Notorious' setting is a result of the confused politics and morality, both personal and collective of the immediate post- World War II period in America. At the start of the film, Alicia, the leading lady, has just been confronted with the facts of her father's war crimes of treason in collaboration with the Nazis. This father is carted off to jail, and a government agent, Devlin, starts tailing Alicia, the daughter. Alicia is infamous for comm

Hitchcock was able to make a deliberate and expressive poetic use of the simplest, most predictable, everyday activities: eating a meal, washing the dishes, going for a drive, walking. This film utilizes expressive dialogues such as two characters isolated, whether in an apartment, or during a party, or at a racecourse. In Notorious there is the constant drama of speech, of being heard and understood: conspiratorial speech in whispers, words as demands and invocations, as well as masks and evasions. Dialogue occurs in both public and private: the most intimate exchanges being spoken in the most public of spaces, with the ever present possibility that someone is lip-reading your innermost expressions. In filming the movie, Hitchcock implemented methods to portray the characters in very specific ways. For instance, Mrs. Sebastian was always shot closer to the camera to make her appear bigger. Hitchcock uses such exact precision with this film that he purposely changes his imagery and effect when he displays Alicia's wardrobe before and after her marriage. Before the marriage she wore white attire, and after marrying Alex she wore all black. Hitchcock also created many scenes in which Alicia was consistently boxed in by men to emphasize her misdemeanor. Much of the emotional suspense in Notorious comes from precisely this: the constant presence of the world, of society, and of others. This is a world that demands adopting certain postures, manners, prepositions and disguises. Alicia, Devlin and Alex are always caught in the awkward moments between complete personal revelation and cautious, prudent or scared withdrawal.

Antonio Damasio fits into the theme of Notorious by preaching the importance of emotion in dealing with our plans for the future. He has discovered that effective decision making requires rational thought. Deliberation incorporates both positive and negative feelings that affect the outcome of memory. (60) Damasio quotes William Faulkner in saying that writers "have forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself," in the end leading to a treaty or nuclear destruction. (61) Damasio persuades others that emotion is integral to the process of reasoning. He says, "Humanity is not suffering from logical competence but a defect in emotions that inform the deployment of logic." (60) Damasio believes that it is not true that reason stands to gain from operating without emotion. Instead, emotion assists reasoning for personal and social matters that point to decision making which is most advantageous. (63) New neurological evidence shows that "no emotion at all is an even greater problem."(62) Damasio is in full agreement of this substantiation. When emotion is overlooked it is hard to manage human affairs. Emotion originates from biological regulation of living organisms bent on surviving. One's ability t

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Approximate Word count = 1936
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)