The theme of drinking weaves its way through the film from beginning to end : for Alicia it is an escape from guilt and pain , or even downright poisonous . When a guest at the opening party tells her she has had enough , she scoffs : " The '' important '' drinking has n't started yet . " She camouflages emotional rejection with whiskey , at the opening party , the outdoor cafe in Rio , the apartment in Rio , then drinking becomes even more dangerous as the Sebastians administer their poison through Alicia 's coffee . Even the MacGuffin comes packaged in a wine bottle . " All the drinking is valueless and finally dangerous . " Coming as it did on the heels of World War II , the theme of patriotism — and the limits thereof — make it " astonishing that the movie was produced at all ( and that it was such an immediate success ) , since it contains such blunt dialogue about government-sponsored prostitution : The sexual blackmail is the idea of American intelligence agents , who are blithely willing to exploit a woman ( and even to let her die ) to serve their own ends . The depiction of the moral murkiness of American officials was unprecedented in Hollywood — especially in 1945 , when the Allied victory ushered in an era of understandable , but ultimately dangerous , chauvinism in American life . " The film was the official selection of the 1946 Cannes Film Festival . '' Notorious '' had its premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on August 15 , 1946 , with Hitchcock , Bergman , and Grant in attendance
1946 Cannes Film Festival
1946 Cannes Film Festival
Notorious (1946 film)