Tom Acton
English 290, Introduction to Film
Dr. Welsch
13 March 2001
Style is composed of many things, one of which is certainly the camera angles used in different scenes. One distinct and obvious camera tool Hitchcock uses is the spinning and moving of the camera during the drunken scenes, reminiscent of other Hitchcock films. Frankly, they gave me a bad case of vertigo, because, well, nearly meaningless allusions are an important part to my own style.
Another tool Hitchcock uses throughout the film is shadowing. Several times in the movie, starting with the shot of Cary Grant, as seen by a drunken Ingrid Bergman, figures are shown as shadows, or at least with their distinguishing features shadowed and unseen. In the beginning of the film, Devlin is still potentially, almost likely, an antagonist sort of character, and he's shown in a shadow. Later, once we learn he is a decent guy, the actual bad guys are shown shadowy and without much clarity...again through the eyes of Ingrid Bergman, only this time after being poisoned.
Hitchcock also knows how to situate characters in a shot to give a needed effect. When the American agents are first meeting to discuss the upcoming mission, instead of sitting around the board room table, they are all huddled towards one end. This is a subconscious way of showing what a tightly knit, closed-lip, group they are, and how secretive their work is.
When it comes to style, no one can deny Hitchcock has a style unto his own. Through subtle uses of different camera angles, techniques, scene structure, etc., Hitchcock's Notorious is just another great film on an innumerable list of great works from the master.