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Harrison's Reports (1946) - Notorious

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"Notorious" with Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant

(RKO, no release date set; time, 101 min.)

Very good adult entertainment! Written by Ben Hecht, the story is an intriguing mixture of romance and counter-espionage, presented in a manner that holds one's interest undiminished from start to finish. It has been given a fine production and, as can be expected, Alfred Hitchcock, who produced and directed, skilfully sustains the ever-increasing suspense throughout. Brazil is the locale of the action, and the uncovering of Nazi activities in connection with uranium ore deposits is the basis of the story. Ingrid Bergman, as the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, but herself a loyal American spy, is perfect. No matter what type of role she plays, there seems to be no end to her versatility. Cary Grant, too, gives a fine performance, as do the others in the supporting cast. At no time does the action become violent, but there is an undercurrent of excitement throughout. The closing scenes, in which Grant rescues Ingrid from the spies without as much as a scuffle, offer the sort of suspense that will keep the spectator on the edge of his seat. It is a typical Hitchcock ending, done masterfully :—

Following the conviction of her father as a Nazi spy, Ingrid, a notorious sophisticate, plans to run away from Miami although she was innocent of any wrongdoing. But Cary Grant, a Government agent, who had proof that she was a loyal American citizen, induces her to accompany him to Brazil on an important secret mission. While waiting for their assignment, the pair fall in love, but their romancing gives way to business when Grant receives his orders. These were for Ingrid to become friendly with Claude Rains, a leader among wealthy German exiles in Rio, who were suspected of working on a mysterious project. Ingrid's task was to learn their secret. She prefers to give up the assignment because of her love for Grant, but accepts it because of a mistaken notion that he did not love her. Her father's reputation smooths the way for Ingrid, and before long Rains proposes marriage to her, over the objections of Mme. Konstantin, his domineering mother. She marries Rains as part of her job and, aided by Grant, succeeds in learning that Rains and his associates had found a huge deposit of uranium ore and that they planned the secret manufacture of atomic weapons. Meanwhile Rains discovers that Ingrid was a spy. He and his mother, without revealing their knowledge to Ingrid, decide to kill her, but in a manner that would not lead their associates to suspect Rains' fatal mistake; they set about to poison Ingrid. The young woman becomes deathly ill, and Grant, worried when she fails to keep an appointment with him, goes to Rains' home to investigate and finds her dying. He gathers Ingrid into his arms and, under threat of disclosing Rains' secret to his associates, compels Rains to help him take her out of the house and to a hospital. It is indicated that Rains' companions learn the truth and plan to "liquidate" him, leaving Grant free to marry Ingrid.

The cast includes Louis Calhern, Reinhold Schunzel, Moroni Olsen, Alex Minotis and others.

Unsuitable for children.

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