Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
An American agent recruits the daughter of a convicted traitor to infiltrate a Nazi network in Brazil.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
American agent T. R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, daughter of a convicted Nazi, to infiltrate German expatriates in Rio de Janeiro. Her assignment requires marrying wealthy Alexander Sebastian while she and Devlin conceal their own love and distrust.
Why it belongs
Notorious makes espionage an agonizing test of intimacy through keys, wine bottles, poisoned coffee, and Grant and Bergman's withheld feeling.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
The long kiss, mansion staircase, cellar key, shrinking champagne supply, coffee cup, and subjective close-ups frame objects as emotional evidence. Ingrid Bergman's exposed Alicia faces danger intensified by Cary Grant's punitive restraint.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound133IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.3
Engagement7.3
Ease7.8
English · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Tense & Absorbing
