Notorious

The champagne bottle in Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946) holds a variety of meanings that drive the development of both the characters and the plot. First, Alicia asks Devlin to buy a champagne bottle to “celebrate” their newfound love. However, after purchasing the champagne, Devlin must report to Captain Paul Prescott instead of returning directly to Alicia. The champagne bottle that Devlin places before Prescott initially represents triumph and phallic authority. He believes he possesses Alicia, and is therefore now whole. This changes quickly, though, when Paul (the patriarchal father-figure to Devlin), tells him that Alicia’s assignment is for her to seduce Alex Sebastian in order to gain his trust. By taking Alicia away from him, these orders effectively castrate Devlin. Hence, when he leaves Captain Prescott, he leaves the champagne bottle behind. Moreover, he leaves his phallus behind, having surrendered the object of his sexual desire to someone else.

Now, Alex Sebastian has Alicia, the necessary complement to his masculinity, and is now whole. The champagne bottles play an important role at Sebastian’s house. They are an obvious sign of power for him, as only he (not even his domineering mother) holds the key to the wine cellar. They embody how Sebastian has castrated Devlin, having stolen his “trophy.” Later in the film, Alicia and Devlin infiltrate the wine cellar and find uranium ore stored inside the champagne bottles. The uranium ore is the MacGuffin: it drives the plot forward but is in itself meaningless to the audience. Alicia and Devlin’s discovery of the secret in the champagne bottles, though, not only reveals the MacGuffin—it weakens the foundations of Sebastian’s power and authority. Indeed, immediately after Devlin and Alicia discover the uranium ore, Devlin immediately kisses Alicia in front of Sebastian. While this is an attempt to divert Sebastian’s attention from the wine cellar, it also represents Devlin’s reassertion of his masculinity and possession of Alicia.