August is here and it's Ingrid's month.This is the month of both the birth and death of my (and hopefully your) favorite film star.
I am currently watching the 1939 version of Intermezzo: A Love Story with Susan my employer/mentor/friend Sarah's mother. We were going to watch Notorious, but the DVD player wouldn't cooperate. Anyway, I am happy to start the month with this film. It was Ingrid's first U.S. film. It is essentially a redo of the 1936 Swedish version just incorporating new actors, producers, directors and remaking in English.
I love this film. The music is fantastic, the acting is wonderful and the story carries and doesn't lose anything over time. Leslie Howard was a fabulous actor and though it's hard to buy that he's Swedish, it isn't hard to think that he would woo Ingrid's character.
The film is the first glimpse of Ingrid in America. She walks into her first scene through the front door of the house. She is a young, beautiful, talented, headstrong pianist who loves the family she works for but falls in love with the man for whom she works.
The film is well shot, using trick techniques to make Leslie Howard into a concert (professional) violinist. Howard wasn't a musician and the close ups of his playing are actually made of 3 parts: Leslie Howard's face and chin, one violinist on the frets and another on the bow.
I am proud to say that Ingrid was an accomplished piano player. She said in her biography that it was perfectly natural for her to play piano because that's just what she did and what was expected of her. Ingrid's father wanted desperately for Ingrid to be a singer so the two just went hand in hand. Little did he know, she would only use these skills to accompany her true love; acting.
Ingrid is passionate and powerful when she plays the piano in this film. Though the sound was dubbed by Norma Boleslawski, her fingering is correct and her technique is pretty darn great.
There are a couple scenes where the P.O.V. is through the piano lid upright. This strange framing is utterly gorgeous. It focuses us on her emotions as well as sets a type of stage for the music. There is no escaping the inevitable love affair as well as the emotions and strength of the music itself.
I hope to fill the month with Ingrid films, though it will be hard due to my summer travels. I will be home on her birthday and I hope we can all pay homage.
Joe Frank, a new reader, who has just complimented me by "stumbling" onto my blog and telling me that he likes what I do, wrote this about my Notorious Part 1 post.
"I just stumbled on your blog after searching for reviews on Notorious. I have often told people that Notorious is my favorite film. Usually, I get a blank look in response. Even people familiar with Hitchcock are often not familiar with the film.
I first saw Notorious a few days before Cary Grant died. I was stunned. Classic films aren't necessarily known for deep character development. My prior favorite Hitchcock films, North by Northwest and Rear Window, were driven mainly by story. Notorious is very different. The three main characters are very messed up people. You could spend hours discussing Alicia and Devlin. One question, why does Alicia fall in love with Devlin? Is it for the superficial reason that he is tall dark and handsome? After all, he treats her poorly through most of the film. As a man who has stuggled to understand women,I would like to hear a woman's persective."
Joe poses some fantastic questions, that I don't know have definite answers, but I'm willing to give my opinion based on my LOVE for this movie and my research that has followed the love trail.
I wouldn't go as far as saying "classic films aren't necessarily known for deep character development," personally I think that might be too broad. There are so many different types of classic film that they may or may not depend on character development. I would say a film like Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, A Letter to Three Wives, The Graduate, Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde, The Wizard of Oz depend a lot on the characters. Actually I'd say that Notorious is extremely character driven based on some key elements.
Their location doesn't matter.
Their object doesn't matter (in fact the "Uranium Ore" is the MacGuffin).
Whether or not they are successful really has little to do with their lives.
What the two need is each other. They are polar opposites that are driven away by politics and scandal and driven toward each other by love, lust, affection, beliefs and loyalty.
In these films, what matters is the way the characters interact. In order to have the contrast between characters or the depth that we need to believe they're worth investing time and emotions we need some sort of development of character.
In order to know that Ingrid's Character, Alicia Hubermann is not just a Nazi-whore, we have to know several things:
She didn't like her father.
She didn't have the same beliefs as other Germans.
She wasn't actually a German but a German-American (which at this point in history would have been a HUGE deal).
How she feels about patriotism (My FAVORITE LINE: "waving the flag with one hand and picking pockets with the other").
She is actually quite loyal to her lovers (though she has had many we see that she is reformed by Dev).
All of these elements are almost the opposite of the straight, dark, rule-following T.R. Devlin.
His character isn't nearly as developed. I mean, we don't know what T.R. stands for (I like to think Teddy Roosevelt--it would just be great to have an environmentalist who's name became the "teddy bear" to be Dev's name).
I agree the Hitchcock films you have mentioned earlier were definitely story driven. I mean do we really care who Jimmy Stewart's character is? No. We want to know what the hell is going to happen when Grace Kelly goes into that apartment...EEK!
Though from an Ingrid Bergman fan point of view-- I care who those characters are because they are rumored to have been based on Ingrid and Robert Cappa... But that's a whole different can of worms. Lol.)
NOW I want to get to the juicy stuff-- why does Alicia looooovvveee Deviln?
I like to think Devlin is not as stiff and dark as his first impression lets on. He does little things, "actions not words" as he puts it, that show he loves Alicia. Forexample:
with,"we'recomingintoRio," he then checks her out BIG TIME when she looks out the window. He is obviously intrigued by her and who she is or might be. I find that incredibly attractive, I think Alicia unknowingly does too.
They romp around, they have a great dinner. Though he later forgets it, he does pick up the (liquid themed) champaign.
I think he is the post to her waving flag like personality. If we had two characters like Alicia, they'd bounce off of each other. They'd never fall in love, they'd be too busy competing for attention and fighting for their space. Devlin gives Alicia space. He dangles the steak from a stick, and she wants to know what else there is. It's a perfect match.
I think we should all re-watch the film. I mean I'm always game for that, but this time, pay attention to Devlin. Let it be his story for once. I don't know if you'll be convinced, but I have a good feeling, that you might see more this time to his softer side.
Thank you for sharing your comment, Joe. I hope this wasn't too harsh. I really love talking about Notorious and thouroughly enjoy picking it apart and discussing.
Everyone should feel free to do the same. I'd love to read your opinions about Devlin and Alicia's relationship and what you love about them.
OH WAIT! I forgot to tell you-- What I love about these two-- I totally relate to Ingrid's character in this film. I think more than any other film. I think Alicia is a tough cookie, she's a hard sell and wants things her way. She has extremely high standards and requires someone to love her despite her fallen attributes and lives up to her expectations. We all love Cary Grant (if you don't, you can leave now) so when he plays a hard-ass like Devlin, he challenges her persona. I love this. I hope someday to find that. Maybe he'll look like Cary Grant--maybe not.
The mural was painted by Jake Jahelka from the Bronx, NY.
This is what he had to say about it:
Casablanca Movie Mural
I did this mural a few years ago. I didn't have a painting to hang in this particular spot over an old trunk in my living room, so I painted this picture from a "Casablanca" movie poster. I used an opaque projector to blow it up a bit, and get the right proportions. Then I sketched a light outline and used some cheap acrylics to paint it. I want to do another mural, but I wanted to learn more about how they're done. That's how I found this website. I'll use some of the tips I've read about here. Jake, Bronx, NY
I think the mural is an accurate depiction of the cover art for Casablanca. If I owned a wall, I'd love to have that on it. Come to think about it, Jake, if you see this, how much do you charge? I could have you paint my room at my parents house. That's right Mom and Dad, I'm still trying to redecorate my room there. I'll move 3000 miles away in January, but I expect my room to be mine. Lol. I'm a brat~! :) I love my parents and Classic movies--why not have them in the same space?
I thought since most of my posts are in black and white, that we should enjoy color too. Ingrid was too colorful in life not to have things sparkle around here!
WARNING:This blog is best read while viewing the film. If you don't own the film, netflix it. If you don't have netflix, get in your car and either buy it or go to a rental place. Also-- look here-- amazon!
This entry begins a series of notes about the film Notorious. If you haven't seen the film, these probably won't make too much sense until you do. When you do, they will enhance the film and hopefully help to open up a new realm of film observation for your life.
This may be slightly tedious, so I will probably do it in bullet points. After I am finished talking about the entire film...at the end of the series... I will write a further review. Please feel free to let me know any of your favorite parts, any critiques, anything you feel I really overlooked, and/or just what you think! I really want everyone to be involved in this as much as they want to! :)
Okay-- Let's get started!
Though Alfred Hitchcock was himself notorious for taking all the credit for films, he did work with the great screenwriter, Ben Hecht, to create the script and plot for Notorious.
All of Ingrid's gowns for the film were designed by Edith Head-- she worked on many of Hitch's films as well as with Ingrid many times. Edith Head was the best in the biz.
The opening credits include a slide that tells you the exact time and date of the setting. This is crucial to the plot as well as the historical setting because the audience has to be aware of the "post WWII atmosphere" in which the characters are living. "Miami, Florida, Three-Twenty P.M., April the Twenty-Fourth, Nineteen Hundred and Forty-Six..."
The courtroom shot is framed to give the audience a first person POV (point of view) so that we really get to make up our minds to where the story will go, even though Hitchcock has already determined that.
We have to know that "here she comes" is important because she is the daughter of the man on trial, a Nazi "German worker" (The word "Nazi" is never acutally used in this movie).
At her house, there is a cop outside, they all know it. Alicia Huberman is her name and partying is her game. She and her friends like to party.
She starts to adress the "party crasher" who is a sillouhette of Cary Grant. Alicia is hospitable but obviously a woman of loose morals. Her friends want her to get out and get away from the constraints of the law.
She determines the relationship before we even get to meet Grant as T.R. Devlin.
Oh, now things get interesting. There's one more drink left, they're all smashed. Ingrid Bergman is fantastic while playing a drunk. "There's nothing like a love song to give you a good laugh"She says. "That's right." He says. She is loosely drunk while Grant plays a more stiff drunk. He doesn't live outside the lines.
All of the dialogue in this scene should be paid close attention to because it is all forshadowing the relationship as well as humourous and witty.
"How about we have a picnic?"
Watch where Cary Grant puts the glass after Ingrid Bergman hands it to him. That's not a table.
Take note of what Ingrid is wearing, the zebra print is NOT a mistake, her hair is that way for a reason and she's baring her mid-drift.
"Alicia: My car is outside. Devlin: Naturally."
When they walk outside, he offers her a coat. She says "you'll do." This is incredibly provocative as well as forward. This establishes the relationship even further, and we're not even 10 minutes into the film!
He does take care of her, making sure she's not cold, by wrapping the scarf around her waste. Sexy, yes. Kind, of course. I <3>
She never asks his name this entire night. She's not interested in the long term, only forgetting the past and living in the moment.
Don't drink and drive kids, they're acting.
Notice how the music isn't altering between characters, it's heavy romantic the entire time. I like that, it's different than others.
The footage of the driving is RIDICULOUS.
"Scared?" "No" "No- you're not scared of anything"
"This fog gets me. "-- hilarious
All of the language in the car is well written and extremely funny.
T.R. Devlin is a control freak. Notice his hand.
The rear view mirror shot is well done and classic Hitch.
"Whole family in jail, who cares?"
Notice how Grant never reveals his name, even when he shows the cop his badge.
The cop saluting Cary Grant is a way of showing the status of the character. He is obviously important to the story because he is with Alicia (Ingrid) all the time. He is her love interest. He has just been taken to a different level due to the respect of the law. He is now technically "above the law" as Alicia would be considered "below the law" because of her association with her father as well as her house being under servalliance.
If you are this far-- I just want you to know-- I will be bulletting until Alexander Sebastian shows up in the film. That is the point at which I will break for the next part.
She inquires where the ticket is, he finally tells us his name; Devlin. "Why you double crossing buzzard" This kind of language should be used more often.
The struggle in the car is fantastic acting on both parts.
Best way to end a fight. Judo chop.
The gender politics of this scene are intense. Due to her nature, Alicia wants to be independent, free willed, permiscuous, and in charge. Due to the time and the way that the gender roles (spheres) are constructed, if she oversteps her bounds as a woman, she has to be, naturally, put back in her place. Whether it is physically (which in this case it is), metaphorically, emotionally, morally, sexually (think Scarlett O'Hara), or any other means...by a man. In the 1940s men, especially in America and in Hollywood, were considered in charge. The story has to remained balanced and the setting neuteral for all to be right in the world. There are ups and downs within this film and this theme. Take note of anytime you think that a character is acting masculine or feminine: they're testing their gender boundaries.
I love that even though he Judo chops the crap out of her, he still takes care of her, puts her to bed and also gives her a hangover cure.
Notice how her "rat" falls out and how disheveled Alicia is. This is one of Ingrid's finest scenes. Ingrid always wanted this to be as natural as possible and I think she really achieves it in this scene.
The rotating angle of the camera, from Alicia's 1st person POV is Hitchcock at one of his best shots. Innovative, creative and brilliant.
Another thing that I find really funny about the bedroom scene: There are two twin beds in the room. Now for one: Alicia is single, so why would she need two beds... I mean if her morals are already bent, why not just let her have one big bed to really show how slutty she is? And another point...why did they ever think that anyone would buy the idea of twin beds being acceptable?
Devlin has Alicia at her weakest. He is smart, structured and knows what's best. He is a C.I.A. worker, a patriot and is going to format her into what he wants and needs (both romantically and for the job at hand).
The language here is kind of "punny" thanks to the set up shot. "what's your angle?" "so you could frame me" I just think this is funny, if you don't, read anything Donald Spoto has written about Hitch and Ingrid Bergman.
This is the scene that we find out about the job.
Best line ever about "patriotism."
IMPORTANT: The idea of making a film that questions patriotism, loyalties, American morals, morals in general as well as going after the "German war machine" in South America could have caused major problems for this production. The film wrapped just before they released that Uranium ore was used in the bombs dropped on Japan. International relations had to be carefully conducted at this time and the themes and plot of this story really tested those ideals. The idea of working with possible traitors and prostituting a woman for American gain would not be highly gratifying to the American ideals of the time. I find this a really bad ass way to hit movie goers with a 1-2 punch!
She says she doesn't go for patriots...or does she!?
He has the evidence, she doesn't want to hear it, again he is in control.
We find that she is actually a patriot, just not into patriotism as a whole.
While listening to the recording, Alicia gives us the first emotions and cracks in her tough act begin to form. He also softens while he sees her soften.
She's still wearing the scarf. Lol. I love the walk of shame!
The boat captain is great comic relief. We need this up and down in the plot. Keeps the tension alive.
Alicia and Devlin are so obviously intrigued by one another. Classic sexual tension... I love it.
The airplane set up is a great branching effect. It allows for us to find out that her father has killed himself, part of the plan, who the boss is, and where they are going--more specifically. We also get the first signs of Devlin's serious attraction and Alicia's emotions. She is only soft when she opens up to Devlin, around anyone else, she can put on a front.
This shot of her across his lap is a great juxtaposition. They sort of switch roles for a second. They are both interested in different things all at once. They are in two different worlds. She is paying attention to Rio, he is paying attention to her beauty. It is almost like a painting. They forget who they are, or seem to be, without any inhibitions. Crafty technique. Intellegently used timing.
The way Devlin and Alicia are sitting at the cafe is something to which you definitely pay attention. Notice where they are sitting, how they are sitting and what they are doing. There is a transition towards the end of this "Part" which I will note later, when Alexander Sebastian comes onto the scene and the seating is a crucial, quick and somewhat of an overlooked transitional factor. It is one of my FAVORITE transitions in film, bar none.
Alica states how she doesn't mind cleaning but hates to cook. Important characteristic that is reiterated later.
The back drops are great, sound stage, fake, yet still so believable.
The dialogue here is unbeatable.
He says "yes ma'am" which indicates their relationship is farther along, she has more control. Also evident by her first refusal to drink. He calls her on it and they re-establish their roles.
"No Dev, I'm making fun of myself. I'm pretending I'm a nice, unspoiled child whose heart is full of daisies and buttercups."--All time favorite line in this film.
She taunts him when he asserts himself. They want to maintain their independence and their statuses. It becomes more and more of a fascade as the film and their relationship progresses.
They have assertiveness but because they are falling in love, they depend on each other's opinion--which before--would have never mattered.
She taunts him right into a smooch. WOOT!
Man handled. Dev <3's>
We meet the group of dudes who are the C.I.A. They are in charge of the mission and are a chorus of sorts. By "chorus" I am referring to the classic Greek style of a group of people who remind the audience of the correct/incorrect choices, the plot, the past, the future and what should/shouldn't happen. They are not completely a chorus because they dictate the mission as well. They are there to question the antics of the characters and to set up the conflict. There is a lot of passive agressiveness in this group of gentlemen which only heightens the conflict and swallows the feminine nature that could have thrived in the atmosphere, but is choked out instead. The sweet juxtaposition that arises here is, they are completely dependent on Alicia for the mission. She is a woman, but she is who they have to listen to and the carrier of all information, putting them all below her in stature, though it could never actually be addressed. Sexual politics again!
They are a reassurance of the plot. They are also returning to how the characters were originally set up.
This is one of the most famous kissing scenes in film history. The production codes of the time required a 3 second maximum for a kiss. Hitchcock wanted this love scene to last longer so he worked out some loopholes and ended up with a 3 minute long kiss. The actors stayed as close as possible, kissing on an off, involving the audience and a phone. The scene was seductive, provocative and completely within code. When Hitchcock approached Ben Hecht with the idea, all Hecht had ot say about it was "what's all this talk about chickens?" Hitchcock had the vision and the love of food, but not the words. Those came later. :)
Notice how Alicia decides to drop her hatred of cooking to satisfy her love interest. This is a huge step for a character like this. It shows commitment, selflessness and change. Her character is set up to not care about anyone but herself or what she wants, it's a bit early for her, so she'll be shut down, but it shows humanity in the character as well as potential for change--a nice dynamic.
The actors felt that this kissing scene was incredibly awkward to shoot, but of course came out beautifully.
"Alicia: This is a very strange love affair.
Devlin: Why? Alicia: Maybe the fact that you don't love me....Devlin: "actions speak louder than words" SEXY! haha
The mission is set during this scene and it is wildly interrupted.
Take note of the champagne.
They are too happy for words.
Devlin is rudely reminded of the type of woman he is falling for, not ideal for a conservative type like him.
Jealousy and champagne will give you away!
We get word of Alexander Sebastian at this point... as well as the rondevous point.
Champagne?
The tone has again changed. He is about to shake up her newly established role as housewife and morally straightened young lady.
Back to being a prostitute.
The words in this scene are creative and poinent.
"Right below the belt everytime."
This conflict is simple lack of communication. This type of writing is overlooked sometimes because it seems so simple to fix, but due to human nature, it works and is totally believable.
We now find out Sebastian's motives and what's happening in Rio. The mission is set and they're back to their original roles, also-- they're fighting. Lol.
Mata Hari--sans papers.
"Not a word for that little lovesick lady you left an hour ago?"
"Alicia Huberman, the new Ms. Huberman"- admitting to the change, but they are both unwilling to let it happen and the plot as well as the characters are not ready for it either.
She returns to the bottle --liquid is a notable theme in this film as well. It brings relief and poison to the plot.
When they go riding, it is a sign of status. It also shows how Devlin is in control of the situation and how Alicia would much rather stay by his side and play. Sebastian's curiousity wins as well as Devlin's duty.
Alicia is thrown into the male sphere by men and must therefore be saved by a man.
OKAY-- Major transition of which everyone should be aware!! This is where the "1st act" would end in a play or where there is new conflict. ALSO: Remember how I said to note where they were sitting in the cafe? During this series of dissolves, the characters are sitting in their spots. There is a change. Cary Grant is sitting in his spot on the left in the cafe that Devlin and Alicia drank at in the beginning of their trip. Then there is a dissolve to a restaurant where Ingrid is sitting in her spot on the right. If you connect the two without the black out in between, it looks like they are sitting at the same table. Then when the dissolve is complete, Sebastian enters and takes Devlin's place. This is another switch in romance and stature. The deal has been sealed and now the characters must struggle to find new order.
This is where this post concludes...stay tuned for more of Notorious!
After my last post, I was presented with a task: To reveal my review and opinion on my favorite movie Notorious.
Part of a comment I received, from Emily, was:
"Alexis: Have you ever written a review of Notorious, anywhere? I'd love to read your thoughts on it, as it's my favourite film!"
I know that on one of my blogs, I had discussed my love of Notorious, but I think it was on Seriously? and not here.
This 1946 Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece is my favorite piece of cinema ever created. The film truly won me over, for me to narrow this down, is a feat in itself. I love that someone mentioned it because not 4 minutes ago, I switched on the DVD player and sure enough, I'm watching the movie right now. Ingrid Bergman is WASTED and they're about to go for a drive. I love that she says "My car is outside." Then Cary Grant replies, "Naturally." Beautiful. I could probably pick this movie apart second by second. I could devote myself to every frame, every emotion, the actors, the writers, directors, footage, etc. So now I will take you on a ride, a joy ride through my love of Notorious. "I'm going to take it to 80 and wipe that grin off your face."
The first thing I would like to share with you is my paper I wrote for an application to Chapman University. The objective was to express why a certain film is your favorite film in 2 pages or less. I cheated and didn't double space, and tried to include whatever I could. This was probably the most difficult paper I have ever written. To try and make something that is 102 minutes and part of your heart, soul, and mind, and put it into two pages of 8.5"x11", not an easy task.
The second thing I would like to do would be to section off different parts of Notorious and really break them down. I'm going to analyze the movie... in the way that I was talking about in a previous paragraph. Maybe not moment by moment, but important moment by moment (we'll see how it goes and there's a chance you will learn every possible thought I have about each frame).
The 3rd thing, if I still have your attention, is I would LOVE to have everyone's input during these blogs. I want to know if you know different elements about Notorious, if you have a favorite part, if maybe a scene I mention brings feelings to your life, or whatever...if you totally hate it, tell me, I may stop, I may not... please, no curses (lets pretend the M.P.P.A.A. would be on you, like the would in 1946).
Hope you're still with me here... let's get started! :)
Here is the paper:
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1946 film, Notorious, is my favorite movie because it combines several elements that I admire. The film encompasses the essence of post-war era film, stars Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, director Alfred Hitchcock, and a clever resistance to the production codes of the time.
In Notorious, Ingrid Bergman plays the part of Alicia Huberman, a woman with loose morals who we first see as promiscuous, drunk, and cynical. Whether it is for her ravishing looks, outlandish partying, or deceitful father, Alicia is the center of attention. This character is a prime example of the female Gothic character (a victim as well as victimizing woman) found within post-war film noir. She is wronged by men (particularly her romantic partners in the movie, T.R. Devlin played by Cary Grant, and Alexander Sebastian, played by Claude Raines) and society (the United States C.I.A. as well as the Germans in Rio) but she also makes them her prey. Alicia is, as she puts it, “the Mata Hari— she makes love for the papers.” She is powerful when she uses her sexuality, street smarts, and looks, but she lives outside of her designated gender role, seeking power and freedom that is not rightfully hers (with in the guidelines of the time). She drinks too much, parties too hard, and yet Bergman portrays her with a sensitivity that makes her loveable and believable. She wants Devlin’s love as well as a normal life that is disassociated with her father’s Nazism and her less than perfect track record. This character is complex. She is funny, hard boiled, sensitive and has feminist qualities. Alicia Huberman is a main character, though not credited as such, without her, there is no conflict and no picture and as far as I am concerned, the same can be said about Ingrid Bergman. She is my favorite film character in perfected by my favorite actress.
Cary Grant depicts T.R. Devlin, a mysterious, handsome C.I.A. agent whose first name is never revealed. He brings a sense of humor to the picture that is not at all flighty; it is dark and sometimes shrewd. Devlin acts as the perfect juxtaposition to Alicia’s character. He is supposed to be a man of high morals, a government worker, who follows and uses the rules to their full potential. He is smart and uptight but a romantic when the mood calls for it. His character appears at first, in a film noir fashion, as a black silhouette. He does not reveal his name for quite a while and he is very quiet. I fall in love with this character every time I watch the film. He says most of my favorite lines, including “Dry your eyes baby, it’s out of character.” and when Alicia tells Devlin, “My car is outside,” he simply responds with “Naturally.” Devlin is statuesque in contrast to Alicia’s fluidity. He says so little yet says exactly what he means and exactly what she wants to hear. Devlin is Alicia’s “dream man” and though he (and the audience) has to wait to take her away from her old life, he ends up satisfying her dream of a life of “daisies and buttercups.”
Notorious finds a new genre of drama and humor for Cary Grant, outside of his classic screwball comedy films such as Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, and Arsenic and Old Lace. Both Grant and Ingrid Bergman played characters that were contrary to their public images at the time. In 1946 Cary Grant was seen as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy and the life of every party. in her early career, Bergman was seen as “saint-like” (at the time) due to her previous work in The Bells of Saint Mary’s, Casablanca, and Spellbound. They brought a new authenticity to their acting abilities as well as to Notorious when they starred as Alicia Huberman and T.R. Devlin. Their acting in this film and willingness to break expectations are two of my favorite elements within this classic.
Hitchcock presents several shots which I especially admire. When Alicia is in bed nursing a nasty hangover there is a camera angle that throws off equilibrium with a rotating, first person point of view shot. It attains empathetic, claustrophobic, and nauseating feelings, provided by the character and for the audience. There is a shot on the plane, when Devlin says “…we’re coming into Rio.” Alicia leans over his lap to look out of the opposite side of the plane. He looks directly at her and we see him fall in love in that instant. The shot sets two characters in completely separate worlds: she is focused on the future that lies ahead and he is focused on her. This shot is quick, simple, and perfect. Many transitions in this film are achieved with quick dissolves and fades. My favorite transition of all time is found in this film. The two characters dine at a street café, sitting opposite one another. This is where they discuss love, hate, and all that lies in between. When the mission is set and their bond is put into jeopardy, Devlin is sitting in his chair sipping coffee and Alicia is absent from her chair. The shot then dissolves into a scene at a restaurant where Alicia is sitting on her side of the table, but in a different locale. For a split second, the dissolve looks like the two are sitting together, but as it clears, Alexander Sebastian takes Devlin’s place and the plot ensues. This message is loud and clear but can be missed at first glance. The attention to detail is beautiful. There is one series of shots (though I could go through all of them, if given the chance) that is worth noting. The first is a lengthy shot of Alicia and the tea cup that carries the poisoned coffee. Hitchcock wanted both the cup and Ingrid Bergman to be in sharp focus so he had props make a tea cup three times the size of the original. The tea cup takes on personification that cannot be ignored. The cup’s haunting, human-like presence creates a new suspense that is only enhanced further by what happens next. When Alicia realizes that she is being poisoned and that Alex and his mother know who she is, she becomes panicked and her vision blurs. Alex and his mother become disfigured silhouettes and the sound as well as the lighting becomes distorted. There is nowhere for Alicia or the audience to go and the psychological thriller is fully developed; there is only hope for a rescue. Hitchcock’s resourceful nature comes through in with my last favorite shot. He used a lift that would take his camera, a focus man, and himself to the top of Sebastian’s ballroom for a long shot of the party and would take him down for an extreme close up of Bergman’s hand clenching the wine cellar key. This shot, though elaborately staged, is essential to finding out the weight that this key has for the plot. The key is symbolic of relationships between Devlin and Alicia, the Allies and the Germans, Alex and Alicia as well as others. The ingenuity is amazing and the shot is beautifully accomplished.
Hitchcock’s cunning manipulation of the production code is something I consider very admirable. He found loopholes everywhere regarding morality codes and post-war sentiment, and most famously a kissing scene. The film writer, Ben Hecht, and he created lines that subtly questioned the pro-American ideals of the time such as: “No thank you. I don’t go for patriotism…waving the flag with one hand and picking pockets with the other. That’s your patriotism.” They cleverly created a movie completely about Nazism and international affairs without ever uttering the word “Nazi.” Also, they defied moral standards by working their way around the rules. The three-second kissing standard made by the Production Code Administration was contrived into a three-minute scene where Bergman and Grant nuzzled and cuddled with a kiss here and there. The kiss was awkward for the actors to shoot, but beautiful to watch. All of these elements combine for a cinematic masterpiece and my favorite film of all time.
An avid Ingrid Bergman fan, I am a student of her life and work as well as film, filmmaking and Classic Film in general.
I have my M.F.A. in TV/Film Production from USC School of Cinematic Arts and have been making a living in the business they call show.
Feel free to follow me on Twitter @alexis_morrell
The mural was painted by Jake Jahelka from the Bronx, NY. 
