Notorious (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Hitchcock was the greatest director and made many masterpieces but Notorious was by far the best. And that places this film in the group of finest ever made. Every aspect is superb. These were the finest performances ever given by Grant, Bergman and Rains, and that would be due to the material and director. There is intense chemistry between Grant and Bergman, with Grant showing rare vulnerability and pain. The supporting cast was exceedingly strong. The writing is exquisite. The camera work and editing are masterpieces in their own right. With all elements available at the highest level, Hitchcock was able to fully display his genius. The only flaw I know of was the decision to not use the early scene written by Ben Hecht in which Alicia is shown as a kept woman who is dumped by a New York business man. Although her "notorious" character is alluded to in the movie that scene painted a vivid picture of just how lacking in scruples and adrift she was. It would have made her change of character more dramatic and compelling. But Hitchcock at that point in his career had less control and could not insist on keeping great material. Hecht's writing of that scene is powerful and should be read by students of this production. Hitchcock said in interviews that an early experience as a child made him deathly afraid of the police. In this film he not too subtly takes a shot at the authorities for forcing a woman to have sex with someone in order to infiltrate a criminal organization. Although she is criticized by government agents for lacking morality we see it is they who actually have none as they have no hesitation to pressure her into appalling sexual conduct, basically making her a prostitute. North by Northwest, also considered one of Hitchcock's best, was essentially a remake of Notorious but lighter and with moments of humor. Again the theme is a woman who is used by US intelligence to spy on an enemy agent. The significant difference, which makes NBNW less horrible to contemplate, is that the woman was already having an affair with the villain when approached by the US agency. Yet the Cary Grant character openly criticizes the agency for "asking women to bed down" with adversaries. That is Hitchcock speaking through Grant. That's exactly what Alicia was asked to do in Notorious, and unlike the intelligence employees who lacked any sense of morality, she had a problem with it. That is the irony. She was "notorious" for being loose sexually but the government actually was more lacking in morality. Both movies involve a love triangle with a foreign agent, but in Notorious the female character loves only one of the men. The other significant difference is that Notorious is primarily about the female character, Alicia, whereas North By Northwest focuses on the male, Thornhill. In both of these movies, Hitchcock openly criticizes the authorities for their lack of morality, and their belief that the end justified the means, causing them to appear little better than their targets. It was one of the few messages in his films. The other was showing the perspective of birds who were eaten and caged, and fight back. Notorious is unique among Hitchcock films for its intense romantic power. The acting in Notorious has the greatest depth of any of his films. The superb writing by Ben Hecht also raises this film above other Hitchcock movies. The excruciating love triangle where the two who are actually in love are placed in an impossible and almost unendurable situation, one being forced to marry a person who she is not in love with and the other forced to see a woman he loves have sex with another man, perfectly acted, makes this film endlessly fascinating. When the unloved member of the triangle then attempts to murder the one who has betrayed him, while continuing to feign affection, and finally in desperation seeks an alliance with his adversaries, the compelling emotional roller coaster reaches its conclusion, leaving the audience exhausted. I'm not aware of a plot that so tortures the characters and the audience. In that way it is psychologically a horror movie, and more intense and macabre than the Hitchcock films that showed actual killings. This movie needs to be released in 4K Ultra.

I really enjoyed this movie! It's another well made Hitchcock suspense movie, with a great acting/chemistry between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman (and the others as well). I'm also very pleased with the Blu-ray video and audio quality from Criterion.

Almost all critics and fans place "Notorious" among the finest of Hitchcock's masterpieces. Maybe not full of psychological horror as with Psycho or terrifying phobias as Vertigo. Nor the homage to voyeurism of Rear Window. No, this film is a dark as night suspenseful spy film noir with one of the most complex, painfilled romances seen on the screen. Hitchcock hits his full stylistic stride here. The one of kind camera work. You'll never think of a simple key ever the same way again! Or the 3 minute long "kiss" that outsmarted the censors. The use of light and shade to highlight narrative and emotions. Dialog that says one thing and means another. Cary Grant takes a risk and plays against type. Claude Rains is as always solid as the Nazi occupying one of the corners of the love triangle. And of course, Ingrid Bergman strides through the film like a colossus. Radiant in beauty. Painful in vulnerability and yet icy strength just underneath. When Bergman cries on screen you really feel it in your bones! The Criterion Blu-ray remastering off of a 4K scan does its best on a pretty marginal and multiple sourced film. Grain is for the most part tight allowing for good detail with nice shadows. Nicks, marks and other film damage has been removed almost totally. A clear, easy to hear dialog is presented in LPCM mono with good fidelity on the score. No distortions or tinniness is present. Typical Criterion supplements are extremely deep and wide ranging with several hours of fantastic info and commentary. So, if you are a lover of classic cinema and especially the work of "The Master" you should have a copy of this in the collection. Highly recommended.

Notorious is definitely one of Hitchcock’s best films (and I have seen a lot of his films.). Thank you to the Amazon reviewers who described it accurately! It doesn’t have as much “action” as his other films, as others have said, but it is excellent and quite suspenseful, particularly the last part of the film. Great acting also! The picture quality is great also. Highly recommend!

This happens to be my favorite Hitchcock film. Gary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains are at their very best. I've probably watched it 50 times. It has intrigue, romance and suspense. Well done!

The story is outstanding, as is the acting. I believe this is one of Ingrid Bergman's best performances. This is a 5 star movie and well worth owning. The restoration is not what I expected.. Three stars for the restoration. Criterion removed artifacts, if there were any. But the film lacks contrast and sharpness. I own a 4K TV which eliminates TV quality as an issue..

I've had this awhile. Decided to have a Hitchcock marathon on my birthday. This movie rocks! The coming together of Grant and Bergman, the assignment, the underhanded wiles of Raines, the nastiness of his mother, all combine to edge you into baited breath. Does she get caught? Does he get caught? Loved the ending! Hitchcock did his thing with this one. (Oh, and I love finding Hitchcock in every movie. He was one of the guests at the party, seen removing a glass of champagne from the table.) Whatever the price was, it was worth it. Oh yeah, and it's captioned.

This review pertains to The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray edition of Notorious released on January 15, 2019. I disagree with the other reviewers here who have criticized the quality of Criterion's latest 4K restoration of Notorious. They compare this new edition of Notorious to other Criterion restorations, but that's an apples-to-oranges comparison. To be fair, I think one has to compare this Blu-ray release of Notorious with the prior editions of Notorious on home video. I owned both the Anchor Bay and Fox DVDs and was never fully satisfied with them. I wondered why Notorious didn't look as good on DVD as some of the other classic films from the 1940's in my collection. Upon researching that, I learned that Notorious' original film elements have not been as well preserved as those of some other films. When Criterion and Disney took on this restoration, they had more work to do than for the typical classic film. For instance, they had to scan the film from three different elements due to damage to the original negative. Criterion's new Blu-ray edition is a major improvement compared with the two DVD editions I mentioned. Several professional reviewers have said that this new release is an improvement over the MGM Blu-ray release that came out in 2012. Compared with the two DVD releases I mentioned, the picture is cleaner, sharper, virtually free of specs and flecks, etc. That's what matters to me. Is it "reference quality" like, for example, Criterion's Sweet Smell of Success? No, but it's probably as good as this film is ever going to look, given the condition of its elements. Kudos to Criterion for this new edition of one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films.

The DVD of the film is excellent: clear, sharp and subtle. The extras are wonderful, including a delightful Lux Radio Theatre Broadcast with Bergman and Joseph Cotten, a real walk down memory lane for me since i listened to that show as a child. The film itself is a great Hitchcock endeavour, showing a new maturity and featuring a complex adult love affair. The story is brilliant, with witty, mordant dialogue spoken superbly by Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains. Grant and Bergman are luminous: The darker side of Grant's screen persona exploited perfectly, and Bergman's range is astonishing, moving from defiance to tenderness to anguish and to love. The two stars seem made for each other. Claude Rains, though the villain, is sympathetic and pathetic in his love for Bergman. And that voice! He possessed one of the most beautiful speaking voices in theatre and film of the 20th century. Hitchcock finally shows that he can handle a real love story masterfully and from this film forward an attractive maturity deepens his work. "Notorious is a virtually flawless film. Orlando

This is a great movie without doubt. I’m sure there are many reviews of the film. The great suspense, and super performances. Clause Rains, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, all superb, but I’m not going to talk about plot or pacing. Let’s just say there is little wonder that this is often voted as one of Hitchcock’s best. The Criterion Collection version of this film is beautifully restored. Crisp and clear from a 4K scan. It’s so much sharper than the DVD. You can see every little nuance that you were meant to. The scenes at the party really shine here, as you can see the details so clearly. As a black and white film, it adds to the suspense. There are 2 commentaries - for people who like to be informed about the goings on behind the scene. There are a couple of featurettes about Hitchcock and the way he storyboarded everything to such detail. There is a Lux radio play of the story with Ingrid and Joseph Cotten. Criterion rarely disappoint with their supplements. And yes, there are subtitles. So if you’ve never seen this movie, this is definitely the way to watch it

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A top 5 Hitchcock film that not enough people have seen.

The sound and picture were great, leaving me to enjoy the best possible version of this fine film. Grant and Bergman both play outside of what we might be used to from them, and while the plot is fairly simple, the interaction between the two is anything but. I honestly did not know what to expect at each turn. Loved it.