I truly enjoyed watching Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious". Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, & especially Leopoldine Konstantin turned in fantastic performances. I know I may catch grief for this but I felt that Cary Grant portrayal was a bit "stiff".
A turning point in the film for me was the moment when Sebastian realizes that Alicia is working as a spy; his pained expression alone tells the story and his mother's classic moment grabbing a cigarette and her frank discussion on how to take care of the problem. Up until that point, she seemed very old, fragile but then you come to realize she was, in fact, very sharp, very "with it" and very conniving. The larcenous mother-in-law willing do to ANYTHING in order to save her son. It was very fascinating to watch.
I agree with you about the wonderful performance from Ms. Konstantine. In some ways, the supporting roles are more critical to the long term success of a movie. We all know and expect the chemistry and romance between two leads like Bergman and Grant. Casting them, perhaps, requires the least thought and analysis. But a part like Alex Sebastian's mother can give a film great depth where it is not completely expected. The scene you describe is beautifully written and acted. After that, all she has to do to exude evil is sit and knit.
ReplyDeleteGreat movie!
ReplyDeleteThe one weird thing for me though was that although we expected chemistry and romance between Bergman and Grant, and we viewed what was supposed to be chemistry and romance between Bergman and Grant, I did not feeeeeel the romance or the chemistry. It didn't make it off the screen for me. Still really enjoyed the movie though.