starring Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant
I'd been looking forward to watching this one for a long time. Anything with Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock is on my must-see list, and we'd already seen a few clips from Notorious in my film history class. I was hooked.
(Caution: Spoilers)
Notorious lives up to that enticing premise: Ingrid Bergman as a reluctant female spy, doing what female spies do best in Hitchcock films - sleeping with the enemy. (How many times does Cary Grant need to save an undercover agent from being offed by her suspecting lover?) Oh, and she and Cary Grant are in love, of course. He is in the film, after all. How silly of her husband to think he had a chance.
I was very impressed with Bergman's presence in the film. Though Grant rushes in to do the saving at the end, Bergman's Alicia is quite the protagonist. The story centers around her life and her decisions; there are more scenes featuring her without Grant than Grant without her.
While this film is hardly Hitchcock's best - it faces some pretty steep competition in that category - it bears the marks of his directorial style, both in off-kilter visual shots and the suspense/sex plot formulas. Don't be turned off by the word 'formula' - Hitchcock's recipe is one that results in solid entertainment. The two stars don't hurt matters, either.
My one complaint was how quickly it all wrapped up - but as a lover of North by Northwest, I suppose I shouldn't be protesting an abrupt ending.
Notorious is thrilling and fun, and features Bergman as a interesting, complex female center. I'm glad to add it to a growing list of Hitchcock favorites.
Coming soon: Out of Sight, Vertigo, Pulp Fiction, Hamlet
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