(Oh. My. God! If you two dipwads really loved each other you’d sit down and talk this bullshit out!)
CAST: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louise Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, Reinhold Schulzen, Moroni Olsen.
DIRECTOR: Alfred Hitchcock
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and unfortunate miscommunication leading to a battle of the sexes ahead…
Remember that book called MEN ARE FROM MARS AND WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS? The one that basically stated that men are gorillas who communicate with chest-thumps and grunts, and women are doves that coo and flutter and communicate by, well, crapping on the gorillas’ heads? The one that every woman in the Universe has read - and forced every man she knows well enough to read under threat of castration? Well, if there was ever a movie that captured the essence of that book, it’s Alfred Hitchock’s classic romantic thriller NOTORIOUS.
See, our hero and heroine are deeply in love with each other. Problem is our hero is too proud to show that he cares for our heroine. And our heroine wants to know that the hero cares for her - which, as already established, he refuses to show. Which makes her make some rather stupid decisions out of remorse. Which piss him off and make him hide his love even more. Which make her do even more dangerous stuff. Which piss him off even more. Which makes her do… well, you get the picture. And that picture is the most fucked-up merry-go-round in the Universe.
Put it this way: if this book had been published in 1946, they both would’ve read it, learned from it, and there wouldn’t be a goddamned movie.
Our heroine is Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the daughter of a German immigrant who is also a recently-convicted traitor. Turns out Alicia’s old man and some of his fellow expats were spies during WWII. Alicia, though, is very fond of her adopted nation - and turned her back on her Pops right before he was busted. It’s because of her proven loyalty to the U S of A that the CIA - or whatever the fuck they called themselves back in the 40’s - approaches Alicia and requests that she spy on her Dad’s remaining bad-apple pals in Brazil.
You see, Mr. Huberman was just a sardine in the Pond of Villainous Spies - and his friends are the tuna and mackerel. And don’t even start on me with that “sardines and tuna and mackerel don’t live in ponds” argument. The metaphor stays. Anyhow, the CIA (or whatever) wants Alicia to infiltrate their circle and report back to her handler.
He is Devlin (Cary Grant), and he first meets Alicia during a party to celebrate her father’s conviction. The party ends with Alicia driving drunk at night with Devlin sitting coolly next to her side. Something tells me that this scene wasn’t recreated in the 1992 remake - and had MADD been around back in 1946, they would have certainly picketed this movie because of it.
Anyhow, after Devlin scares off a cop with his credentials, Alicia sobers up a little and realizes she’s in the company of, well, a company man. Devlin lays his cards on the table and tells Alicia that her country needs her now - and the fact that no one but the CIA (or whatever) knows she basically turned her back on her Pops means that his friends think she’s still on their side.
Deciding that playing 007 in Brazil isn’t exactly a shabby way to forget that you are descended from treacherous scum, Alicia eventually agrees. She and Devlin fly to South America, and when they land, the following things soon happen: (1) Alicia falls in love with Devlin, (2) Devlin falls in love with Alicia, (3) Devlin decides to hide his love for Alicia, (4) Alicia tries to provoke him to get some sort of reaction, (5) Devlin hides his feelings even more, (6) Alicia tries harder, (7) and the audience wonders whether or not this operation is such a good idea, considering (8) nothing has happened yet but these two are already giving each other looks that could kill.
Things get even rockier when Paul Prescott (Louis Calhern), Devlin’s boss, finally reveals the specifics of Alicia’s assigment: she is to re-connect with a ex-flame named Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains). Evidently, Sebastian is one of the tunas in the Pond of Villains - and don’t start. Once she’s hooked up with him, Alicia is expected to infiltrate his household and basically be Mata Hari.
If you thought there was tension between Alicia and Devlin before, imagine the utter delight the above news brings them. See, Devlin would prefer that Alicia not go through with the job - but he’s too much of a man (or asshole) to tell her so, and expects Alicia to make her own decision not to do it. For her part, Alicia, expects Devlin to show that he cares by demanding that she reject the assignment. But, as we already covered, there’s a greater chance of Devlin making out with Paul than Alicia hearing what she wants to hear from him. Like I said, one chapter of MEN ARE FROM MARS AND WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS would have solved this bullshit. Fast.
And so goes the comedy of errors that pushes Alicia into the forbidding household of the Sebastians - which is really more of a den of vipers. I say that in the plural sense because our villain lives with his, ahem, mother. She is Anna Sebastian (Leopoldine Konstantin), and she regards Alicia with the same warmth that a spider displays towards a fly trapped in its web. Instantly suspicious of the younger woman, Anna basically skulks around and keeps both eyes on her. Good luck with that spying, Alicia.
So… will Anna eventually expose Alicia? What are Sebastian and his villain friends planning to do? What is the secret hidden in the wine cellar? Will Devlin be able to stand that the woman he loves is basically spreading ‘em for someone else - in the name of freedom and liberty? Or will he finally bust in to the Sebastian mansion and forcibly remove her? And what happens when Sebastian pops the question to Alicia? Will she go that far for her country? And who is Devlin’s tailor? Because those are some sharp suits. Or maybe even a potato sack would look great on Cary Grant…
Anyhow, if I could travel back to 1946 in a time machine, I would bring copies of every self-help relationship book from the local Barnes and Noble. Then I would track down Alicia and Devlin - and throws the books right at them while yelling, “GROW. THE FUCK. UP!!!!”
Then I would invent the Internet. And Starbucks…
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Watching NOTORIOUS reminds me of that saying, “You always hurt the one you love…” The central romance of this film is neither warm nor light-hearted, but is instead harsh and edgy. Alicia Huberman and Devlin are basically two porcupines circling each other warily, both wanting to trust and open up to the other - but afraid to. And how do two porcupines dance? Very, very, very, very carefully. That’s an apt analogy for this couple - they’re both cynical and have long ago taken off their rose-colored glasses, threw them onto the ground, and stomped them into a fine powder. But when they prick each other with those quills, they still bleed.
Cary Grant downplays his usual debonair charm, and plays Devlin with a no-nonsense directness that is both intimidating and disarming. Here’s a man who conceals volcanic emotions that are suggested by the merest of facial movements: (1) a flick of the eye towards Alicia during crucial moments, (2) a look of both discomfort and subdued excitement when Alicia’s face comes a little too close to his, (3) A hint of longing to his brow when you least expect it. To me, Devlin is Grant’s more intriguing Hitchcockian hero. This guy’s flaw is his fear of showing his love for Alicia for fear of his own vulnerability. Only when her life depends on it, does he finally overcome this weakness and take action. Indeed, Devlin’s rescue of Alicia in the end still has the power to move after all these years.
As Alicia Huberman, Ingrid Bergman delivers one of Hitch’s Top Five Heroines (the others being Francie Stevens from TO CATCH A THIEF, Lisa Fremont from REAR WINDOW, Marnie from MARNIE, and Judy Barton from VERTIGO) Alicia is hard-bitten, jaded, but with a strong soulful streak to her. She has some very cutting lines that would play just as well in a 2010 movie. Bergman, however, is too shrewd and talented an actress to play Alicia as a one-note cynic. Even when the character is verbally squaring off against Devlin, there seems to be a tinge of sadness to her words and expressions. Entirely understandable for someone who’s had to make the hard choice of renouncing her father on moral grounds. It’s this vulnerability that her stop-start relationship with Devlin uncovers. Just like his attraction to her reveals his soft underbelly.
Claude Rains is memorably vulnerable, himself, as the nicely-layered villain Sebastian. There’s no question that Sebastian loves Alicia, and the scene where he becomes convinced of her disloyalty is genuinely sad. You sense the character’s pain at realizing that everything he had with her was a lie. Hitchcock had an uncanny way of making his audience care about his villains. Sebastian in NOTORIOUS is no exception.
As for the supporting cast, Louis Calhern and Leopoldine Konstantin are the standouts. Calhern makes Paul Prescott one likable boss to work for - even when he asks Devlin and Alicia to do some very dangerous things. Meanwhile, Konstantin is appropriately menacing as the matriarch who is more sharp-eyed than anyone gives her credit for - and suspects Alicia from the get-go. Anytime the character is onscreen, the suspense rachets up.
In the end, it’s clear why MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 basically cloned this film: it’s a smart, mean, and gripping thriller that aged quite well - and vividly illustrates why love is sometimes the most terrifying mystery of all…
