Many film watchers tend to forget about Alfred Hitchcock's films in the 1940s, which is mainly due to the success of his films in the 1950s and the early 1960s (most notably films like Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window and Vertigo.) During the 1940s, Hitchcock had made good thrillers such as Shadow of a Doubt, Foreign Correspondent and Rebecca. However, none of these films are as memorable as Notorious, which stars the beautiful Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and features Claude Rains and Louis Calhern among the supporting cast of the film.

Bergman stars as Alicia Huberman, who is the daughter of a notorious Nazi convict who is about to spend the rest of his life in jail. However, the American government believe that there are members of the Nazi party in Brazil that are conspiring to create a weapon of mass destruction and the government believes that Huberman would be the best person to use in order to extract information from these Nazis. A government agency, headed by Captain Prescott (Louis Calhern), decide that agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) should be the man that to allure Alicia into doing the job.

However, Devlin finds out that alluring Alicia to perform the task is easier than he thought it was, and his initial thoughts of her being a notorious Nazi start to fade away when she finds out that she reveals her true feelings towards Nazis and her father's association with them. As Devlin becomes more involved with getting Alicia involved in the case, the more he falls in love with her and the more she falls in love with him.

The two of them start falling in love with each other, but this is all changed when Prescott tells Devlin that Alicia's task consists of having to stay with a Nazi in order to find out about the uranium ore that is hidden somewhere in Brazil. Coincidentally, this Nazi is Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), who was previously in love with Alicia and knows her very well. He is still very much in love with Alicia and when Devlin shows disinterest towards Alicia, she decides to marry Sebastian. Devlin agrees to the marriage, believing that this would help the case. However, it is clear that Devlin and Alicia still love each other, but they try not to show it and we are left wondering if justice will be served (the hope that Sebastian will be arrested for being the infamous Nazi that he is) and whether Alicia and Devlin will get together again.

Unlike many of Hitchcock's other films, this is a romantic thriller and a great one at that. As I watched the movie, I could constantly feel the sexual tension between Alicia and Devlin throughout the film. Anyone who has watched this film obviously knows that the two are in love with each other, but given the circumstances, they find it increasingly difficult for them to show their love to each other.

However, the romance between the two characters could be felt just as much as the sexual tension is felt, and this is shown during the long kiss scene in Alicia's house (this is one of the longest kiss scenes in a film, timing in at almost 3 minutes; this scene represented Hitchcock "pushing open the censorship envelope", which caused controversy around this film and was disliked by many Paramount executives).

The romance between the two lead characters was made more convincing by the acting of Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. Bergman is most convincing as Alicia Huberman. She has a charm that makes her character likeable and Bergman, being the talented actress she is, puts on a solid German accent throughout the film. Grant, on the other hand, plays a different role as the cynical, pessimistic Devlin and he shows a sense of negativity most convincingly. Because of his cynicism, his icy, cold exterior leaves Bergman with the challenge of melting it down. Seeing Bergman trying to melt this and Grant trying to prevent this is great to see and they make this film an enjoyable one.

However, just as interesting as Alicia and Devlin's relationship is the relationship between Sebastian and his mother (played by Madame Leopoldine Konstantin). Like Psycho, the film shows a man being controlled by a domineering, strong-willed mother, and Claude Rains does show a certain vulnerability as the son of an extremely influential and controlling mother. Konstantin is perfectly cast as the mother. She carries herself very well and the aura she leaves around the other characters (especially with her son) is very strong. The supporting cast, led by Louis Calhern as Captain Paul Prescott, are very solid and they truly bring out the best of each of the main actors in the film.

However, the good acting stems from the very tight script by Ben Hecht. Hecht pays attention to the relationships between the 3 main characters (Devlin, Alicia and Alex) and Hecht also focuses on the relationships between the main characters and the supporting characters soundly. I like the way the script examines these various relationships and it drives the film along. Also, focusing on the relationships divert the audiences' attention away from the plot, which results in some very tense moments towards the end of the film, where the plot unravels and this adds a lot of suspense in this film. Great script for a great film.

Because this is a Hitchcock film, the cinematography and editing of this film is nearly perfect. Hitchcock pays heavy attention to these aspects of the film and these aspects play a vital part in the film. The cinematography is used effectively towards the end of the film where the plot unravels, while the tight editing is again used effectively to create suspense.

However, the weak, weak musical score from Roy Webb is inexcusable. Throughout the film, the score was non-existent and in most thrillers (even those in the 1940s and especially in Hitchcock thrillers) relied heavily on the sounds of loud violins and generally, loud orchestral music to add suspense to the film. Webb fails to even use a musical score throughout the film and this is probably why Hitchcock never used him again for any of his films. It's so diabolically poor you even wonder if there is a score to this film.

Despite this, Hitchcock has another winner here. He directs this film with such brilliance that all a viewer (or Hitchcock fan like myself) can do is look in awe. Hitchcock focuses on the little details like he usually does and paces the film beautifully. He takes advantage of a brilliant script and directs a most thrilling film. The long kiss scene between Grant and Bergman shows that Hitchcock was not afraid to "push the censorship envelope", and Hitchcock's efforts paid off as this was a critical and commercial success in 1946.

Notorious, despite the fact that this is one of Hitchcock's lesser known films, is an excellent romantic thriller and this inspired many more romantic thrillers such as the well-known romantic thriller, Body Heat. Despite the fact that it might be dated for modern audiences, this is still a good film to watch by anyone's standards.

Thanks for reading the review.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS