Search - Notorious [Criterion Collection] on DVD

Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1946 DVD Release: 10/16/2001 Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered,Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 42 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 60 Genres: Spy Film, Thriller, Political Thriller, Romantic Mystery See Also: Notorious, Notorious

Though Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious was produced by David O. Selznick's Vanguard Films, Selznick himself had little to do with the production, which undoubtedly pleased the highly independent Hitchcock. Ingrid Bergman plays Alicia Huberman, who goes to hell in a handbasket after her father, an accused WWII traitor, commits suicide. American secret agent Devlin (Cary Grant) is ordered to enlist the libidinous Alicia's aid in trapping Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), the head of a Brazilian neo-Nazi group. Openly contemptuous of Alicia despite her loyalty to the American cause, Devlin calmly instructs her to woo and wed Sebastian, so that that good guys will have an "inside woman" to monitor the Nazi chieftain's activities. It is only after Alicia and Sebastian are married that Devlin admits to himself that he's fallen in love with her. The "MacGuffin" in this case is a cache of uranium ore, hidden somewhere on Sebastian's estate. Upon discovering that his wife is a spy, Sebastian balks at eliminating her until ordered to do so by his virago of a mother (Madame Konstantin). Tension mounts to a fever pitch as Devlin, a day late and several dollars short, strives to rescue Alicia from Sebastian's homicidal designs. Of the several standout sequences, the film's highlight is an extended love scene between Alicia and Devlin, which manages to ignite the screen while still remaining scrupulously within the edicts of the Production Code. In later years, Hitchcock never tired of relating the story of how he and screenwriter Ben Hecht (who was nominated for an Oscar) fell under the scrutiny of the FBI after electing to use uranium as a plot device -- this before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A huge moneymaker for everyone concerned, Notorious remains one of Hitchcock's best espionage melodramas. In 1992, Notorious was remade for cable television; it goes without saying that the original is vastly superior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cary Grant - T.R. Devlin
Ingrid Bergman - Alicia Huberman
Claude Rains - Alexander Sebastian
Louis Calhern - Paul Prescott
Leopoldine Konstantin - Madame Sebastian

No matter how many DVD editions of this timeless Alfred Hitchcock classic are released in the future, this version by the Criterion Collection will be the one to beat. This edition even improves on the already decent video and audio transfers found on the previous Anchor Bay release. Both are much sharper with this edition and the new print is just beautiful, though viewers should keep in mind that the Criterion transfer displays a fair amount of grain. Don't worry -- it was actually quite normal for film stocks at the time to display grain during darkly lit scenes. Likewise, the film is presented in its original full-screen aspect ratio while the Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio track is probably superior to the one used in the theatrical release. The disc also features a bonanza of extras, starting with a surprisingly well- done one-hour radio broadcast version of the movie with Joseph Cotten replacing Cary Grant as the male lead. There are also two audio commentary tracks, one with film scholar Marian Keane discussing the artistic elements of the movie shot-by-shot and one with Rudy Behlmer discussing cast and crew and all aspects of the movie's history. Additionally, there are a plethora of short extras detailing everything from dozens of production stills to a segment explaining how many shots used in the picture contained rear projections. There are even excerpts from the script detailing alternate endings and wonderful newsreel footage featuring star Ingrid Bergman. Many of these extras are well worth revisiting again and again but it would've been great to have had a "making of" documentary featuring surviving participants of the movie on the order of the ones that Universal has assembled for its excellent series of Hitchcock DVD reissues. This small quibble aside, the Criterion Collection has released a wonderful package that will more than satisfy Hitchcock buffs and film historians. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide