Notorious

Rating:
Summary: A Rich Burgundy Wine
Review: This may be the most romantic noir film of all time. Hitchcock used the same stark and opulent black and white cinematography that Preminger used in "Laura" to give this elegant love story set in the world of secret agents a lusciously romantic glow. Who better to bring this across than Cary Grant and the young and beautiful Ingrid Bergman?

From Miami to Brazil American Secret Agent Delvin (Grant) must use Alicia (Bergman) to get close to suspected Nazi Alexander Sebastion (Claude Rains) and find out what is being planned by he and his friends. Her father was convicted of spying for the Germans and playgirl Bergman has been living fast and hard trying to forget until she falls hard for Grant.

She may just be trusted enough to get in and find out, the only problem being Delvin is in love with the reformed Alicia as well but can't tell her. Sebastion is in love with Alicia also and all she wants is for Delvin to tell her not to get close to Sebastion. He can't, of course, and the romantic tension builds side by side with the suspense to create a unique atmosphere.

The romance gets equal billing until Alicia and Delvin discover something in the wine cellar besides wine, and Sebastion realizes she is a spy. Since Delvin has been reassigned to Spain, he may not be in time to save her. The famous staircase scene is just one highlight in a film filled with memorable images.

Hitchcock took an alluring Bergman and a handsome Grant, a tightly writtn and suspenseful script, and made one of the most exciting and lusciously beautiful films in screen history. Ingrid Bergman is lovely and vulnerable and Cary Grant has his hands full keeping his feelings to himself so he can do his job. Don't miss this one. It's one of Hitchcock's best.

Rating:
Summary: Another Hitchcock Classic
Review: Great direction, story, and performances once again. This is indeed a classic that is a must for everyone.

Great features with brilliant video quality from Criterion. Criterion never seems to fail me and once again they deliver.

Rating:
Summary: Criterion is the version to get
Review: Besides all the *great* extras you get with this DVD, there's also about 15 seconds worth of additional dialogue on the Criterion DVD that was left out of the Anchor Bay edition due to reel changes. At approximately 12:54 in the Anchor Bay DVD, 2 of Cary Grant's lines are cut in half & blended together & rendered indecipherable, with Ingrid Bergman's response in between those lines completely cut out! That same scene is approximatetly 13:03 in the Criterion DVD. There's another scene later in the DVD that does the same thing. As far as picture quality, I'm not sure why some people complain about the graininess--it's inherent in the film. The Criterion is restored from earlier prints than the Anchor Bay edition, so the blacks are blacker, the whites whiter. Anchor Bay's version doesn't have as much graininess because it's more faded & softer than Criterion's edition. And unless you have a big-screen TV, you won't even notice any graininess except in 2 or 3 scenes. In any case, this is by far the best Hitchock movie from the pre-fifties era, and certainly in his best top 5 of all time, so even if you don't get the Criterion version at least get *some* version!

Rating:
Summary: One of Hitchcock's greatest films...
Review: Notorious is truly one of Hitchcock's greatest films. In addition to combining incredible suspense with romance, it features excellent black-and-white cinematography and a phenomenal cast. This movie is a must-see!

Anyhow, Notorious is basically the story of Alicia Hubermann (Ingrid Bergman), a young woman of questionable morals, whose father is revealed to be a Nazi agent. When he dies in prison, Alicia is hired by the US government to help investigate another agent, Sebastian (Claude Rains). To do her job, she must work with Devlin (Cary Grant), a mysterious and seemingly unfeeling American agent - who she falls in love with. The movie deals with the investigation of Sebastian's plans AND with the romance between Alicia and Devlin, which is hurt greatly (surprisingly enough) by Alicia's marriage to Sebastian (done in the name of duty).

Hitchcock uses the interesting plot to build almost unbearable suspense and to present an interesting romance between Alicia and Devlin, who at first does everything to ignore his love for Alicia. The acting is truly amazing: Ingrid Bergman is perfect as Alicia, Cary Grant reveals his darker side as Devlin, and Claude Rains makes Sebastian charming in an evil sort of way. Ingrid and Cary are perfectly matched - in real life, they were very close friends, and their mutual respect and warmth is evident in their love scenes, which are amazing (especially the famous scene in which they kiss nonstop while picking up the phone, etc, etc.).

This movie is perfect - every scene is breathtaking! If you haven't already seen this 1946 classic, what are you waiting for? The DVD is excellent and has many special features - but you don't need to buy it on account of that - the movie alone is a must-have!

Rating:
Summary: My favorite Alfred Hitchcock film
Review: As with many serious movie buffs, Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favorite filmmakers, and of the twenty or thirty films of his that I have watched over and over, NOTORIOUS is my personal favorite. Why? I think it is partly because is the one Hitchcock film that also manages to be genuinely romantic in addition to truly suspenseful. Although nearly all his films contain some romantic interest, he by and large isn't nearly as successful with love as he is with suspense and comedy. Interestingly, the other films in which he is most successful with romance also feature Cary Grant in a starring role (TO CATCH A THIEF and NORTH BY NORTHWEST), so perhaps it has as much to do with his leading man as with anything else.

There are so many superlatives about this film. It is one of Cary Grant's finest roles. It is one of Ingrid Bergman's two or three best performances. And it is also one of Claude Rains best movies.

The romantic tension of the film derives on the one hand that T. R. Devlin (Grant) and Alicia Huberman (Bergman), the daughter of a convicted WW II traitor, are passionately attracted to one another and, to their own surprise, very much in love with one another, and on the other hand that Devlin is more than a little puritanical on sexual matters while Alicia has been around the block a few times. Devlin is a government agent charged with bringing her to Rio de Janeiro for an assignment. His male pride is hurt when he learns that her assignment is to meet and seduce a Nazi who the government believes is still engaged in nefarious activities (Claude Rains). Grant is reminded of her "bad girl" past. One of the tragic moments in the film is when Bergman, obviously in love with Grant, wants him to express his love for her, or ask her not to take the assignment. When he stonily refuses to make a gesture, she takes the assignment in order to punish him. In most other Hitchcock films, the romance is subservient to the suspense. In NOTORIOUS, the suspense is subservient to the romance. The scene involving the key to the wine cellar is one of the finest in all of Hitchcock.

The rest of the film is classic Hitchcock. Alicia marries Alexander Sebastian (Rains), and she and Devlin manage to discover precisely what he and his cohorts are up to. Sebastian discovers that his wife is a spy, and makes plans to dispose of her as quietly as possible. And, in the end, the lovers are reunited.

The film was released in 1946, but it had actually been filmed during the final year of WW II, but before it had ended. But the general release was held up because uranium plays a role in the film (though Hitchcock had no idea at the time of the script that it would play a key role in the making of the atomic bombs used at the end of the war). Hitchcock claimed that for sometime he was under surveillance by the FBI because of his references to uranium. Interestingly, Ingrid Bergman was not the first choice to play Alicia. The producer, David O. Selznick, wanted Vivian Leigh to play the role, but as was so oftent he case with Leigh, her health did not permit her participation in the film.

Rating:
Summary: Tea Time with a Hitchcock classic
Review: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman star in NOTORIOUS, from 1946, a top notch film from Alfred Hitchcock. Bergman plays Alicia Huberman, a beautiful woman with a troubled past. She is asked by American Secret Agent T.R. Devlin, (Grant) to spy on a suspected group of Nazi criminals, located in Rio.The situation becomes more complicated when Alicia falls in love and marries one of the suspects, Alex, played with intensity by, Claude Raines. Now its up to Devlin to save her...and to admit that he has fallen in love with her. This film is, in my opinion, Hitchcock's best early American film. Fully restored and digitally remastered for this DVD, the film looks and sounds wonderful, gone is the grainy look of many late late show airings. The soft lighting and striking cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff really stands out and makes this a film not to miss.

Once again, the people at Criterion have put together a great DVD. Some of the standout extras on the disc include an original radio drama version from 1948. Insightful and engaging commentaries from 2 Hitchcock historians that take us through the film. Rare news reel film of the director and the film's star Bergman, nifty promo material, and more. I highly recommend this DVD for anyone who likes great spy/espionge thrillers. The film is unforgettable.

Rating:
Summary: Bergman, Grant and Hitchcock. I'm sold.
Review: A gripping suspense film, filled with love-hate romance. Cary Grant is a great actor, and perfect for the role. For me however, the film owes its credit to Ingrid Bergman. Stunningly beautiful, excellent actor and filled with an attitude that is simply hypnotic.

Alfred Hitchcock does an excellent job directing, as he usually does. The chemistry of these three combined, along with a tightly paced story makes a great film experience.

Rating:
Summary: Love and Espionage from the King of Suspense
Review: Notorious is one of Hitchcock's best movies. And seeing as he never made a bad movie in his life, that is saying quite a lot.
Ingrid Bergman gives an Oscar worthy performance as a formerly sleazy chick who gets falls in love with a CIA agent (Cary Grant) when she is asked by him to go undercover to get information about Uranium from a Nazi. She truly captures the way this character is torn between her love for Grant and the fact that she must marry another man(and do everything that comes with that...) in order to get information from him that is vital to the Americans. It's hard to tell whether Grant gives a good performance or not, because his character is so cold towards Bergman that he doesn't really get the chance to show the range of emotion that we all know he is capable of. ...

Not one gun is fired in this entire movie, but Hitchcock is such a genius that you will be almost falling off of the edge of your seat and chewing you fingernails in suspense of what will happen next. It really gets intense once Ingrid's "husband" discovers her betrayal. I don't want to say too much, but the scene where Ingrid discovers that he has discovered her (confusing?) is really intense. It is brilliantly shot, also. The cinametography gives the effect that Bergman is becoming dazed and on the verge of passing out, as well as the fact that she has just become afraid for her life. Again, there is no other word for it than brilliant. That scene alone is worth buying the entire movie for.

But wait, there's more!! Thank God for giving us the Criterion Collection! There are more extras on here than on two thirds of movies that were made in the last ten years. You really have to love these people. I won't go through what all of them are(there are so many that I haven't even scene them all yet!), but just let me tell you that they are good. Not the usual DVD fluff that is just added as an excuse to make a two disk set and hike up the price. These are quality extras that enhance the film, so you how it was made, and even give you a renewed affection for the movie. This is definitely a movie and a DVD that you can't afford to be without.

Rating:
Summary: The Criterion DVD is vastly superior to Anchor Bay's release
Review: As there is probably little left to be said about the overall excellence of Alfred Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS, I will confine my remarks to contrasting the two DVD editions, from Criterion and Anchor Bay, presently available. If you are a Criterion enthusiast, this decision is a no-brainer. However, if you are new to DVDs or otherwise unfamiliar with Criterion, possibly no better argument for the excellence of the Criterion Collection can be put forward than the comparison of the Criterion and Anchor Bay releases of this film.

I notice that several people have expressed consternation over the high price tag of the Critierion release over the Anchor Bay (39.99 to 14.99, respectively). Prior to the Criterion release, I myself owned the Anchor Bay version, and it is a perfectly acceptable transfer, if you like classic black and white films that have been made to look like television. That is, the Anchor Bay edition offers a crisp, clear transfer, with decent contrast, but the original texture of both the video and audio has been entirely lost. That is, Notorious no longer looks like a film. Perhaps some viewers won't be bothered by this, but I imagine anyone who had the experience of seeing any of Hitchcock's older films on screen will be sorely disappointed with the Anchor Bay release. Moreover, not only is the Criterion release attentive to the texture of the film print, but, at the same time, it takes full advantage of the DVD technology to "clean up" and digitally restore the video and audio. If maintaining this delicate balance between film and a new digital medium requires that I fork out an extra $20 for a DVD that I will watch many times over, I will gladly do so.

And if the excellent transfer of NOTORIOUS is not enough, Criterion has complemented it with an excellent audio commentary by Hitchcock scholar Marian Keane, in addition to numerous other informative extras. This is among the best 1 disc special editions that I have ever encountered.

Moreover, if you love Hitchcock's work, this praise also is pertinent to Criterion's releases of THE LADY VANISHES, THE 39 STEPS, and REBECCA, which are likewise vastly superior to their less expensive alternatives on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: interesting combination
Review: Notorios is a really well done spy movie about an american agent sent to Brazil to obtain information about the local spyrings. While there, the agent played by Cary Grant falls in love with the daughter of one of the men he is spying on. It is interesting to see hitchock to be involved with romance, but he pulls it off well.