Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious is one of his standout works, and many consider it to be his best film created. He manages to create a film that doesn't have any gunshots, fight scenes, dead bodies, over the top action sequences, but still manage to have you glued to the screen wondering what will happen next. The man many consider a master of thrill and suspense might have created a perfect love story, while also throwing in cultural significance of what was happening in the world in 1946.
Notorious has a cynical view on patriotism. In 1946 when it was filmed, the world was war-weary and eager to toss out the romanticism of the past few years. Hitchcock shows this negativity towards nationalism by portraying the American agents as cold, controlling puppet masters. Visually, the American agents aren’t shown in a very friendly light. Their room is formal and emotionless with a simple symmetrical design: a black statue on either side of the table. The camera is distant so we don’t get a very intimate interaction with the agents. We think of them more as a faceless collective than separate beings. They clearly care more about the mission than they do about her. The leader of the agents, Prescott says, “She's good at making friends with gentlemen, and we want somebody inside Sebastian’s house, in his confidence.” This job implies prostitution on Alicia’s part, an immoral and possibly scarring experience for her, yet they speak with the tone of businessmen discussing stocks. This sort of euphemism-heavy dialogue also appears in the Nazi discussion scenes. For example, when the Nazis believe Emil is a liability and kill him, they don’t say what they’re doing outright. They do it under the guise of “driving him home”. Is this so different from the American agents? They never discuss the nasty aspects of Alicia’s mission like prostitution and risking her life. Both the Nazis and the Americans agents are portrayed as controlling, Machiavellian entities by the film. Another sign of cynicism against patriotism is the seemingly futile mission Alicia is pursuing. …show more content…
She gets no personal gain out of the experience and we don’t see any positive effects. To us, this looks like a lost cause and the absence of any gain shows Hitchcock’s bitterness towards nationalism. True, Alicia uncovers uranium in Sebastian’s house, a useful discovery for the Americans, but this victory is not sweet. It comes at the cost of her safety – Sebastian finds out about her treachery and decides to kill her. Her slow poisoning is a cruel, hideous fate for joining the agents’ cause. Though Devlin saves her, this shows the grim possibilities of fighting for her country. Notorious only shows the negative, dangerous side of working as a secret American agent. The film displays a tired, bitter view of patriotism. One …show more content…
In a film that at face value looks to be about espionage during World War II, it quickly makes you care less about the well being of the country and more about the feelings of the two protagonists. Nevermind that Alexander Sebastian is an extremely dangerous undercover Nazi agent. Nevermind that the ore that Devlin finds in in Sebastian's wine cellar could be used for an Atom Bomb. We, the audience, do not care. Our concern lies in Alicia and Devlin's eventual love. Hitchcock takes advantage of our infatuation of love stories and plays off it
Notorious has a cynical view on patriotism. In 1946 when it was filmed, the world was war-weary and eager to toss out the romanticism of the past few years. Hitchcock shows this negativity towards nationalism by portraying the American agents as cold, controlling puppet masters. Visually, the American agents aren’t shown in a very friendly light. Their room is formal and emotionless with a simple symmetrical design: a black statue on either side of the table. The camera is distant so we don’t get a very intimate interaction with the agents. We think of them more as a faceless collective than separate beings. They clearly care more about the mission than they do about her. The leader of the agents, Prescott says, “She's good at making friends with gentlemen, and we want somebody inside Sebastian’s house, in his confidence.” This job implies prostitution on Alicia’s part, an immoral and possibly scarring experience for her, yet they speak with the tone of businessmen discussing stocks. This sort of euphemism-heavy dialogue also appears in the Nazi discussion scenes. For example, when the Nazis believe Emil is a liability and kill him, they don’t say what they’re doing outright. They do it under the guise of “driving him home”. Is this so different from the American agents? They never discuss the nasty aspects of Alicia’s mission like prostitution and risking her life. Both the Nazis and the Americans agents are portrayed as controlling, Machiavellian entities by the film. Another sign of cynicism against patriotism is the seemingly futile mission Alicia is pursuing. …show more content…
She gets no personal gain out of the experience and we don’t see any positive effects. To us, this looks like a lost cause and the absence of any gain shows Hitchcock’s bitterness towards nationalism. True, Alicia uncovers uranium in Sebastian’s house, a useful discovery for the Americans, but this victory is not sweet. It comes at the cost of her safety – Sebastian finds out about her treachery and decides to kill her. Her slow poisoning is a cruel, hideous fate for joining the agents’ cause. Though Devlin saves her, this shows the grim possibilities of fighting for her country. Notorious only shows the negative, dangerous side of working as a secret American agent. The film displays a tired, bitter view of patriotism. One …show more content…
In a film that at face value looks to be about espionage during World War II, it quickly makes you care less about the well being of the country and more about the feelings of the two protagonists. Nevermind that Alexander Sebastian is an extremely dangerous undercover Nazi agent. Nevermind that the ore that Devlin finds in in Sebastian's wine cellar could be used for an Atom Bomb. We, the audience, do not care. Our concern lies in Alicia and Devlin's eventual love. Hitchcock takes advantage of our infatuation of love stories and plays off it