Monday 2 July 2018

Notorious (1946 Alfred Hitchcock)

Written by Ben Hecht, this is one of those Hitchcocks that at first sight doesn't seem quite as amazing as some of the more obvious masterpieces like Rear Window or North by Northwest, but it's more subtle and definitely wonderfully cinematic, as studied in a little more detail here.  So much of it is in extreme close up - apartment / love scene and climactic end bedroom scene - it's just so intimate. And the long takes also allow two incredible performances from Grant and Bergman.


Some great acting further down the list too - Louis Calhern as the smooth boss, Reinhold Schünzel as the doctor, Ivan Triesault as the killer, Eberhard Krumschmidt the victim, Leopoldine Konstantin (mother) and Claude Rains.

I love 'She must go slowly' followed by big close up of coffee cup.

Shot by Ted Tezlaff, music Roy Webb. There is a region A Blu-Ray and the NTSC Criterion edition is also reportedly good, though out of print and expensive.

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