Notorious (1946)

A finely crafted, sumptuously produced romantic thriller that has the distinction of featuring director Hitchcock, and stars Grant and Bergman at their collective best. Even so, Claude Rains manages to dominate almost every scene in which he appears; his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the lovesick mama's boy engaged in espionage comes off as supremely menacing, emotionally ambiguous, and yet oddly sympathetic ... all at the same time.

The film-to-DVD transfer is quite good. There are a couple of jumps and pops in the master print that are a bit jarring, but overall it's a crisp and clean presentation with great contrast. Although the package doesn't mention it, the DVD does offer chapter search/scene selection which is always a nice perk. There aren't any of the bonus features that we spoiled DVD collectors are coming to expect (trailers, biographical sketches, etc.), but it's still a more than acceptable edition of a truly classic film.

The video transfer of new Criterion DVD version of NOTORIOUS is a bit sharper, more detailed, and has better contrast than that of the Anchor Bay DVD version released in 1999. Unfortunately, it also reveals a lot more film grains. The graininess is not noticeable in most parts of the film unless a direct comparision with Anchor Bay's transfer is made. But in a few scenes, the graininess just cannot be ignored, and could be detrimental to one's viewing pleasure. In spite of that, in my opinion the increased detail and sharpness of Criterion's transfer is still preferrable to Anchor Bay's comparatively softer and darker picture.

Regarding audio, it is no contest. Criterion's mono 1.0 sound has MUCH greater clarity, depth, details, volume than Anchor Bay's comparatively muted and muffled soundtrack. In addition, the Criterion disc also includes optional English subtitles while Anchor Bay's does not.

The Criterion DVD retains all of the supplementary material from their own CAV laserdisc version from 1991, and it adds some more...

There are two excellent audio commentary tracks. One is by Marian Keane, and it deals straight with the artistic aspects of the film by providing scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot dissertations. Commentaries like this are rare, and it is most beneficial to average viewers who want to learn more about the purposes and intentions behind every shot, every cut, every line. For instance, in a seemingly ordinary shot of a grandfather clock inside the Sebastian home, Keene analyzes the composition by pointing out the phallic symbol of the clock that suggests Alex's presence, the adjacent banister that reminds us of his mother, and the flower at the window that suggests the vulnerability of Alicia. Another commentary track, by Rudy Behlmer, was recorded for the laserdisc version, and it is the more common type of commentary, in which the commentator recounts the production's history, the logistical aspects, sypnoses of the lives and careers of the filmmakers, a few anecdotes. Behlmer mentions something omitted by Keane -Roy Webb's music (which is given a separate audio track on the DVD). At one point, he explains how the RKO Radio Picture logo was removed from the opening credits; but he refers only to the laserdisc version. This DVD version, however, restores the RKO logo.

Other extras include an all-too-brief excerpt of the short story "The Song of the Dragon" which inspired the film. There are about 40 production stills, mostly of Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman. There is a section that explains how the many rear projection shots were done (some of the shots are quite seamless). There are a few production correspondences written by David O. Selznick, Bergman, and even FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover in response to the film's treatment of special agents. There are 4 theatrical trailers and short teasers. There is a one-minute newsreel footage of Hitchcock and Bergman arriving in England. There are script excerpts of 5 deleted scenes, and 3 alternate endings in which one or more of the four main characters get wounded or killed on screen. In a moving segment called "The Fate of the Unica Key", Marian Keane speaks on an audio track about how Bergman, during AFI's Lifetime Award ceremony for Hitchcock, handed the Unica key to the director as a token of love and respect (unfortunately, no footage of the AFI telecast is included). Last, but not least, there is a one-hour radioplay version of the film, in excellent audio quality, recorded in 1948, starring Joseph Cotten as Devlin and Bergman again as Alicia (the laserdisc version only has a 15-minute excerpt of the radioplay).

Buy Notorious (1946) Now

This review refers to the Criterion Collection DVD of Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious".....

The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, gives us another edge of your seat thriller. He combines, mystery,romance, and the evil's of Nazism in this chilling story.It takes place shortly after WWII. Alicia(Ingrid Bergman) is a woman with a past. Her father has just been convicted of spying. American agent Devlin(Cary Grant), enlists Alicia to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring.After her father's conviction, Alicia can prove her own patriotism by cooperating in this manner. She finds herself right in the thick of things and her own life in danger after she goes as far as to marry Alex(Claude Rains), one of the very powerful, rich and dangerous ring leaders of the group. Alex is on to her and tries to methodically get rid of his beautiful wife.Can the handsome "Dev" rescue the woman he has come to love so much before tragedy strikes.?

You'll delight to find Hitch's trademarks all through the film. The camera angles are definitive,the trademark staircase scene, the passion between Grant and Bergman electrifying,Claude Rains is terrifying, and the story a rollercoaster of suspense filled moments. There isn't a more perfect film I can think of.

Looking for Hitch: A little over an hour in you can have a little drink with him.(Not too much though, the Champagne needs to last the night at this party).

I am always happy to report on a great restoration of a classic film. This one made in 1946 is a beautiful, crisp, clean transfer to this DVD. The Black and White images are sharp and you will notice the attention that was made to every detail during the filming. The tears streaming down Ingrid's face look like drops of crystal. It's amazing. The sound is in Dolby Dig Mono and is very good. There are lots of "extras" on this edition. Among them is some great commentary from Marian Keane(she is a film scholar and talks alot about camera angles and other pertinent facts to the film) which you can listen to during the film if you choose, You can isolate that wonderful soundtrack,there is correspondce between Selznick and others connected to the film,TWO booklets, one about Hitch's Notorious and other films and another listing Criterions releases. And there is much more(see tech info for complete list).There are also subtitles which may be helpful to hearing impaired viewers.

You do get your money's worth on this one. However, if you are not as interested in the extras and are just looking to view this fabulous classic, there is another edition by Anchor Bay which costs much less. Although I have not viewed this particular Anchor Bay Release I do have many others by them and have always been more than happy with their treatment of the transfer.

Kick back with Cary, Ingrid and Hitch for a day of suspense and romance..........Laurie

More Hitch(see my reviews for film details):The Lady Vanishes / 39 Steps

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Notorious (1946) is a stellar achievement from director Alfred Hitchcock and master screenwriter Ben Hecht with Oscar worthy performances from all 3 principal stars, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and the ever Oscar worthy Claude Rains. It is hands down somewhere (arguable I suppose) in the top 5 films Mr. Hitchcock has ever made and sports a truly nuanced and multifaceted performance by Cary Grant who proves in THIS film he is not just a pretty face but a very fine actor who was capable of much more than he is usually given credit for.

With that said, this review will focus on the technical aspects, both audio and video, of this Blu Ray presentation rather than the film content itself. If you are a casual viewer or someone who can not abide film grain, this transfer will most likely be less than satisfactory for your tastes and you could easily get by with the latest DVD version. I am, however, a MAJOR fan of Cary Grant and fully intend to purchase each and every title of his that becomes available on Blu Ray This review is for those of you who are OCD about the video/audio quality of B&W classics and need to know if it is worth spending again for this title. If this sounds like you, then read on!

The disc itself is housed in an appallingly cheap Eco-Case with equally appalling cover art. (I use the term "art" loosely here) The media is of good quality, not the cheap super thin discs that have been going around lately. The disc has color printing on it, the same as the case cover. The transfer uses the AVC codec with an average transfer rate of 38 MBPS on a 50 gig disc and presented in it's original full frame aspect ratio.

I read numerous online reviews regarding this transfer before purchasing, so I pretty much knew what I was getting myself into. I will be right upfront and state that although this is NOT the level of visual quality I had hoped for, it is still a large step ahead of any other transfer currently available. It would take a frame by frame restoration done from an original camera negative (similar to what was done with 'Ben-Hur' or 'The 10 Commandments') to improve much on the visual quality and I am afraid that studio profits trump my own personal wishes here. It is a real shame that Cary Grant's films are not shown the same reverence and care that are given to Bogart's in the Blu Ray market.

Bottom Line: 'Notorious', while a true cinematic masterpiece just doesn't get the same amount of respect shown to it as other titles from the same time period. The image quality at times achieves great heights of both clarity and stability, but at others reveals a troubled and damaged source. I would have to say after viewing that this transfer did NOT come from an original negative or any negative at all, rather from a decent quality print of dubious origins that has been cleaned up and scanned in at 1080p. While the bit rate of this transfer remains consistently high during the film, there is little depth to be had, and at times much noise , chemical damage to the nitrate/emulsion resulting in discolored contrast 'stripes' from time to time , film warping and a few scenes that seem to be sourced from lower resolution material of some kind.

Close-Ups, in particular, are very very good. The fine detail revealed during close-ups easily trumps anything you could ever see on even the best DVD transfer. If you screen this transfer in full 1080p with 24 frames engaged you will be treated to something very very close to a theatrical presentation. Once you overlook the downside of the source material, this Blu Ray can and will provide you with a very nice overall rendering, despite the print damage. Upon close inspection I found no instances of missing frames, although the bit rate is SO HIGH that occasional my equipment dropped one or two from time to time and upon rewinding and replaying it could not be repeated so this was not a fault of the transfer. For most of the film the contrast remains good and on a calibrated display you will mostly see things the way they were meant to be seen, although during the moments when a different source appeared to be used the contrast will be too dark or even too high depending on the scene.

These is all really REALLY picky observations, but I write most of my Blu Ray reviews for people who enjoy seeing their favorites in pristine condition and unfortunately 'Notorious' is not among them. The average viewer will be put off quickly by the amount of film grain visible. Of course if you remove the visible grain, you also remove the TRUE details which exist in the print so I prefer the grain to be left in and apply my own desired amount of DNR if I deem necessary.

Sound quality is fine. It is MONO but rendered in DTS-HD Master Audio into two identical 'stereo' channels. Selecting the stereo option on your receiver will yield a nice mono spread, otherwise your surround decoder may send all the sound directly to your center channel. Either way it sounds fine and there was no instance of any gross level distortion, clicks, pops or excessive hiss, although being an old analog recording SOME hiss is expected and excessive hiss removal can degrade the overall fidelity. The sound is fine, I thought it was actually a bit better than the visual presentation.

Extras included are ported over from the last DVD release and are fairly extensive. Commentaries from two Film Professors, various documentaries on the film and Hitchcock, a radio drama with Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton, the original films trailer, an audio only interview with Hitch by Peter Bogdanovich and more. I watched/listened to them all and enjoyed them very much, being a fan of the film.

Overall, the Blu Ray release of 'Notorious' satisfies me, while still leaving a LOT to be desired. Unfortunately that seems to be the case with many classic Blu Ray releases. The studios are giving us just enough to make us happy, and not much more. This transfer does not begin to reach the heights of 'Casablanca', 'Maltese Falcon' or 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' and that is a real shame. Hopefully the upcoming release of 'To Catch a Thief' will make up for this fairly lackluster Blu Ray. Being a Cary Grant fan, I will continue to purchase every Blu Ray title he is in as it comes out, but like the latest Criterion release of 'Charade', this version of 'Notorious' misses the mark somewhat.

Recommended Highly for fans, but not so much so for the casual viewer.......

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One of Alfred Hitchcock's most complex romances features two of his favorite stars (Gary Grant and Ingrid Bergman) in the lead roles. Set against a background of spies and counterspies, Notorious remains first and foremost a love story. When Alicia Huberman (Bergman), the daughter of a convicted Nazi is hired as a double agent, she discovers she's in for more than she bargained for. While assigned to uncover scientific secrets from Germans hiding in Brazil, Bergman makes the ultimate sacrifice for her country by marrying her father's former conspirator, Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains). Bergman is desperately in love with American agent T. R. Devlin (Grant), who she believes has deserted her emotionally, but marries Rains almost out of spite rather than pure patriotism. Through the many plot twists and turns, Bergman and Grant realize their true feelings for one another. A truly wonderful suspense, Hitchcock gets amazing performances from his cast. Bergman (never more beautiful or appealing) and Grant are excellent as the lovers who can't seem to express their mutual affection. Both seem ready to explode from all the pent up emotions. Rains is perfect as the mama's boy Nazi leader, and what a mother German actress Leopoldine Konstantin is in her only American film! The plot was so original that the writers of Mission Impossible II ripped it off (including the contact meeting scene at the racetrack!) with less than mediocre success.

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