Monday, January 23, 2012

Movie of the Week – Notorious

This week’s movie is Notorious (1946).

The thriller is about the daughter of a German traitor, who is enlisted as a spy in Rio de Janeiro with the mission of discovering what the Nazis are up to in Brazil. To do this, she must rekindle the affection of an old family friend. But, problems arise when she falls for her contact in Brazil. The film is one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s best (on loan to RKO by David O. Selznick). Hitchcock worked with a crew that gave him excellent work on the film (but they never made another picture with him), including great music from composer Roy Webb, cinematography from Ted Tetzlaff and production design from Carroll Clark. Carey Grant (making his second of four films with Hitch) and Ingrid Bergman (making her second of three films with Hitch) star, making a brilliant on-screen duo (Grant playing a much more serious character than usual). Claude Rains is very good in support. It is always a treat to see a film directed by one of the top five directors of all-time and starring two of the top ten actors of all-time, especially when they are each on their games. Notorious is a beautifully crafted film that is a must-see for all cinema fans. I cannot recommend it enough. Check out the trailer.


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