Notorious (1946)
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A government agent recruits the daughter of a convicted spy to infiltrate a group of German émigrés in Brazil, only to find himself falling in love with her.
The story
In April 1946, Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German spy, is recruited by government agent T. R. Devlin to infiltrate a group of German émigrés who escaped to Brazil after World War II. While awaiting the details of her assignment in Rio de Janeiro, Alicia and Devlin fall in love, though his feelings are complicated by her promiscuous past. When Devlin receives instructions to persuade her to seduce Alex Sebastian, her father's friend and a leading IG Farben executive, Devlin fails to convince his superiors that it is too much to ask of Alicia. Told that Sebastian was once in love with Alicia, Devlin puts up a stoic front when informing Alicia about the mission.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Alicia Huberman is recruited by agent T. R. Devlin to infiltrate German émigrés in Brazil. While in Rio, Alicia and Devlin fall in love, but Devlin is tasked with having Alicia seduce Alex Sebastian, an IG Farben executive. Alicia eventually meets Sebastian and, despite Devlin's efforts to keep her safe, she marries him. After their honeymoon, Alicia and Devlin discover a cache of uranium ore in Sebastian's wine cellar. Sebastian realizes Alicia is an agent and, fearing his co-conspirators, attempts to poison her. Alicia falls ill and is confined to her room. Devlin sneaks in, confesses his love, and supports her down the stairs in full view of Sebastian. To avoid suspicion, Sebastian feigns concern and helps Devlin support her, claiming Devlin found her in a worsened state. Sebastian and his co-conspirators are left behind as Devlin and Alicia drive away, leaving Sebastian to suffer a grim fate.
- First release year
- 1946
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Writers
- Ben Hecht · writer; Alfred Hitchcock · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Cary Grant · T. R. Devlin; Ingrid Bergman · Alicia Huberman; Claude Rains · Alex Sebastian; Louis Calhern; Leopoldine Konstantin · Mme. Sebastian; Paul Prescott · Captain Paul Prescott
- Genres
- spy film; film noir; political thriller; romantic thriller
- Themes
- Trust; Patriotism; Motherhood; Drinking
- Tone and mood
- Romantic; Suspenseful; Melancholic
- Premise and plot tags
- Spy Thriller; Romance; Espionage; WWII Aftermath
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film was highly acclaimed by critics and scholars, considered a watershed for Hitchcock artistically. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry and is considered one of the best films of all time.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 100 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · Nomination; Academy Award · Writing Original Screenplay · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film features a two-and-a-half-minute kiss that Hitchcock interrupted every three seconds to bypass the Production Code.; The film was shot almost entirely indoors on RKO sound stages.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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