Notorious

In this classic (are there any that aren't?) 1946 Hitchcock film set during the chaotic post-WWII era, Cary Grant stars as Devlin, an American agent who enlists the help of Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), daughter of a Nazi war criminal, to track a group of Nazis in South America. Although Devlin and Alicia become romantically involved, she agrees to marry one of the Nazi leaders (Claude Rains) in order to further the investigation--leading to a suspenseful finale as the noose tightens on the Nazi operation…and Alicia. Ben Hecht garnered an Oscar nomination for his complex, moody screenplay, as did Rains for Best Supporting Actor. Featuring a characteristically sharp digital transfer, this Criterion DVD also includes commentary by Hitchcock film scholar Marian Keane and film historian Rudy Behlmer, the complete broadcast of the 1948 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation with Bergman and Joseph Cotton, newsreel footage of Bergman and Hitchcock, script excerpts of deleted and alternate scenes, and production, publicity, and promotional stills and posters. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Feb. 14, 2012—MGM, 102 min., not rated, $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1946's Notorious features a great transfer and a DTS-HD mono soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include two audio commentary tracks (the first with film professor Rick Jewell, the second by film professor Drew Casper), 'The Ultimate Romance' making-of featurette (29 min.), an 'Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster' featurette (13 min.), 'The American Film Institute Award: The Key to Hitchcock' (3 min.), a restoration comparison (3 min.), a 1948 radio play starring Joseph Cotton and Ingrid Bergman, Hitchcock audio interviews, an isolated music and effects track, and trailers. Bottom line: this powerful Hitchcock thriller makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.] [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Jan. 15, 2019—Criterion, 101 min., not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1946’s Notorious features a great transfer with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include two audio commentaries (one by Hitchcock scholar Marian Keane, the other by film historian Rudy Behlmer), a 1948 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation, the 2009 documentary 'Once Upon a Time...' (52 min.), a scene analysis by film scholar David Bordwell (30 min.), a 'Glamour and Tension' interview with cinematographer John Bailey (24 min.), an interview with Hitchcock biographer Donald Spoto (21 min.), 'Writing with the Camera' featuring filmmaker Daniel Raim (16 min.), a brief archival newsreel, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Angelica Jade Bastién. Bottom line: a characteristically excellent Criterion edition of a Hitchcock classic.]