further instructions.  While they wait in Brazil, the two fall in love.  This is where the sub-plot begins: Devlin suspects that he cannot fully trust Alicia, and refuses to let go of his principle job - to protect her.  He also refuses to make her decisions, a theme that recurs several times in the course of the film.  Alicia's assignment, which she carries out well, is to reunite with Alexander Sebastian, a scientist who was friends with her father and still very much in love with Alicia.  She encourages him and they wed.  We learn, and then Alicia and Devlin learn, that Sebastian is part of a group of German scientists who are up to "suspicious" activity.  While we never hear their entire plan, we do learn that they are working with uranium, and we see them plot to kill off a member who has said too much to strangers.  When Sebastian begins to suspect his wife of espionage, both plots (the FBI vs. the Germans and Alicia & Devlin's rocky relationship) twist, turn and lead to a great ending.

Highlights
There are so many topics to bring up, but I can't cover them all, so I'll pick two.  First is the unique, beautifully coordinated cinematography.  The unusual shots and angles add to the film's feeling.  There is a scene early on when Alicia wakes up with a hangover and the camera takes on her point of view, tilting up and sideways to watch Cary Grant cross the room.  The second is when she realizes she's been poisoned and fears that she will be killed - the room tightens, characters talk but only their shadows are seen.  In effect, we become as disoriented and terrified as Alicia.  Second of all, there is the way that Hitchcock ties all the elements together like a great novel.  What I especially liked was the champagne.  When Devlin and Alicia are in Rio together and in love, Devlin goes out and buys a bottle of champagne.  On his way back to their romantic night, he is called to the office and given the news of Alicia's assignment.  In order for her to work on Sebastian, Devlin has to give her up.  He forgets the champagne at the office and returns to her to bear the bad news, and you can almost hear the passion fizz out (clearly the party is over, if you pardon the pun).  Later, the champagne plays a key role during Sebastian's party.  Alicia steals the key to the wine cellar in order to allow Devlin to snoop around and find the uranium.  She fears that Sebastian will discover this when the champagne begins to run out and he is called upon to get more.  We start to see the bottles disappearing, we see Alicia begin counting glasses of champagne the waiters present on trays.  It uses a seemingly innocent item like champagne to represent something much larger and remind us of the double layer of plot.

Not to be Missed
1) Claude Rains is wonderful in this role!  He has created a character that is detestable and evil as well as empathetic.  At times you hate him, at times you feel sorry for him.  It's a wide range, but he plays it all with a cool charm that reminds you what good acting is about.

2) Edith Head (who I love!!!) designed the gowns for Ingrid Bergman and they are all lovely!  I'm not at all a fashionista or know anything about it, but I love watching the dresses Edith Head makes.  Check out her list of films here (yes, she did Grace Kelly's amazing dresses in Rear Window and all those dozens of gowns for Shirley MacLaine in What a Way to Go!).

3) The woman who plays Madame Sebastian (Leopoldine Konstantin) is truly terrifying without trying.  I think Alec Baldwin (who introduced the film with Robert Osborne on TCM) hit it when he said the reason she's so terrifying is that she never blinks.  He's absolutely right - during all of her scenes, I think I saw her blink twice.  It's just as unnerving as the off-center camera angles.

4) Finally, the kiss.  In order to subvert the Hayes code of the day that limited on-screen kiss time to four seconds, Hitchcock had Grant and Bergman kiss for several minutes, breaking every four seconds for a quick line of dialogue.  It's one of the best and most memorable of all love scenes.

Review and Recommendation
I loved this film even though I was not expecting to do so.  It has renewed my interest in the suspense/thriller drama because it has so much complexity and such great, powerful characters.  If you've decided you're not really a Hitchcock fan, consider watching this film - it may change your mind!