train scene erect shadow of a doubt hitchcock

It's a supremely tense and deceptively simple scene that progresses the story and deepens the audience's understanding of the characters in one fell swoop. Rains' jealousy blinds him to the real reason they're in the cellar, and they manage to leave undetected - for now. Ironically, the two really are in love, but are hiding this from everyone, including each other. Once Grant and Bergman discover the plutonium-filled wine bottles in the cellar, they are almost immediately disturbed by Rains, and cover up their prying by passionately kissing, making him believe they are having an affair. It's a stunning shot, and brilliantly conveys the sense of paranoia that pervades the film.

This sequence begins with a virtuoso shot of a dinner party, beginning high above the gathering before gracefully panning down and zooming into an extreme close up of Bergman's hand, where we see her clutching the key.

'Notorious' is interesting in that there are actually two MacGuffins (a bottle and a key to the wine cellar). It also provides an early example of the MacGuffin, a plot device that is incredibly important to the characters in the film, but of no interest to the audience.

Train scene erect shadow of a doubt hitchcock