Monday, August 10, 2026

Movie Monday: Hitchcock's Notorious

 

Movie Monday: Hitchcock's Notorious
This month’s anniversary movie is Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious. The noir film was shot in late 1945 and early 1946, then premiered in New York on August 15 of that year before releasing to the general public on September 6, 1946.

Considered by many critics and scholars to be Hitchcock’s greatest film, Notorious combines “an anguished romance shot through with deception and moral ambiguity.” Starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Berman, and Claude Rains, it is one of the many spy/thriller movies put out after the war. Bergman’s character is the daughter of a convicted German spy, and she is recruited by a government agent (Grant) to infiltrate a group of Germans who escaped to Brazil after the war. Shortly thereafter, she falls in love with Grant only to discover that her mission is to seduce a Nazi industrialist (Rains).

Interestingly, the original producer was David O. Selznik, who according to one source, sold the project to RKO for some “quick cash,” then lobbied to get Grant replaced with Joseph Cotten (whose contract Selznick just happened to own). However, Hitchcock and RKO production executive William Dozier invoked a clause in the sale contract and blocked Selznick’s attempts.

Hitchcock wanted Clifton Webb for the role that eventually went to Rains (Selznick’s choice). Most
would agree Rains is the better choice creating a classic Hitchcock villain: “sympathetic, nuanced, and in some ways admirable as the protagonist.” Attempts were made to obtain Ethel Barrymore and Mildred Natwick for the role of Mme. Sebastian (Rain’s character’s mother) were unsuccessful, and Leopoldine Konstantin, considered one of pre-war Germany’s greatest actresses, was selected.
 
As with all of Hitchcock’s work, Notorious was shot almost entirely on a sound stage which allowed him to control all aspects and not have to worry about weather or other outside influences. The only outdoor scene was at the riding club where Grant and Bergman meet with Rains on horseback, and the filming was done at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California. Another issue to deal with was the fact that Rains was three or four inches shorter than Bergman, and there are scenes in which they walked hand-in-hand. A system of ramps were created that boosted Rains’s height, and Hitchcock also suggested the use of elevator shoes, which the actor did.

Well received by audiences and critics alike, the film earned $24M on a budget of $1M. In 2006, Notorious was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Have you seen this classic?

___________________  

Swedish Sunrise (Coming September 15, 2026) 

Espionage. Diplomacy. Resistance. Is there any room for love?

Weeks after being accepted into America’s Office of Strategic Services, Birgit Westgard finds herself in Stockholm, Sweden - “Casablanca of the North.” The job is supposed to be easy: typing and filing. Then her handsome boss taps her to be his “plus-one” at social events where they collect intelligence, plant propaganda, and dance the nights away. How much longer can she remain impervious to his charm?

Silas Cronin is one of the lucky ones, and his plane crash lands in neutral Sweden. Bored with cooling his heels in an internment camp, he raises his hand when the government comes looking for someone who can type. Suddenly, he’s in Stockholm, mired in intrigue and subterfuge, and more than a little attracted to his new secretary who wants nothing to do with him. Is she right that wartime is no time for romance?

Pre-order link: https://books2read.com/u/3RRqyv

Poster -  "Copyright 1946 RKO Radio Pictures Inc." - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image., Public Domain.
Movie Stills: RKO Pictures
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , ,
Location: New York, NY, USA

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)