 [Larger view] | Notorious - Criterion Collection
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Average user rating:  | |
 Among Hitchcock's Best | |
| Notorious is a wonderfully complex romance set amidst a backdrop of spies and counter spies in post WW II Rio. Ingrid Bergman is Alicia Huberman, daughter of a Nazi conspirator. Because of her familial connection, she is enlisted by the Americans and paired with agent T. R. Devlin, played by Cary Grant, to infiltrate a group of Nazis living in exhile. At first Alicia and Devlin are attracted to each other romantically, but as the mission progresses, their relationship turns bitter. Bergman's character goes so far as to marry the leader of the Nazis, a move which further alienates her from Grant. The Criterion DVD is really quite wonderful. The print is clear and bright, making earlier video and DVD versions look poor in comparison. The critical commentaries by film scholar Marian Kean and film historial Rudy Behlmer are interesting and will add to the viewers understanding of the film and the mastery of director Alfred Hitchcock. Each scene is wonderfully framed and excecuted by this master filmaker. There are plenty of extras to enjoy, but the real plus here is the aforementioned terrific film transfer and the wonderful performances from the key players including a great turn by Claude Rains as Bergman's Nazi husband. If you haven't seen this film, you really won't fully understand the influence Hitchcock had on American cinema. Aspects of this film have been copied over again, but none can come close to this masterpiece. The fact that the three leads weren't even nominated for Academy Awards, is one of the mysteries of this overblown popularity contest. | |
| One of Hitch's Best | |
| I was lucky enough find this on DVD recently, so I snatched it up. Anchor Bay's version has some small glitches in a couple places, but they are very minor and hardly noticable. The transfer is from a good print, so unless you are looking for extra's I see no reason to get the over-priced Criterion version. I am proud to add this movie to my Hitchcock collection, which so far includes Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief and The Birds. This movie with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, ranks among his very best. For those of you who shy away from Hitch's older B&W pictures, don't despair. After about 10 minutes of this movie you will be thoroughly engrossed. This moivie was way ahead of its time in my opinion, and you can clearly see elements in it that movie-makers are still stealing from today. Ingrid Bergman (Alicia Huberman) was never more beautiful and turns in a wonderful performance as the daughter of a Nazi spy. Cary Grant (Devlin) plays the American agent who enlists the help of Alicia to trap a top Nazi mastermind. Hitch doesn't let us down. It's a great mix of action, suspense and romance done in a sort of elegant style that makes this the unique and entertaining movie that it is. Notorious is a great film that you will want to watch again and again. Highly recommended. | |
 Criterion Disappoints. | |
| This is the first Criterion DVD that I've ever owned. I must say, I was pretty surprised by the price, but promises of extra treatment over standard editions of this movie convinced me to go the extra mile and pay twice as much. Notorious is, perhaps, my favorite movie with Cary Grant. Bergman's performance is excellent, to say the least (I think I'm in love with her now). The way that she passionately kisses Mr. Grant excites like no movies can. The look in her eyes makes her seem as though she is truly in love with him; which is exceptional for "acting". Grant's response seem almost insensitive, rejecting her for her "ways". It's very convincing work. The connection between the two characters amazes me, and the movie seems way ahead of its time. Claude Raines plays an overlooked (but perhaps the most important) performance that amazes me as well. Its definately a movie for all fans of classics to own. There's no doubt, in my mind, that this is deserving of 5 stars. It's probably one of my favorite classic films. I have no regrets with buying this movie, but I feel very let-down by Criterion. Their attempts do not justify the jacked-up cost. The extras, at best, are pretty disappointing. The RKO radio broadcast (which is the best inclusion) is fairly sub-par in comparison to the film, especially since it was cut short to fit into 60 minutes. The "deleted scenes" and extras are merely text descriptions in most cases. All of this is material that has been in the Internet fan sites for years. As for the quality of the film; I'm neither impressed nor disappointed. The crispness of the film is certainly excpetional, but it almost feels a bit unnatural for such an old film. The "graininess" that many complain of is visable on a high-res TV or monitor (I watched on my standard TV and my PC as well), but it seems to be inherent in the film master itself. Dust particles and artifacts are pretty typical on older movies. Not bad, but not breathtaking. I'm happy with the video and audio quality. Overall, it's a 5-star movie, but Criterion's effort is a 3 or 4 star attempt for the severe price-inflation. Unless you really must have this version, I can't see why the Anchor Bay release wouldn't be a suitable alternative. The picture quality is different, but each is nice in its own way. I will probably own both (in addition to possible future releases). |
