Notorious (1946)

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Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant headline this twisted love story from Alfred Hitchcock, about a secret service agent (Grant) who entices an aimless drunk (Bergman) to spy on a group of Nazis gathering uranium in Rio de Janeiro. There’s an immediate attraction between Bergman and Grant, but she has reservations about her self-worth and he won’t admit to loving her — possibly because of her past, and possibly because he knows she may not survive her mission. Claude Rains co-stars as the affable Nazi Bergman ingratiates herself to and eventually marries, but as she cautiously probes for information, Rains and his domineering mother (Leopoldine Konstantin) begin to question her true allegiance… with poison at the ready.

Notorious is one of those movies in which everyone is at the peak of their talent and creating in harmony. Ben Hecht’s screenplay is rich in character and subtext. My favorite undercurrent deals with Grant’s madonna/whore complex over Bergman’s character, as he begs for her purity while simultaneously prostituting her to the Nazis. Bergman gives a dynamic performance in volatile love scenes with Grant, and nerve-wracking subterfuge with Rains. Hitchcock delivers, as usual, on creative staging and cinematic technique — including a high, wide angle that comes so far down to the floor and up close to its subject, that a custom crane and elevator had to be built for it.

Notorious is in some ways the most subtle of Hitchcock’s films. In exercises of restraint, every choice and every outcome weigh more heavily than usual. There are no bombs, birds, or psychos propelling the suspense here. The suspense is more character-driven, born of the unspoken love between two characters. There are of course, other suspense games along the way — including a centerpiece sequence involving a key and a bottle of sand, and a most satisfying climax on Rains’ winding staircase. But its the psychological suspense between Bergman and Grant that keep us on the edge of our seat.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains), Original Screenplay (Ben Hecht)