Rating: 
Summary: Thrilling!
Review: This tightly constructed film by Hitchcock doesn't waste a line of dialog or a frame on the screen. This is one of his best, and one of the very best films of the 1940s. Terse, economical and restrained, it nevertheless inspires heartpounding thrills.
Sensual without a lot of skin, violent without much action, horrifying without the supernatural.Film noir with the added bitterness of a world badly hurt from war, it speaks very closely to more recent events. Ingrid Bergman gives one of the finest screen performances ever by an actress, and Grant and Raines personify the battle of youth against age.
Rating:
Summary: hithcock...what else can i say
Review: This movie rox ...go out and buy it now....Ingird Bergman ?? Come on.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Supplements, Average Picture Quality
Review: As usual, Criterion has gone all out in producing a fine DVD of a great classic. I have to say however, that I was very disappointed in the picture quality. Overall, Criterion has no rival when it comes to producing the finest picture imaginable.
Unfortunately, I have to give the nod to Anchor Bay's DVD of "Notorious". It was nearly flawless, whereas the Criterion version is somewhat grainy in parts and just does not match the Anchor Bay version. Hopefully, "Rebecca" and "Spellbound" will have the usual Criterion clarity.
Rating:
Summary: Hitchcock's Very Best, Period.
Review: First let me reference the only oddity about this film.
The boys Cary Grant is working with, what the heck are they
DOING, just sitting around an office twiddling their thumbs?
Other than that, this is a masterpiece. Bergman is stunning, as
usual, and Grant is very good in a rare serious role. You'd almost expect a wisecrack.
The tension is terrific, not just the ending, but it mounts thoughout the second half of the movie.
The wineceller scene is the best, with Cary not losing his cool under the greatest of pressures.
Get it be-be.
Rating:
Summary: Criterion DVD reviewed
Review: The video transfer of new Criterion DVD version of NOTORIOUS is a bit sharper, more detailed, and has better contrast than that of the Anchor Bay DVD version released in 1999. Unfortunately, it also reveals a lot more film grains. The graininess is not noticeable in most parts of the film unless a direct comparision with Anchor Bay's transfer is made. But in a few scenes, the graininess just cannot be ignored, and could be detrimental to one's viewing pleasure. In spite of that, in my opinion the increased detail and sharpness of Criterion's transfer is still preferrable to Anchor Bay's comparatively softer and darker picture. Regarding audio, it is no contest. Criterion's mono 1.0 sound has MUCH greater clarity, depth, details, volume than Anchor Bay's comparatively muted and muffled soundtrack. In addition, the Criterion disc also includes optional English subtitles while Anchor Bay's does not. The Criterion DVD retains all of the supplementary material from their own CAV laserdisc version from 1991, and it adds some more... There are two excellent audio commentary tracks. One is by Marian Keane, and it deals straight with the artistic aspects of the film by providing scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot dissertations. Commentaries like this are rare, and it is most beneficial to average viewers who want to learn more about the purposes and intentions behind every shot, every cut, every line. For instance, in a seemingly ordinary shot of a grandfather clock inside the Sebastian home, Keene analyzes the composition by pointing out the phallic symbol of the clock that suggests Alex's presence, the adjacent banister that reminds us of his mother, and the flower at the window that suggests the vulnerability of Alicia. Another commentary track, by Rudy Behlmer, was recorded for the laserdisc version, and it is the more common type of commentary, in which the commentator recounts the production's history, the logistical aspects, sypnoses of the lives and careers of the filmmakers, a few anecdotes. Behlmer mentions something omitted by Keane -- Roy Webb's music (which is given a separate audio track on the DVD). At one point, he explains how the RKO Radio Picture logo was removed from the opening credits; but he refers only to the laserdisc version. This DVD version, however, restores the RKO logo. Other extras include an all-too-brief excerpt of the short story "The Song of the Dragon" which inspired the film. There are about 40 production stills, mostly of Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman. There is a section that explains how the many rear projection shots were done (some of the shots are quite seamless). There are a few production correspondences written by David O. Selznick, Bergman, and even FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover in response to the film's treatment of special agents. There are 4 theatrical trailers and short teasers. There is a one-minute newsreel footage of Hitchcock and Bergman arriving in England. There are script excerpts of 5 deleted scenes, and 3 alternate endings in which one or more of the four main characters get wounded or killed on screen. In a moving segment called "The Fate of the Unica Key", Marian Keane speaks on an audio track about how Bergman, during AFI's Lifetime Award ceremony for Hitchcock, handed the Unica key to the director as a token of love and respect (unfortunately, no footage of the AFI telecast is included). Last, but not least, there is a one-hour radioplay version of the film, in excellent audio quality, recorded in 1948, starring Joseph Cotten as Devlin and Bergman again as Alicia (the laserdisc version only has a 15-minute excerpt of the radioplay).
Rating:
Summary: One of Hitchcock's top five
Review: One of Hitchcock's greatest movies, Notorious is also one of his least dated. Even still, it must have seemed shocking to prudish audiences back in 1946 when Hitchcock made cinema history for the longest-ever screen kiss. It's a fascinating tale with Cary Grant cast against type as an emotionally repressed secret service man falling in love with "notorious" Ingrid Bergman, heavy-drinking daughter of a Nazi spy. Some reviewers have complained that the story takes too long to unfold, but I can only assume that these luminaries have been fed on a diet of instant gratification. For me, Notorious is a highly realistic tale of two flawed but decent human beings who gradually overcome their demons. Such a story requires a reasonable length, but two hours and ten minutes is hardly an excessive running time. Notorious is also an extremely suspenseful film with a devilishly clever centrepiece involving an ever-dwindling number of bottles of champagne. I won't spoil the fun for first-time viewers, except to say that this scene invokes the famous quip: "The suspense is killing me. I hope it lasts." And it does, with Hitchcock milking the moment as only he could. Special mention should also be made of Claude Rains, who chalks up another memorable portrayal as the almost-sympathetic villain in love with Ingrid Bergman. A great script, superb performances, and faultless direction: what more could one want from a movie?
Rating:
Summary: Grant and Bergman...The Dream Team
Review: OK 38 reviews already. But again I had to put in my two cents worth. The most tense moment, when Bergman realizes that she is being poisoned. The most romantice, when she is lying on the bed and Grant makes his way to her bedroom and picks her up from the pillow and holds her face to his. A must see.
Rating:
Summary: A Hitchcock Classic
Review: Thankyou Criterion for releasing this masterpiece! In my opinion one of Hitchcock's finest. The performances are spectacular and the suspense is throughout the film. I hope more of his older movies are going to be released on criterion.
Rating:
Summary: Notorious
Review: A very underated movie. Should have easily made the 100 all time flicks.
Rating:
Summary: Another Tense Drama From The Master
Review: "Notorious" is another great Hitchcock drama. The story is set in the immediate post-WW II period. Ingrid Bergman plays the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy. Cary Grant is a US agent assigned to recruit her to crack a ring of wealthy and ambitious German recalcitrants operating in Brazil. Claude Rains is the leader of the German cabal in Brazil. The first minutes of the film felt dated and a bit awkward to me. Bergman's character is seen hosting a drunken party. I assume this is intended to establish her "notorious" reputation -- to make her appear to be a "loose woman". It's not very convincing by today's standards, more like a parody of "loose" behavior than the real deal. Also, there is the whole notion of getting excited about a few unrepentant Germans stuck in Brazil. Again, from today's perspective, they just don't seem likely to be very dangerous. It wasn't Hitler, after all. Just a group of business men who efforts seemed rather inept. They would have seemed much more dangerous in 1946, I suppose. Hitchcock adds some clever touches to the early scenes, though. At one point, a hungover Bergman watches Grant cross the room toward her with her head on the edge of a bed. Some tricky camera work shows Grant as she might see him. By the time Grant reached her, I felt almost as disoriented as she was supposed to be. Once the action moves from Miami to Rio, the tension builds steadily. The Germans, if not a serious threat to world peace, are sufficiently sinister and nasty to arouse active dislike. The plot becomes ever more engrossing as Bergman gets more deeply enmeshed in the deadly game being played out between Grant and Rains. The acting is superb and the story is taut right to the very end. "Notorious" is one of Hitchcock's best movies and a genuine classic. It will have most of you on the edge of your seats. That's where I was by the finish. Give it a try. I recommend it very highly.
| 
