Rebecca (1940)

• Year: 1940
• Released: 12 Apr 1940
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Won 2 Oscars. 7 wins & 10 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032976/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rebecca
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/rebecca
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, French
• MPA Rating: Approved
• Genre: Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery
• Runtime: 130 min
• Writer: Daphne Du Maurier, Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison
• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Cast: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders
• Keywords: based on novel or book, love, death, noir, secret,

	8.1/10
	86/100
	39% – Critics
	39% – Audience

Rebecca Storyline

A young woman is in Monte Carlo, working as a ladies’ companion, when she meets the recently-widowered, and very wealthy, Maxim de Winter (Sir Laurence Olivier). They fall in love and get married soon thereafter. The de Winters take up residence in Maxim’s family estate, Mandalay. Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) finds it hard to fit in. The presence of Maxim’s deceased wife, Rebecca, seems to permeate through the house and Mrs. de Winter can’t shake the feeling that she is constantly being compared to her, and that she is an interloper. Mrs. Danvers (Dame Judith Anderson), Rebecca’s personal maid, also takes care to make things as uncomfortable as possible for the new Mrs. de Winter. Mrs. de Winter has the constant fear that memories of Rebecca will drive her and Maxim apart. Over time, she grows to know more and more about Rebecca.

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Rebecca Movie Reviews

Exceptional but perhaps a tad overrated

While I have always thought this movie was a bit overrated, it is still an exceptional film and those on IMDb who gave it scores of 1 or 2 are way out of line. Overrated it might be, but it STILL is a very good and interesting film.

First, I’ll complain about a few things–then discuss all the good about the film. The original story by Daphne du Maurier was a lot more risqué than the film–with a bisexual story line that is only barely hinted at in the movie. You really can’t blame the film makers for this, as the Hollywood Production Code wouldn’t allow this plot line to be pursued. So, instead, Rebecca was promiscuous but only with men. In addition, I am really amazed that Joan Fontaine received the Best Actress Oscar for this film. Her character often stared into space and appeared more slow-witted or annoying than just a “fish out of water”. My daughter watched the film with me and said “why is that lady acting so twitchy?”. In other words, she behaved in a rather strange and inexplicable manner during some of the film–particularly when she was at Mandalay. Also, I really couldn’t understand why the DeWinters kept their crazy old housekeeper–after all, she tried to drive the mistress of the house to suicide. Isn’t this grounds for termination of her services?!!

Now, despite these complaints that definitely mar the film, there was so much to like about the movie. The script was daring and creative despite the limitations. Most times I see a movie, I say to myself that it reminds me of some other films I’ve seen, but in this case REBECCA is truly unique and creative. The film also had many, many twists and turns and provided one of the best endings I have seen in some time. In addition, I also liked the camera-work and music, as they created a wonderful ambiance. Despite being a black and white film, it was a beautiful picture.

So my advice is to definitely see the film but just be prepared to ignore the plot holes. A hole-ridden film, to me, is still worth seeing in some cases, but somehow doesn’t seem worthy of being in IMDb’s top 250.

Chilling and dramatic- a must see for Hitchcock fans!

I am 17, and I love this movie. One definite positive of Rebecca is the masterful direction by Alfred Hitchcock, full of the usual twists and turns that make his films so pleasing. The chilling and suspenseful story, of a timid young woman marrying a man and finding herself in the shadow of his dead first wife, has many complex issues, such as the possibilities of suicide, murder and mistaken identity, all of which took me completely by surprise. Rebecca also has gorgeous black and white cinematography, and a beautifully atmospheric music score. But it’s the performances from the distinguished cast that holds this film together. Laurence Olivier, one of Britain’s finest stage and film actors(you only have to see him in Shakespeare to know the talent this man had), gives a towering performance as Maxim De Winter, a broken man haunted by his first wife’s death. The lovely Joan Fontaine is the picture of innocence and vulnerability as the 2nd Mrs De Winter, giving a genuine sense of fright and emotion throughout. Also superb is the suave George Sanders as the rather loathsome blackmailing Favel, who smirks and makes acidic remarks as effortlessly as Clark Gable did in Gone With The wind. But stealing the acting honours is Judith Anderson as the housekeeper Mrs Danvers, a performance that is truly sinister, like the scene when she sets Manderly on fire, her facial expression looking out of the window gave me the shivers. The script was tense, dark and flawlessly delivered. Through the characters we hear that Rebecca was beautiful and possessed all the other positive virtues, so I was shocked when that wasn’t to be. All in all, a chilling and dark film, that is a must see. 10/10 Bethany Cox.

On The Road To Manderley

I’ve always found it curious that of all the films Alfred Hitchcock directed Rebecca was the one that wound up with the Best Picture Oscar and that Hitchcock didn’t receive Best Director for it. Usually those two go together. John Ford won his second Oscar for Best Director for The Grapes of Wrath that year instead. Also Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson were nominated and all came up short.

Off the top of my head I would say Vertigo, North By Northwest, Shadow of a Doubt, and Spellbound are all qualitatively better than Rebecca. Yet Rebecca does have a nice Gothic horror feel to it though there is nothing supernatural going on here.

Laurence Olivier plays Maxim DeWinter, heir to the estate of Manderley who is in Monte Carlo looking to get away from the place because of the death of his first wife Rebecca. She was by all accounts a regal beauty who was the toast of society and he’s in mourning for her loss.

But he meets Joan Fontaine a nice, but plain sort of girl who is the paid companion of American dowager Florence Bates. Maybe because she’s the opposite of Rebecca he’s attracted to her. Fontaine grabs him on the spot when marriage is proposed.

Fontaine has a lot of insecurities much like her character in a following Hitchcock film, Suspicion. They’re not eased any by Judith Anderson the housekeeper of the big Manderley estate.

Mrs. Danvers was Judith’s career role. Before writing this review I remarked to someone else that I wonder what Mr. Danvers must have been like. It occurred to me later that there was no Mr. Danvers, he exists only as an excuse or a pretense so there would be no whispers about her unmarried status. She pretends to be a widow.

There’s more than just latent lesbianism in Judith Anderson’s portrayal. She was totally in love with the late Rebecca DeWinter and I’m sure it got good and physical. She can’t stand seeing anyone else in taking her place. Since it comes out that Rebecca was fooling around with her cousin George Sanders, why not a lesbian affair as well. If Rebecca were written today, Mrs. Danvers would be more openly lesbian.

Rebecca was the first of Alfred Hitchcock’s American films as well, though it was done here it was done by the English colony in Hollywood. Hitchcock never had budgets that Selznick gave him over in the UK. The sets depicting the grandeur of Manderley are an eye full. Than again so were the sets of Tara in Selznick’s Best Picture of the previous year, Gone With the Wind.

Rebecca is a good mixture of mystery, Gothic horror, and romance served up quite nicely by Alfred Hitchcock.