|
|
 |
Notorious (1946)  
Review
The daughter of a convicted
Nazi spy (Ingrid Bergman) is compelled by a government agent (Cary
Grant) to infiltrate an organization of Nazi refugees in Brazil, where
she is used as bait for Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains), an important
figure in the organization. The scheme works well until Rains proposes
to Bergman, which initiates a cascade of suspicion, masquerade, jealousy
and repressed emotions. Hitchcock mixes sentimental romance with fairly
reverberant political spy drama in the wake of WWII – a
Casablanca
with Hitchcock's stamp of paranoia and angst, if you like. The film's
power lies in the obscure and implicit. Nobody ever says or does what
they really want; they are inhibited by their own reserve and the
implications of a world war. When Bergman realizes the danger she's in
towards the end, Hitchcock flaunts his visual skills to tighten the grip on
her and us. The film's final fifteen minutes are so tense that you may
forgive whatever sullen melodrama you've been subjected to along the
way. Claude Rains' Oscar nominated performance is a lot more layered
than what you might think at first. Grant, on the other hand, never
quite gets into his stride in a somewhat unthankful part.
|
|
