Forget the mummified mother of Norman Bates. No matriarch is more sinister than Leopoldine Konstantin as Mme Sebastian, the mother of Claude Rains in Notorious. After her son Alexander discovers his wife is spying on him, he contemplates his death at the hands of his ruthless Nazi spymaster, played by Ivan Triesault. Mme Sebastian responds: “Yes. He dislikes you. But his criticism of your talents wouldn’t go that far...to imagine that you are married to an American agent. We are protected by the enormity of your stupidity—for a time.”

Submitted by Matthew Pimm, Production Manager, Department of Publications