Viewing Journal 4:  Notorious

For this journal, you will consider the cinematography, themes, and context of Notorious.  In two to three typed pages, you should address one of the following questions, developing your response with specific details from the film.  I will collect this journal, along those for Shadow of a Doubt and Strangers on a Train, on Wednesday, February 2.

1) Compare the two scenes that depict Alicia in bed talking to Devlin (the first takes place in her bungalow, the second in Sebastian's home).  Examine the scenes not only in terms of narrative and mise en scene, but also in terms of cinematography.  Make sure to compare the canted angle, upside down framing, and shot distances of the first scene with the framing and shot distances of the second.  What patterns of similarity and difference do you see?  What is the function of these similarities and differences?

2) The party scene at Alicia's house--until the point she ejects all guests but Devlin--is shot in a long take.  What are the effects of the long take?  How does it establish Alicia's and Devlin's characters?  Are the camera's movements coordinated with those of a character?  If so, with whom and why?  How does Hitchcock use onscreen and offscreen space in this long take?

3) Notorious engages the theme of betrayal on both personal and political levels.  How do these types of betrayal function in the film?  Is one more significant than the other?  If so, why?

4) As Professor Bean noted, Shadow of a Doubt is one of the few Hitchcock films that portrays mothers in a positive light.  Compare the portrayal of the mothers in Notorious and Shadow of a Doubt.  In your comparison, pay attention not only to each mother's attributes and actions, but also to the way in which each mother is lit and framed.

5) Like all of the other Hitchcock films we have viewed this quarter, Notorious contains a romance plot and a mystery plot.  Compare the intersection of the romance and mystery plots in Notorious and one of the other films we have viewed.  Do these plots function in similar ways in both films?  What ongoing concerns or preoccupations does the recurrence of the romance/mystery combination suggest?

6) Notorious takes place in 1946, shortly after the end of World War II.  How does this context inform the film?  What is the significance of Huberman's statement about "next time," especially in light of Sebastian's actions?  Why does the film emphasize Alicia's patriotism?