Notorious (1946)

Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Available to stream on YouTube

We end our month of Hitchcock films from the 1930's and 1940's with one of the very best -- Notorious. Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant are mesmerizing in this drama of post WWII Nazi intrigue in South America, with an abundance of Hitchcock suspense.

Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in Notorious

Why we love it: One of the best and most suspenseful Hitchcock films, this is a terrific espionage thriller with an Oscar nominated screenplay and fantastic acting by Bergman, Grant, and Rains.

Fun Facts:

• This is the first film both produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. (Hitchcock's cameo is about an hour into the film where he is seen downing a glass of champagne at a party.)

• The "kiss scene" is one of the most famous and talked about love scenes in film. At the time, the Motion Picture Production Code only allowed a screen kiss to last for about 3 seconds. By filming Bergman and Grant close together in the same frame while they walk, talk, make a phone call, and kiss, Hitchcock was able to prolong the kiss scene for two minutes and forty seconds.

"The love scene all Hollywood's talking about" from Movieland 1947

• Claude Rains was nominated for Best Supporting Actor - his fifth nomination. Because he was so much shorter than Bergman (Bergman was 5'9" and Rains 5'6"), he had to stand on a box during their close-up shots. For one scene where Bergman and Rains are shown walking, Hitchcock had a ramp made for Rains to walk on so the illusion of Rains's height was preserved.

• Madame Konstantin plays Claude Rains's mother, though she was only three years older. She was a famous Austrian/German actress and this was her first and only role in an American film.

Leopoldine Konstantin, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains in Notorious

• Watch for one of the most suspenseful shots at the party where the camera starts up high and gradually zooms in on the key in Bergman's hand. A special crane was constructed to achieve the effect in this scene.

Ingrid Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, and the crane constructed for the camera

For reviews, articles, and ads from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.

Featured Cocktail:

Pisco Sour

Pisco is a South American unoaked brandy distilled from wine. Both Peru and Chile claim it as their national drink. This drink was popular during the 1920s and 1930s because Pisco was readily available in the US. Now it is readily available once again.

2 oz (60 ml) pisco

1 egg white

1 Tbsp (15 ml) lime juice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

1½ Tbsp (22½ ml) sugar syrup

Angostura bitters for garnish

Shake all ingredients without ice (“dry shake”). Add 5 or 6 ice cubes and shake again. Strain into chilled cocktail glass or into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a few drops of bitters.

Cheers to the Classics!