
The American-raised daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, Alicia (Ingrid Bergman) is enlisted by government agent TR Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a suspected cabal of wealthy Hitler-sympathizers exiled in Rio de Janeiro. To do so, she must play on the affections of an old friend of her father, Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains). This is doubly painful, because Alicia and Devlin have fallen in love…
Although Hitchcock famously opined that “actors should be treated like cattle”, and would later remind an overly-earnest Ingrid Bergman that “It’s only a movie,” for many critics, Notorious marks the first fully-fledged mature work in the Hitchcock canon. While he had dabbled in espionage in many of his previous movies, this tale of subterfuge carries real emotional force.
As the director described it, “the story of Notorious is the old conflict between love and duty. Cary Grant’s job—and it’s rather an ironic situation—is to push Ingrid Bergman into Claude Rains’s bed. One can hardly blame him for seeming bitter throughout the story, whereas Claude Rains is a rather appealing figure, both because his confidence is being betrayed and because his love for Ingrid Bergman is probably deeper than Cary Grant’s. All of these elements of psychological drama have been woven into the spy story.”
Jun 11: Intro by filmmaker and educator, Professor Harry Killas
Harry Killas is Professor and Assistant Dean in the Film + Screen Arts program at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver. His most recent documentary films include COLLECTIVE AGENCY, about a group of seniors who became photo-artists in late life, and GREEK TO ME, an autobiographical documentary about his family and ethnic identity. His research/ filmmaking theme areas include education, the arts, and social, political and other histories. As a curator, Killas programmed seven seasons of the series THE IMAGE BEFORE US: A HISTORY OF FILM IN BRITISH COLUMBIA at The Cinematheque.
Alfred Hitchcock
Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains
USA
1946
English
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Credits
Screenwriter
Ben Hecht
Cinematography
Ted Tetzlaff
Editor
Theron Warth
Original Music
Roy Webb
Art Director
Albert S. D’Agostino, Carroll Clark
Also in This Series
Move through the changing fashions and styles in screen acting in the wake of World War II.
Notorious
In the first of our new Film Studies series, Ingrid Bergman is pimped out by US agent Cary Grant to Nazi-sympathizer Claude Rains (ironically the most likeable character in the film). Hitchcock's classic is a prime example of classic Hollywood star power.
A Streetcar Named Desire
"I don't want realism. I want magic!" declares Blanche du Bois, the tragic heroine who meets her nemesis in her sister's husband, Stanley Kowalski, in Tennessee Williams' great play. Brando's performance as Stanley is a turning point in American acting.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
A young couple accept an invitation for a nightcap with history professor George (Richard Burton) and his wife Martha (Elizabeth Taylor). At first it's fun and games. But what passes for caustic wit soon degenerates into vicious mind games.
Nashville
With 26 actors getting more-or-less equal screen time and half of them singing their own tunes, Robert Altman's state-of-the-nation satire on bicentennial USA is a movie that repays multiple views.
Raging Bull
In the throes of a near-fatal drug problem Martin Scorsese made what he believed could be his last movie. Its subject: the Bronx Bull, Jake La Motta, a graceless but indomitable boxer who never quits beating himself up. De Niro has never dug deeper.