What a wonderfully prickly performance Cary Grant gives in "Notorious." Saw it on TCM last night and marvelled, as if with new eyes, at how snarkily Devlin treats Alicia. In one tremendous sequence, he angrily defends her courage and sacrifice when a superior insults her character before she comes into the room, then he proceeds to treat her with cold disregard after she makes her entrance. It's so marvellously schizo... just what a dysfunctional love affair can do to you!
When Devlin's rudeness appears to be an awkward affectation to hide his attraction to Alicia in the begining, its forgiveable; but throughout the rest of the film, when he brims with disapproval and jealousy, his rudeness is almost unbearable. It almost makes me dislike the most cinematically likeable movie star ever! Thinking about it, what a brave performance for a silver screen heartthrob.
When Devlin's rudeness appears to be an awkward affectation to hide his attraction to Alicia in the begining, its forgiveable; but throughout the rest of the film, when he brims with disapproval and jealousy, his rudeness is almost unbearable. It almost makes me dislike the most cinematically likeable movie star ever! Thinking about it, what a brave performance for a silver screen heartthrob.
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Re: Notorious
Mon, January 21, 2008 - 6:41 PMIt is an odd characterization - yes, schizo, presumably to mask the conflict between his own professional demands and his growing feelings for her he needs to demonize her.
I find this movie my favorite Ingrid Bergman role. Yes, way above Ilsa in "Casablanca" where, to me, she has no actual personality. -
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Re: Notorious
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 3:29 AMIn "Casablanca" Bergman tries hard to bring some pathos to Ilsa's decisions, past and present. She does an admirable job affecting indecision, if nothing else. But I've always wondered why people consider her performance romantically charged. I can't figure out whether who Ilsa loves... Rick, Laslo, both, or neither.
Next to a genuinely passionate affair like the one in "Notorious," the Bogie/Bergman tandem in "Casablanca" seems rather staid. But there are enough other reasons to love that film.
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