Rebecca
Reviews
Andres Gomez
A good movie and interesting plot but the characters are a little bit exaggerated and the outcome is quite expectable.
CharlesTheBold
A poor "lady's companion", so self-effacing that we are never given her name (Joan Fontaine), suddenly finds her life changed when a moody widower, Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), proposes to marry her and take her to his splendid estate of Manderley. It seems like a fairy-tale turned true, but it is not. On reaching Manderley, the new Mrs. de Winter (still unnamed) finds herself out of place, as Maxim seems to drift away and the hostile housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) repeatedly tells her that she will never live up to the standard set by Maxim's first wife Rebecca. What was Rebecca really like? The perfect English lady, or a hypocrite who dazzled the people around her? Where do Maxim's affections really lie? The questions not only create a great movie mystery, but a portrait of an unequal marriage between an arrogant aristocrat and a neurotically dependent young wife.
waltzma
Absolutely perfect Gothic Thriller that has many imitators but few of equal quality. With "Rebecca" about to hit the Broadway stage (as a musical!), I thought it was time to write my review of perhaps my favorite Hitchcock film. I recall the first time I saw this on TV almost 30 years ago on the late show, I had set my VCR to tape it, but woke up to start watching a bit of it, and stayed up all night to watch it all. That's how good a film it is. Daphne Du Maurier's tale of a shy companion who shocks her employer by winning the most desired wealthy widow in England is gripping, suspenseful, and filled with innuendo. Joan Fontaine never gave a more lovely performance as the awkward bride who leaves her hysterically selfish employer (Florence Bates) to marry the brooding Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier) and finds animosity from the darkly dressed Mrs. Danver (Judith Anderson) who resents her intrusion because of her devotion to Maxim's late wife, Rebecca. The mystery of how Rebecca died and what kind of woman she really was is explored, and with the intrusion of scoundrel George Sanders and some well-meaning advice from Maxim's toothy sister (Gladys Cooper), the new Mrs. De Winter (her first name is never revealed) finds out more than she bargained for. If you thought Olivier's Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" was dark and somewhat depressing, wait until you meet his more civilized Maxim. Joan Fontaine's bride is as far from Merle Oberon's "wild and sweet" Cathy as you can find, but as far as Gothic tales of brooding men and their lost souls go, the two movies make a perfect double feature. Samuel Goldwyn and David Selznick were Hollywood's most famous independent producers, so sometimes their careers are compared. They share many of the same players, and in the case of these two films, the same photographer (Gregg Toland). Fontaine and Olivier work well on screen together, even though they apparently did not share a close working relationship. It is, however, the supporting players who are the shining stars. Anderson's Mrs. Danvers is a role we've already seen on screen (usually played by Gale Sondergaard), but being Anderson's second film (and first in 7 years), there was a lot of curiosity surrounding her considering her reputation as one of Broadway's hottest dramatic actresses. Mrs. Danvers isn't a one dimensional evil housekeeper; You understand her affection for the late Rebecca from the very beginning, and in every movement Anderson makes, you cannot take your eyes off of her. I can't praise her highly enough. Sanders' suave villain (who playfully calls Mrs. Danvers "Danny") is extremely likable and almost equal in stealing away the attention of the leads. Gladys Cooper and Nigel Bruce add on a delightful "pip pip" quality to their eccentric characters, while in her brief time on screen, Florence Bates is hysterically funny, putting out a cigarette in her cold cream, and coolly telling Fontaine how she can never truly be a "great lady". Every moment here is a classic movie memory, from the opening narration to Fontaine's first vision of De Winter, and then, the rainy ride down to where Fontaine sees Mandalay for the first time. The light first quarter darkens the moment we see Anderson pop into view as Mrs. Danvers. A cold pause, then "How Do You Do" reveals the tension, and from there, everything is set. Anderson explodes in two scenes-the first where she finds the hiding Fontaine in Rebecca's old room, and later, when Fontaine confronts Anderson after discovering her treachery. The film sags just a bit with the discovery of a body that might be Rebecca's, but that is minor. C. Aubrey Smith is memorable in his small role as Maxim's attorney. The final shot will live on in your memory, just as Mandalay lived on in the second Mrs. De Winter's. While "Rebecca" won Best Film at that year's Academy Awards, many film historians prefer the message drama "The Grapes of Wrath" as the better film. I find the two rank very close, and also quibble over between the choice of Jane Darwell for Supporting Actress over Anderson's Mrs. Danvers. A big mistake was not nominating Sanders. A BBC version years later is also very good, a bit more faithful to the novel, and benefits from Diana Rigg as a more approachable Mrs. Danvers and a very diva-ish performance by Faye Dunaway in the Florence Bates role.
John Chard
Do you think the dead come back and watch the living? Rebecca is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and adapted to screen play from the Daphne du Maurier novel of the same name. It stars Laurence Olvier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson. Cinematography is by George Barnes and music scored by Franz Waxman. After meeting and marrying 'Maxim' de Winter (Olivier), the Second Mrs. de Winter (Fontaine), finds life at his English estate, Manderley, far from comfortable because the servants and the house serve to remind her of the first Mrs. de Winter, whose death remains a source of mystery. What did happen to the first lady of the house? Can this newly married couple survive the oppressive cloud that looms large over the mansion? A Gothic emotional near masterpiece, Alfred Hitchcock's first American film may seem a bit too serviceable at times, something he was also aware of himself, but the production values are high and the story is played out supremely well. Within the story we can find Hitchcock's now famous trait of mistrusting Women, but in the main it stays the tragic tale of one young woman living in the ominous shadow of the previous Mrs. De Winter. Mood is often set as foreboding, with the director understanding the psychological pangs of the source material once the action switches to the de Winter home of Manderley. It arguably is a touch too long, and the restraint of Hitchcock, down to producer David O. Selznick overseeing things, stops it being a bit more unnerving than it should be. For Manderley the mansion here is one of the finest put on the screen, this is because Hitchcock and brilliant cinematographer George Barnes manage to make it bold & beautiful one minute, and then the next scene it comes off as a monolithic nightmare. It's wonderful case of the surroundings playing the extra character for maximum effect. Laurence Olivier is impressive, even if we would learn later on that this is the sort of performance he could do in his sleep. The supporting cast do great work as well, especially as regards the cold and terrifying turn from Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers. However, to me this will always be Joan Fontaine's show, she nails it perfectly, the new Mrs. De Winter wants to do right but can't seem to so for doing wrong, she infuriates at times, yet the next minute you just want to hold her, for she's so vulnerable, but beautifully so, it's a brilliant performance in a brilliant film. The ending is a switheroo from the novel, and it almost derails the success the film has achieved up to that point. And looking at it now it's hard not to curse the Production Code for enforcing a big change to what was revealed in du Maurier's wonderful novel. But the film has survived the "appeasing" ending to stand the test of time for all the ages. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Barnes also won for Best Black & White Cinematography, it was nominated for a further nine awards, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. No nomination for Waxman, sadly, but his score is worthy of a mention for the evocative strains that sit nicely with the tone of the story. Rebecca, a hauntingly beautiful picture that's acted and produced with consummate skill. 9.5/10
CinemaSerf
We saw this quite recently on the big screen at Somerset House in London. One of those outdoor screenings - and the fact that it poured with rain on hundreds of us didn't matter one jot (though the hampers got quite sodden). Olivier and the eerily stupendous Judith Anderson provide the ultimate in sophisticated horror partnerships and make this by far my favourite Hitchcock film. Joan Fontaine is an expert at conveying the naive, adoring vulnerability of the second "Mrs. de Winter", combatting a foe she cannot hope to defeat and George Sanders is almost as sinister as he makes up the quartet in this bleak, frightening and totally enthralling two hours of cinema.
Filipe Manuel Neto
**One of the greatest films of Hitchcock's career.** Alfred Hitchcock was truly a master, and there are not many directors who can present a CV so vast, so rich and so deserving of acclaim. Ironically, he did not win a single Oscar for his work as a director and even this film, which was one of the most awarded in his work, only won two Oscars (Best Film and Best Black-and-White Cinematography) at the 1941 ceremony. The film was produced by David O. Selznick through his own studio, which was then busy completing and releasing “Gone With the Wind”. He had acquired the film rights to the original novel, by Daphne du Maurier, and hoped that Hitchcock would be faithful to the material. He reluctantly agreed, but imposed his deeply detailed working methods, significantly delaying filming, which was just one of the points of friction between producer and director. Things got to the point where Hitchcock banned Selznick from “his” studio and prevented his interference, filming only what he thought he was going to use in order to restrict the final cut. It goes without saying, I believe, that Hitchcock gave us another memorable work worthy of every cinephile's bookshelf. The cinematography, in black and white, is modeled with great care and beauty, using some very innovative techniques for the time. The soundtrack also works wonderfully and is very atmospheric. The mansion's sets and costumes were also points in which the production invested a lot and applied itself, in order to provide greater realism. It appears that the exterior of the house was, in fact, a scale model. The script is impressively effective: after a quick courtship, a very rich man marries a young woman from modest origins and takes her to his impressive mansion. However, he was a recent widower, and the house is filled with disturbing memories of his previous marriage, as if his first wife still roams around, and could become a palpable presence that threatens to tear the couple apart. There are more elements in between, such as the housekeeper's strange obsession with her previous boss, to whom she devoted a bizarre loyalty, and the deepening of the mysteries leads to a surprising ending, so it's worth not reading anything about the film before watching see it in its entirety. Of course, if we think about it, it becomes incomprehensible that, with a new wife, that man kept the housekeeper in his house, along with all the objects that belonged to the deceased... Joan Fontaine was chosen for the main character, giving us a quality, very convincing performance. She seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown for a huge period of time and that is what certainly earned her the Oscar for Best Actress for this work, one of the best in her career. Laurence Olivier also does a good job and, despite hating Fontaine's choice (he pressured the production to give the role to his real-life partner, Vivien Leigh) and not having a good, friendly relationship with her colleague, he is extraordinarily competent when they are on stage together. Judith Anderson also deserves praise for her work.
CinemaSerf
We saw this quite recently on the big screen at Somerset House in London. One of those outdoor screenings - and the fact that it poured with rain on hundreds of us didn't matter one jot (though the hampers got quite sodden). Olivier and the eerily stupendous Judith Anderson provide the ultimate in sophisticated horror partnerships and make this by far my favourite Hitchcock film. Joan Fontaine is an expert at conveying the naive, adoring vulnerability of the second "Mrs. de Winter", combatting a foe she cannot hope to defeat and George Sanders is almost as sinister as he makes up the quartet in this bleak, frightening and totally enthralling two hours of cinema.
Movie Recommendation
Spellbound1945-11-08When Dr. Anthony Edwardes arrives at a Vermont mental hospital to replace the outgoing hospital director, Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst, discovers Edwardes is actually an impostor. The man confesses that the real Dr. Edwardes is dead and fears he may have killed him, but cannot recall anything. Dr. Peterson, however is convinced his impostor is innocent of the man's murder, and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis.More...
How Green Was My Valley1941-10-28A man in his fifties reminisces about his childhood growing up in a Welsh mining village at the turn of the 20th century.More...
Foreign Correspondent1940-08-16American crime reporter John Jones is reassigned to Europe as a foreign correspondent to cover the imminent war. When he walks into the middle of an assassination and stumbles on a spy ring, he seeks help from a beautiful politician’s daughter and an urbane English journalist to uncover the truth.More...
Notorious1946-08-21In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian, a Nazi hiding out in Brazil. When Sebastian becomes serious about his relationship with Alicia, the stakes get higher, and Devlin must watch her slip further undercover.More...
Mr. & Mrs. Smith1941-01-31Happily married for three years, Ann and David Smith live in New York. One morning Ann asks David if he had to do it over again, would he marry her? To her shock, he answers, "No". Later that day, they separately discover that, due to a legal complication, they are not legally married.More...
Scarface1932-04-09In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life.More...
To Catch a Thief1955-08-03An ex-thief is accused of enacting a new crime spree, so to clear his name he sets off to catch the new thief, who’s imitating his signature style.More...
Strangers on a Train1951-06-27Having met on a train, a smooth-talking psychotic socialite shares his theory on how two complete strangers can get away with murder to an amateur tennis player — a theory he plans to test out.More...
Lifeboat1944-01-28During World War II, a small group of survivors is stranded in a lifeboat together after the ship they were traveling on is destroyed by a German U-boat.More...
Suspicion1941-11-14A wealthy and sheltered young woman elopes with a charming playboy and soon learns of his bad traits, including his extreme dishonesty and lust for money. Gradually, she begins to suspect that he intends to kill her to collect her life insurance.More...
Marnie1964-07-17Marnie is a thief, a liar, and a cheat. When her new boss, Mark Rutland, catches on to her routine kleptomania, she finds herself being blackmailed.More...
The Philadelphia Story1940-12-05When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.More...
The Wrong Man1956-12-22In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.More...
On Her Majesty's Secret Service1969-12-18James Bond tracks his archnemesis, Ernst Blofeld, to a mountaintop retreat in the Swiss alps where he is training an army of beautiful, lethal women. Along the way, Bond falls for Italian contessa Tracy Draco, and marries her in order to get closer to Blofeld.More...
Grand Illusion1937-06-04A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.More...
Our Hospitality1923-11-19A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.More...
Wuthering Heights1939-04-07The Earnshaws are Yorkshire farmers during the early 19th Century. One day, Mr. Earnshaw returns from a trip to the city, bringing with him a ragged little boy called Heathcliff. Earnshaw's son, Hindley, resents the child, but Heathcliff becomes companion and soulmate to Hindley's sister, Catherine. After her parents die, Cathy and Heathcliff grow up wild and free on the moors and despite the continued enmity between Hindley and Heathcliff they're happy -- until Cathy meets Edgar Linton, the son of a wealthy neighbor.More...
He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not2002-03-27A talented art student named Angélique is passionately in love with Dr. Loïc Le Garrec, a handsome married man whom she believes will leave his wife. When he eventually decides to stay in his marriage, it causes Angélique to spiral. However, as the story shifts from Angélique's perspective to Loïc's, the surprising truth about their relationship is revealed.More...
Horse Fever: The Mandrake Sting2002-10-31Mandrake and his new friends still continue to bet (and lose a lot of money) on horse races. What will they invent for cheating money?More...
Father Goose1964-12-10During World War II, South Sea beachcomber Walter Eckland is persuaded to spy on planes passing over his island. He gets more than he bargained for as schoolteacher Catherine Frenau arrives on the run from the Japanese with her pupils in tow!More...
Similar Movies
Children of Paradise
1945-03-15In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.Belle Époque
1992-12-04In 1931, a young soldier deserts from the army and falls into a country farm, where he is welcomed by the owner due to his political ideas. Manolo has four daughters, Fernando likes all of them and they like him, so he has to decide which one to love.The Princess Bride
1987-09-25In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup and the dashing Westley must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen, murderous princes, Sicilians and rodents of unusual size. But even death can't stop these true lovebirds from triumphing.The Bourne Identity
2002-06-14Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy—but who does he work for?The Bourne Supremacy
2004-07-23A CIA operation to purchase classified Russian documents is blown by a rival agent, who then shows up in the sleepy seaside village where Bourne and Marie have been living. The pair run for their lives and Bourne, who promised retaliation should anyone from his former life attempt contact, is forced to once again take up his life as a trained assassin to survive.The Bourne Ultimatum
2007-08-03Bourne is brought out of hiding once again by reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar, an upgrade to Project Treadstone, in a series of newspaper columns. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally uncover his dark past while dodging The Company's best efforts to eradicate him.Our Mother's House
1967-09-14Seven British children bury their mother and hide her death, until their long-lost father returns.This Man Must Die
1969-09-04When his young son is killed in a hit and run accident, Charles Thenier resolves to hunt down and murder the killer. By chance, Thenier makes the acquaintance of an actress, Helène Lanson, who was in the car at the time of the accident. He then meets Helène’s brother-in-law, Paul Decourt, a truly horrible individual.Madame Bovary
1991-03-03Bored with the limited and tedious nature of provincial life in 19th-century France, the fierce and sensual Emma Bovary finds herself in calamitous debt and pursues scandalous sexual liaisons with absolute abandon. However, when her volatile lifestyle catches up to her, the lives of everyone around her are endangered.The Specialist
1994-10-07May Munro is a woman obsessed with getting revenge on the people who murdered her parents when she was still a girl. She hires Ray Quick, a retired explosives expert to kill her parent's killers. When Ned Trent, embittered ex-partner of Quick's is assigned to protect one of Quick's potential victims, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.The Mothman Prophecie...
2002-01-25Reporter John Klein is plunged into a world of impossible terror and unthinkable chaos when fate draws him to a sleepy West Virginia town whose residents are being visited by a great winged shape that sows hideous nightmares and fevered visions.Hard Candy
2005-01-14Hayley’s a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff’s a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff’s place. Jeff thinks it’s his lucky night. He’s in for a surprise.In the Mouth of Madne...
1995-02-03An insurance investigator begins discovering the impact a horror writer's books has on his fans is more than inspirational.What Lies Beneath
2000-07-21When Claire Spencer starts hearing ghostly voices and seeing spooky images, she wonders if an otherworldly spirit is trying to contact her. All the while, her husband tries to reassure her by telling her it's all in her head. But as Claire investigates, she discovers that the man she loves might know more than he's letting on.Signs
2002-08-02A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.Insurgent
2015-03-18Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart.Allegiant
2016-03-09Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.The Three Musketeers
1973-12-11The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a King's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the King. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the Cardinal.The Lost World
1925-02-02The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.Pacific Heights
1990-09-28A couple works hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately one of their tenants has plans of his own.