Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Louis Calhern
‘A Notorious Classic’
“Notorious” is directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is written by Ben Hecht and stars Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, and Leopoldine Konstantin. The plot follows a woman named Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) who is asked by an agent named Devlin (Cary Grant), to spy on a group of Nazi friends in South America. Alicia soon falls in love with Devlin, but also gets over involved in a mystery. This film was nominated for two Academy Awards, which included “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay”.
Hitchcock directs this film through many visual techniques and excellent sets. It is shot very carefully through many interesting angles. This may as well be one of the best films he’s ever directed. His visually astounding techniques compare validly to his other films such as “Vertigo” and “Rear Window”. Absorbing and very stylized is the kind of direction that Hitchcock manages to pull off.
The performances are pitch-perfect with just the right amount of charisma and openness. Ingrid Bergman is beautiful and attractive, but she is also very good at acting. This may be her film to prove it. She does a fine job as Alice, while not overshadowing her co-star Cary Grant. Grant is magnificent as Devlin. He represents an actor that’s slick and very special in an individual way. He plays a similar character in “North by Northwest”, but Grant’s still got tremendous screen-presence. His looks are defining for this specific time-period. The rest of the cast including Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, and Leopoldine Konstantin are funny and well-informed in their roles.
“Notorious” is a terrific Hitchcock film. Even if it has a bit of a complicated and jumbled plot, it still stands as any other Film-Noir classic. This is a jubilant example of a great cast working with a legendary director and a detailed script. This is one of Hitchcock’s very best films and is definitely a must-see for any “classical film” fan.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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