Notorious is much like many other Alfred Hitchcock films. It is a great example of Hitchcock's classic gothic mystery cinema. Hitchcock is one of the most masterful tellers of dark stories in the history of American filmmaking. Using suspense, Hitchcock creates interest and intrigue in the film. Instead of offering a shocking surprise at the end of the film, Hitchcock builds suspense throughout the movie so that the final events are expected.

Suspense also helps keep the audience focused on the characters. When shock is used rather than suspense, viewers are too surprised to pay attention to the relationships between the characters; they focus on the surprises they encounter rather than on the roles and lives of the characters. In Notorious, the use of suspense always keeps viewers attuned to the feelings and experiences of the characters, especially to the development of the relationship...