Problematic Romantic Pairings in Hitchcock`s Films
Study at least a few of Hitchcock`s major pictures and you will find that, in most cases, psychological and physical bondage, as well as other sinister attributes, are defining features of the depicted romances. Certainly, the best examples of this are Notorious and Vertigo, two fairly different types of films, but with a similar bent toward harshness toward and confinement of the woman.
Notorious, from 1946, is a fairly old-fashioned spy thriller, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, depicting such time-honoured characters such as debonair, charming spies and dastardly Nazi criminals. Bergman is the daughter of a Nazi, convicted of treason, yet has no liking for him or his philosophy, which plays into the American`s hands, since she has valuable information which may lead the USA to even more Nazis. Cary Grant is assigned to get Bergman to agree with the plan, which involves going to South America to meet up with one of her father`s old friends, played by Claude Rains. At the same time, Grant and Bergman fall in love and attempt an affair, but duty almost always stands in the way. This duty is part of the most disturbing element in the film. Bergman is merely a pawn for the American government, as she is pushed into getting as close to Rains` character as possible, up to and including marriage. And while Grant loves this woman, he distances himself emotionally from what is going on, damaging any bond he had with her. It is not until the very end when Grant actually acts on feeling and impulse. Ingrid`s character has it worse than Tippi Herden`s character in that she is expected to tolerate this not for her own good, but for the good of the country.
Despite the harshness of the plot, being an old-fashioned romance, Notorious ends on a positive note for the lovers, but in Vertigo, we have what is definitely the most problematic affair in Hitchcock`s romantic repertoire. James Stewart is a private investigator assigned to follow an old high-school chum`s wife, Madeline (Kim Novak), who allegedly is possessed. As Stewart follows her around, he becomes more enchanted by her, and after saving her from suicide, falls in love. Their affair is not meant to be, however, because she eventually is able to commit suicide. Later on, however, he encounters a woman who looks very close to Madeline, if not as elegant as she, and soon becomes
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