Rebecca [Blu-ray] | DVD Review

Those looking to curl up with a sleek and stylish thriller could do a lot worse than Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious from 1946. Newly released on hi-def by Fox, Notorious is an engrossing and – at 101 minutes – efficient piece of moviemaking that artfully avoids spelling out every iota of backstory; often substituting mood and nuance for conventional plotting. Notorious is a film that feels very modern, despite its shaggy vintage, and incorporates enough noir elements to remain true to its lineage, while charting a narrative course for the countless spy flicks that followed.

Written by the legendary script doctor Ben Hecht – winner of the first ever writing Oscar for Underworld in 1927 – Notorious is as lean and spare as a haiku. Through just a few laser focused scenes, Hecht and Hitchcock establish their characters’ histories, tendencies and motivations without a single wasted word or gesture. The sprawling plot will involve complex schemes with international implications, yet not a moment feels false, rushed or over simplified. The story gives us only the necessary and savory tidbits, perfectly reduced to the elemental, and Hitchcock commits nary a fumble in its deceptively simple execution.

Set in Miami, Notorious is all about Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, who has decided that oblivion drinking and easy virtue are fine methods of forgetting her troubles. During a sloppy party one night at her beachbox bungalow she meets a handsome friend-of-a-friend named Devlin (Cary Grant) and, several bottles later, Alicia finds herself reeling, both from lust and too much wine. But Devlin has designs greater than a quick roll in the hay. His employer, a nameless U.S. spy agency, has determined that Alicia has the perfect resume for a secret mission to save the world from nuclear destruction, and it’s Devlin’s job to transform this hollow-legged floozy into a competent spook.

The pair embarks to Rio where, amid the sun and sand, a group of well heeled neo-Nazis are up to some vague, but clearly nefarious, project. The group is led by a cultured businessman named Sebastian (Claude Rains), an old boyfriend of Alicia’s from her younger days of respectability. Bergman and Grant hatch a scheme to rekindle this faded romance, and allow Alicia access to Sebastian’s inner circle. But it becomes clear Sebastian’s feelings for Alicia are still very strong and her mission will only be successful if she accepts a hasty offer of marriage. Meanwhile, Bergman and Grant have succumbed to their own secret smooching sessions, adding a personal layer of complications. Does Bergman do what’s noble in service to her country, or follow her heart?

Notorious features a cast of such stalwart talents its reductive story takes on larger and richer dimensions. Rains is fun to watch as an architect of evil undone by his own mushy lapses, and makes a superb foil for Grant. The great Louis Calhern, as Devlin’s boss Prescott, reprises his sleazy diplomat role from Duck Soup – and a dozen other pictures – and it’s a joy to watch this consummate character actor ply his craft. Bergman’s apparent effortlessness is impressive, and few leading ladies could pull off her transformation from Florida party girl to reserved hausfrau as convincingly. And Grant, despite the gravity of his role, glides through with his patented elegance and beguiling sense of imminent wit.

The transfer is very good, if a trifle dirty in a few scenes, and thankfully appears to be devoid of electronic “improvements”. The 1.33:1 original aspect is maintained and in all the film looks like a film from 1946 should look. There’s quite a bit of rear projection here, with varying ranges of credibility, but the colorists have struck a good balance between sharpness and grain. The moody romantic scenes with Grant and Bergman have a soft glow that the transfer sensitively maintains, and all the scenes inter-cut nicely, including the famous drunk driving sequence that combines day-for-night with studio process shots. Again, except for a few specks, Fox has done a nice job with this.

The audio is in the original mono with excellent range and fullness. A music and effects track only is offered as an option, giving viewers a chance to enjoy Roy Webb’s lushly romantic score unimpeded. According to IMDB, Webb composed for over 250 Films in his long career, and his work for Notorious is just about perfect.

Commentary with Film Professor Rick Jewell and Commentary with Film Professor Drew Casper
Two separate commentary tracks are offered, with surprisingly little overlap or redundancy. Jewell deals heavily with the history of RKO Studios, financer of Notorious, and its struggles in relation to other Hollywood giants. Actors’ biographies are presented, and Jewell goes into great detail on Grant’s transition from comedy to drama. Of particular interest is a discussion of pressure applied by the US government on the production to portray Hispanic characters favorably, in order to gain cooperation for real life investigations of Nazi war criminals suspected of hiding in South America.

Casper’s approach is more academic, with a discussion of the characters’ fictional backgrounds and motivations. He cites Hitchcock’s interest in architecture, and his tendency to express aspects of character through architectural details. Casper ultimately proclaims Hitchcock a major 20th Century artist, on a par with Picasso and Stravinsky, and both commentators credit the director with inventing the modern spy film.

The Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious
A host of authors, including Jonathan Freedman, Raymond Benson and Leonard Leff, explore aspects of romance and sexuality in the Hitchcock filmography. Notorious’ basis in the Mata Hari story is discussed, as well as thorough detail on the life and career of screenwriter Ben Hecht. At 28 minutes, the supplement covers a lot of ground, with the bulk of it lively and interesting.

Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster
Peter Bogdanovich, John Cork, Stephen Rebello and a who’s who of Hitchcock experts dig into the director’s catalog of espionage films, and find that Notorious serves as a modern day template. Other aspects, including Hitchcock’s use of familiar, ordinary objects to personify mysterious evil are presented, along with pertinent film clips. The 13 minute segment is must viewing for fans of the spy genre.

The American Film Institute Award: The Key to Hitchcock
A brief snippet from AFI’s ceremony honoring Hitchcock in 1979 is presented, featuring Ingrid Bergman’s reprise of a famous and touching moment from Notorious.

1948 Radio Play Starring Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman
Producer William Keighly hosts this installment of Lux Radio Theater from 1948, featuring Bergman and Cotten in a condensed version of Notorious.

Hitchcock Audio Interviews
This audio only supplement features the director in conversations with Peter Bogdanovich and Francois Truffaut. Subjects include the theme of love versus duty, Claude Rains’ ability to generate audience sympathy and a humorous explanation of the “McGuffan” concept. Hitchcock devotees will enjoy this 20 minute segment.

Restoration Comparison
Through split screen examples, the art of film restoration is demonstrated with select scenes from the film.

Original Theatrical Trailer
The exciting teaser for Notorious is included, and it’s a fast paced affair emphasizing the romantic chemistry between Bergman and Grant.

In the Hitchcock filmography, Spellbound precedes Notorious by a year, but the stylistic differences between the films makes than span seem like decades. Spellbound, a Selznick production, feels stogy and stagebound, its sets clunky and overdecorated; brimming with an insecure person’s idea of good taste. Notorious, produced by Hitchcock himself, feels fresh and contemporary and it’s a fitting battlefield for this tale of entrenched European privilege versus the ideals of a New World. While Spellbound wallowed in shadowy plot contrivances, Notorious attacks its narrative with straightforward, determined vigor. Here, Hitchcock tells a tight, muscular story in a tight, muscular style, and carves the Rosetta Stone for Cold War spy thrillers.

Reviewed by David Anderson

Movie rating – 4

Disc Rating – 3.5