Bad acting by Cary Grant

I'm going to have to agree with you. Cary Grant just looks bored all the way through, and not in the cool "don't give anything away" sense.

Ingrid Bergman was much better, but it seems like her passion isn't returned in the scenes with Grant. The real acting heroes in this film were supporting players Claude Rains and Madame Konstantin. This is decent entertainment, but as far as Hitchcock goes, this is solidly in the middle in my book.

I disagree. Cary Grant is playing the role as it is in the script and as Hitchcock directed him. His character is a "handler" for the spy, Ingrid Bergman, and it's his job to get the best results from her. To achieve that, his character must manipulate Bergman by pretending not to love her, so she'll be more realistic in her spy's role as Claude Rains's wife. Love her? Of course Grant loves her. But he can't tell her that until the end, when her role as a spy is over.

Difficult assignment, playing the role of a character playing a role.

I thought his performance was great. He's supposed to be cold and unemotional and sometimes downright heartless to Alicia. It's a subversion of the typical Cary Grant role - the charmer. He's not charming at all. He's good but not nice. And, it's a contrast with Sebastian, who's a nice guy but a villain. Plus, as part of being not a nice guy, he's in love with her, but fighting it because he doesn't approve of her. Of course he doesn't act like he's in love with her when he's around her. He's not supposed to. He's fighting it every inch of the way. Not just there to be handsome but be a jerk around her. But, he does show he's in love with her in other scenes. When he first hears about her assignment and starts protesting. And in the scene where he tells his bosses that Alicia is definitely not a lady - but that she's someone who's risking her life which is something their wives wouldn't do. One of the best moments of acting from him in the film is after Alicia says Sebastian is one of her playmates now. Devlin's entire demeanor changes. There's no big display of emotion of expression (again, that minimalist approach is what the role called for) but it's clear he's seething with jealousy -and he takes it out on her by being hateful.

I would say this performance is memorable, because it shows that he can play something other than his typical role. And it's a role that's designed to be under appreciated, because he's sort of the straight man, stoic type, which is seen as not acting especially in contrast to the more personable characters. Plus, for most of the film he's not the least bit likable. Which is really impressive, considering he's Cary Grant.

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I will have to vehemently disagree with you there. Grant is actually superb in this role, for the reasons you state--he is completely unmoved by almost anything, which is because his character is fighting between doing his job and his love for Alicia. But Devlin is so cool and collected, he can't let that show, so he needs to overcompensate.

Grant's performance is in fact one of the great understated performances in any film. He lets subtle things--such as the way he moves his eyes or the way he tilts his head--convey more than words could ever do. Indeed, Premiere magazine rated it one of the best of all time. And he and Bergman actually have an extremely erotic chemistry together in this film, and that's because it is indeed so subtle. Less is definitely more.

Please, Cary Grant was never a great actor. He's just given the benefit of the doubt by those who worship all from the "Golden Era" of Hollywood. He played Cary Grant (as usual) but played it more flat (in line with the "role"), which is why it looked so rubbish.


Bergman was great (as usual). I disagree with you about the overall result of the movie; I thought it was great.

Next time you see this, watch Cary Grant's EYES. He is showing his emotions through them....watch when they sparkle and when he blinks - very intent and focused - and how black the pupils get when he's upset about what's happening. Don't forget the scene at the top of the hill.... He looks away from her until he can't hold back.

That's how Hitchcock directed him. The focus was to stay on Bergman. You have heard of directing?

Agree with the OP. If Grant's wooden acting was on purpose to show that he could manage his private life and business, then it should all have fallen away in the movie's finale when he came clear and declared his love to Alicia. But it was the same stiff acting as before. It let me to believe he didn't love her after all and just wanted her attention to stay awake.

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