Notorious (1946)

Introduction

Notorious is a film of espionage, romance, betrayal, and redemption—but what sets it apart from standard spy thrillers is its undercurrent of emotional torment and moral ambiguity. Directed with icy precision by Alfred Hitchcock, penned by the great Ben Hecht, and performed with emotional depth by Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, and Claude Rains, Notorious is both a taut suspense story and a melancholic love story cloaked in noir elegance.

Made in the immediate aftermath of World War II, Notorious reflects a world shaken by war and uncertainty, where loyalties are fluid, danger lurks behind polished smiles, and love is both a weapon and a liability. With Hitchcock in top form and a trio of emotionally complex characters, this is one of the director’s finest and most layered achievements.

Plot Summary

The film opens in Miami shortly after World War II. Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the American daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, is recruited by U.S. government agent Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a Nazi cell operating in Brazil.

Alicia, trying to escape the shame of her father’s treason and her own reputation as a party girl, agrees to the mission. She and Devlin fall in love during their travels to Rio—but their romance is quickly complicated by duty. Her assignment: seduce and marry Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), a wealthy Nazi sympathizer and former admirer.

As Alicia descends deeper into espionage, she finds herself torn between her lingering love for the emotionally withholding Devlin and the increasingly suspicious Sebastian. The tension ratchets up when Alicia discovers the Nazis’ secret operation hidden in Sebastian’s wine cellar—and realizes too late that Sebastian and his mother (a quietly terrifying Leopoldine Konstantin) are onto her.

The result is a slow, claustrophobic poison—both literal and emotional—as Alicia's identity, health, and trust are gradually stripped away.

Performances

Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman

This may be Ingrid Bergman’s finest performance. She plays Alicia as a wounded soul who masks her pain behind a veneer of sophistication and recklessness. Her longing for Devlin’s love—and her heartbreak at his coldness—bleeds through every glance and movement. In a role that could have been reduced to femme fatale or tragic heroine, Bergman instead delivers a full-bodied portrait of conflicted femininity, strength, and vulnerability.

Alicia is both used and discarded by the government and Devlin alike, and Bergman captures that slow disintegration with haunting grace.

Cary Grant as Devlin

This is one of Cary Grant’s most emotionally restrained and complex roles. Devlin is cold, professional, and emotionally unavailable—deeply in love with Alicia but unwilling to protect her or admit his feelings. Grant plays Devlin not as a suave hero but as a flawed, emotionally constipated man caught between patriotic duty and personal fear.

His stiffness makes Alicia’s suffering all the more agonizing, and when he finally acts, it’s both a redemptive gesture and a recognition of his earlier moral cowardice.

Claude Rains as Alexander Sebastian

Rains is superb as the elegant but insecure Sebastian. He's not a traditional villain—he's more pathetic than monstrous, driven by love and fear rather than cruelty. His hurt when he realizes Alicia has betrayed him is real, and even as he becomes complicit in poisoning her, there's a tragic quality to his character. Rains imbues Sebastian with dignity and pathos, making him one of Hitchcock’s most sympathetic antagonists.

Direction and Style

Hitchcock is at his absolute best in Notorious. The film features some of the most inventive and expressive camerawork of his career. One of the most famous shots in cinema history occurs at a party in Sebastian’s mansion: a slow crane shot that begins at a wide view of a grand room and ends on a close-up of a key in Alicia’s hand. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling—building tension and conveying plot without a single word.

The film’s pacing is deliberate, not fast-moving by modern standards, but rich with atmosphere and psychological depth. Hitchcock’s restraint makes every gesture—every glance, kiss, or movement—feel loaded with meaning.

He also makes brilliant use of confined spaces. From Alicia’s bedroom to the wine cellar to the final slow descent down Sebastian’s staircase, the film becomes increasingly claustrophobic, mirroring Alicia’s dwindling control over her life and body.

Themes and Subtext

Love and Emotional Repression

The film’s most devastating element is the emotional repression between Devlin and Alicia. Their love story is marked by pride, fear, and mutual failure. Devlin cannot protect the woman he loves, and Alicia cannot endure being used as bait. Their lack of communication is as tragic as any poison plot.

Espionage as Moral Corruption

Unlike many spy films, Notorious doesn’t glamorize espionage. It shows the human cost of using people as pawns—particularly women. Alicia is expected to sleep with a man she doesn’t love and marry him, all for the sake of national security. The toll this takes on her is rendered with subtle horror.

Secrets and Surveillance

Hitchcock’s obsession with voyeurism and secrets is again central here. Everyone is watching everyone. Alicia is watched by Sebastian, by his mother, by Devlin, by the government. She has no privacy, no safety, no sense of self. Even love becomes transactional and scrutinized.

The Kiss That Changed Hollywood

The film features what was then the longest on-screen kiss in American film—nearly 3 minutes—accomplished by having the actors break contact every few seconds to comply with the Hays Code. The result is one of the most erotically charged scenes of its time. Bergman and Grant weave in and out of embrace, speaking softly, their bodies barely apart—proving that sensuality, when handled with restraint, is far more powerful than explicitness.

Critical Reception & Legacy

Upon its release, Notorious was a critical and commercial success. It was nominated for two Academy Awards:

Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains)

Best Original Screenplay (Ben Hecht)

Though it didn’t win, its impact was lasting. Over time, it has grown in reputation and is now widely considered one of Hitchcock’s top five films, often ranked alongside Vertigo, Psycho, and Rear Window.

It's also viewed as a high-water mark of classic Hollywood cinema—blending noir, romance, and political commentary into something singular and enduring.

In 2006, Notorious was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for its “cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.”

Verdict

Notorious is an exquisitely crafted, emotionally devastating thriller that transcends genre. It’s a film about love and power, identity and trust, played out on a stage of international intrigue but rooted in deeply personal stakes. Hitchcock’s direction is at its most elegant and understated, while the performances — especially from Bergman — are rich with nuance and pathos.

This is not just a Hitchcock classic, but a masterpiece of cinema — as haunting in its emotional cruelty as it is dazzling in its style.