She’s Notorious: The Wonderful Ingrid Bergman Blogathon

A U.S. District courtroom in Miami, Florida. April 24, 1946. 3:20 pm.

This is the setting for the opening scene of Notorious (1946), one of my many favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, starring Cary Grant, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern – and the subject of the Ingrid Bergman blogathon.

Sometimes categorized as a “spy film noir” (and, really, why not?), Notorious focuses on Bergman’s character, Alicia Huberman, who is engaged by federal agents, led by T.R. Devlin (Grant), to infiltrate a Nazi ring operating in Rio de Janeiro. She’s to accomplish this by seducing one of the members, Alexander Sebastian (Rains), a former friend of Alicia’s father. Alicia, Devlin, and Alex form a curious triangle – Alex is in love with Alicia, Alicia is in love with Devlin, and Devlin’s feelings for Alicia are distorted by his jealousy over Alicia’s association with Alex – which, of course, he sanctioned. The film takes us on a wild ride filled with repressed feelings, suspicious characters, audacious behavior, and an ending that will have you practically on the edge of your seat.

But I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s get back to the start of the film.

— “Here she comes!”

Inside the courtroom, one John Huberman (father of Alicia) has just been found guilty of treason against the United States and sentenced to 20 years. Outside the courtroom, a crowd of photographers and reporters are waiting for the doors to open. When they do, one of them says, “Here she comes,” and we’re instantly on alert. Who is SHE? As soon as we see Ingrid Bergman, we know she’s the one. We just don’t know why. But we’re soon to find out.

And what exactly do we learn about Alicia?

1. She’s strong-willed. We don’t see much of her after she exits the courtroom following her father’s sentencing, but trust me – she’s no shrinking violet. She ignores the questions being shot at her from the reporters like bullets from a revolver. Her head is held high, there’s not a sign of a tear, and her visage is completely emotionless, displaying neither anger nor sadness, and barely even acknowledging the presence of the men surrounding her. It’s not until later that we discover that she has a tendency to cope with her less-than-perfect life through an overuse of alcohol and a casual use of men. (If you know what I mean.)

— Moments before Alicia lays the smack-down on Devlin.

2. She’s a fighter. Literally. After she leaves the court, she hosts a gathering for a few friends and proceeds to drink every drop of alcohol she can get her hands on. During a drunken midnight drive, she discovers that her passenger, handsome party crasher T. R. Devlin (Grant), is actually a federal officer. And she’s none too pleased to gain this knowledge. In fact, she tries to eject Devlin from her car, putting up such an intense struggle that Devlin can only contain her by knocking her out.

3. She’s a patriot. She vehemently – initially – refuses Devlin’s proposal to work as a spy for the government, insisting that the word patriotism “gives me a pain . . . waving the flag with one hand and picking pockets with the other – that’s your patriotism. Well, you can have it.” But Devlin reveals that Alicia’s home has been bugged with listening devices and shares a recorded conversation between Alicia and her father which displays, without doubt, that she loves America. When her father tries to convince her to join him in his treasonous endeavors, Alicia tells him, “I’ll see you all hanged before I’ll raise a finger against [this country].”

— She wears a mask.

4. She covers her sensitivity with a hard-boiled, prideful shell. After spending a few weeks in constant contact with Devlin, Alicia falls in love with him, but when he informs her of the job she’s expected to do, she quickly raises her virtual walls. “What a little pal you are,” she says to him. “Just down the drain with Alicia. That’s where she belongs.” And later, when she learns that Devlin has requested a transfer to Spain, she masks her hurt feelings with barbed sarcasm, agreeing with their director that Devlin would find Spain more interesting: “There really isn’t very much for a brainy fellow like Mr. Devlin to do in Rio anymore.”

— Calm under pressure.

5. She’s smart, fearless and knows how to think on her feet. In one instance after another, Alicia clearly demonstrates her mettle. There’s the scene where she removes a key from Alex’s keyring while he’s in the very next room. Or when she has the pilfered key in her hand and Alex tries to kiss the palms of her hands, she craftily throws her arms around him, drops the key to the rug and kicks it out of sight. Or when she sneaks Devlin down to the wine cellar, practically right under her husband’s nose. I’m telling you – the gal’s got guts.

————

I love so many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films – including Strangers on a Train, I Confess, Psycho, and North by Northwest – and Notorious is right up there with them. It’s got some of the most creative and memorable camerawork I’ve ever seen (and I’m not generally one for noticing cinematography). It has a first-rate script by Ben Hecht, who also contributed to the screenplays for such gems as Design for Living, Nothing Sacred, and Wuthering Heights. And it’s fairly brimming with those patented, suspense-filled Alfred Hitchcock moments that’ll leave you with your mouth agape.

But best of all, it’s got Ingrid Bergman bringing to life a complex, multifaceted, and thoroughly fascinating character that makes Notorious an absolute must-see. (And see it again!)

— It’s Olympe!

Random Completely Non-Ingrid Bergman-Related Stuff:

• Lenore Ulric has a small role as Mrs. Ortiz, a party guest who briefly steals Devlin away from Alicia. You might recognize her as Olympe from the 1936 MGM feature, Camille.
• Alfred Hitchcock makes his trademark cameo appearance at a party around the 1:04 mark, downing a glass of champagne before rejoining the festivities.
• Bea Benadaret – who you may know from numerous television shows including The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction – was cast as a government file clerk in the film, but her role was left on the proverbial cutting room floor.

This post is part of the Wonderful Ingrid Bergman Blogathon, hosted by Virginie over at The Wonderful World of Cinema. Click here to read the awesome posts written about this talented performer!

~ by shadowsandsatin on August 27, 2023.