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| Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Claude Rains |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Alicia
(Ingrid Bergman): Well, did you hear that? I'm practically on the
wagon, that's quite a change.
Devlin (Cary Grant): It's a phase.
Alicia: You don't think a woman can change?
Devlin: Sure, change is fun, for awhile.
The
daughter of a notorious Nazi is recruited by the American secret service
to marry a powerful Nazi spy in South America and spy on his network.
 Three
periods in Alfred Hitchcock's long and illustrious career can be identified
as having produced his best works: his English films of the mid-1930s,
in which the Hitchcock style was firmly established, his first golden
years in Hollywood, with first-time access to large budgets and major
movie stars, and his late 1950s renaissance years, that saw his styles
and obsessions come to fruition in a series of mature yet playful masterpieces.
Notorious represents his finest work of the second period. Its
intelligent screenplay is served well by its stars, each of whom deliver
career-best performances, and its meticulous staging is probably the
finest example of Hitchcock's visual storytelling. Nearly all of the
major plot points are revealed by visuals, not by dialogue, and the
continuous friction between what is being said and what is being shown
creates a unique tension that fuels the suspenseful narrative.
More than many other Hitchcock thrillers, Notorious also presents
major characters that are credible human beings, with recognizable flaws
and emotions. Cary Grant's rampant jealousy and professional distrust
keep the palpable romance between him and Ingrid Bergman under pressure
throughout the narrative, while Claude Rains as the Nazi villain is
both moving and tragic in his unrequited love. These great performances
are held together by a visual style of such incredible style and sophistication,
it is truly no wonder that many regard Notorious as Hitchcock's
single greatest effort. |
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A
movie-only disc is available from Region 1 distributor Anchor Bay, as
is an identical release for Region 2 in the UK. A feature-packed special
edition release is available for Region 1 from the Criterion Collection,
which served as a basis for this review.
The
fullscreen image is framed at itr original aspect ratio of approx. 1.33:1.
'Gloriously restored' from the original nitrate film elements, this
is a film that definitely still does look its age, with lots of grain
apparent in many shots throughout the film, and minor scratch and dirt
artifacts still visible on the source print. Blacks are very solid,
and greys consistent and well-defined, and overall this is a pleasing
transfer, just don't expect it to be flawless.
The mono soundtrack has also been restored, making very effective use
of hiss reduction technology, which has cleaned up the audio a great
deal. The soundtrack is presented in the center channel, most naturally
reproducing the original mono sound. Dynamics are of course very limited,
and distortion remains evident on occasion, but this is a most impressive
track for a soundtrack this old.
Long
available on DVD only as a bare-bones release, this great Hithcock thriller
finally gets the special edition it deserves with this fantastic, feature-loaded
release from the Criterion Collection. First up, there are two audio
commentary tracks: one from Hitchcock expert Marian Keane, and one
from film historian Rudy Behlmer. Ms. Keane's commentary focuses on
the narrative and the imagery as it occurs shot by shot. Her comments
are very revealing about the rich layers of symbolism and witty metaphors
that are packed into almost every shot. But the track as a whole sounds
a little flat and over-studied, and her subdued delivery can make this
informative commentary heavy going at times for the casual listener.
Mr. Behlmer's track is much more lively. Clearly an experienced lecturer,
he knows how to engage the listener with his lively, often funny remarks,
as he talks about the film's broader backgrounds and the cooperation
between Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick (whose property this
picture originally was).
The other extras are combined in the 'Notorious dossier' area
on the disc. Excerpts from the 1921 short story "The Song
Of The Dragon", which formed the basis for the project, are included
here, along with some of the original illustrations as they appeared
in the Saturday Evening Post. Production Correspondence reproduces
letters and memos associated with pre-production and an exchange with
the film Production Code Administration to conform to code. This is
fascinating stuff to read, as the production history comes to life in
these letters and memos before your very eyes. Rear Projection
is a segment that consists of text screens and still images detailing
how this process was performed in the 1940s, illustrated by appropriate
clips from the film. A generous selection of Production Stills
holds a great number of behind-the-scenes photos. Among many other details,
we get our only glimpse of the specially constructed platform used to
shoot the long push-in towards the key during the party sequence.
Five deleted scenes are presented in the form of script pages
punctuated by orienting scenes from the movie. There are also five alternate
ending script excerpts that demonstrate very clearly how the characters'
arcs evolved and how the filmmakers strived to make the climax as satisfying
as possible. Fortunately, none of them rings as true to the film and
the characters as the final film's ending does. Publicity Stills
include photos that are more formal - not as candid as the photos from
the production. There are four trailers and teasers, great over-the-top
proclamations of the passion that fuels this love story with exclamation
marks galore. The Fate of the Unica Key is a series of still
images with commentary from Ms. Keane detailing the charming story of
how Ms. Bergman presented this keepsake to Mr. Hitchcock during his
AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony (but somehow it omits the detail
revealed in one of the commentary tracks that she gave him the wrong
key during the broadcast and later mailed him the proper Unica key with
a 'sorry' note).
Two years after the film was released, the Lux Radio Theatre adapted
the film for a radio broadcast. Running about sixty minutes and
starring Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton, this radio play is entrancing
stuff that truly whisks one away to a bygone era of radio plays. Finally,
EXTRA! Arrival at Heathrow is a Pathe newsreel excerpt showing
Mr. Hitchcock and Ms. Bergman (sans make-up) arriving at the London
airport and taking some barbed, publicity-friendly jabs at each other. All
menu screens have a gorgeous, classical design with easy-to-read text
and easy, intuitive navigation. The main menu screen incorporates subtle
animation in the background along with a cue from the score.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Notorious.
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