Rebecca (1940) | |
| Director(s) | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Producer(s) | David O. Selznick |
| Top Genres | Drama, Film Adaptation, Film Noir, Mystery, Romance, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, England, Husband Wife, Psychological Thrillers, Romance (Drama) |
Featured Cast:
Rebecca Overview:
Rebecca (1940) was a Drama - Mystery Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by David O. Selznick.
The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Daphne du Maurier published in 1938.
SYNOPSIS
Hitchcock's American debut was a smashing success, and an intriguing change of pace after his British murder mysteries. Here, Hitchcock takes a subtler, psychologically-based approach to the 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier, more akin to William Wyler's brooding Wuthering Heights (1939) than to the crime genre. Olivier meet shy, retiring Fontaine on vacation and soon marries her. When they settle at Olivier's estate, Fontaine discovers that Olivier's deceased first wife still rules the household through the servants (particularly a creepy housekeeper played by Anderson) and a looming portrait. Though Fontaine hears nothing but adulation for the dead woman, her true character is revealed when the remains of her boat wash to shore, making clear that the craft was intentionally sunk. Olivier then tells Fontaine of the torment his first wife made on his life, setting free his conscience as the housekeeper consumes his first wife's memory in the flames of the burning estate. The laserdisc edition include screen tests by Vivien Leigh, Anne Baxter, Loretta Young, and Fontaine for the lead; coverage of the 1940 Oscar ceremonies; trailers, radio broadcasts, production stills, and a second audio track that contains comment derived from interviews with Hitchcock.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actor | Laurence Olivier | Nominated |
| Best Actress | Joan Fontaine | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Judith Anderson | Nominated |
| Best Art Direction | Lyle Wheeler | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | George Barnes | Won |
| Best Director | Alfred Hitchcock | Nominated |
| Best Film Editing | Hal C. Kern | Nominated |
| Best Music - Scoring | Franz Waxman | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Selznick International Pictures | Won |
| Best Writing | Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine live in the shadow of “Rebecca”
By Stephen Reginald on Oct 16, 2023 From Classic Movie ManLaurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine live in the shadow of “Rebecca” Rebecca (1940) is an American romantic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock—in his American directorial debut—and starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. The screenplay was written by Robert E. She... Read full article
“Rebecca” casts a long shadow over Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine
By Stephen Reginald on Feb 25, 2021 From Classic Movie Man“Rebecca” casts a long shadow over Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine Rebecca (1940) is an American romantic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock—in his American directorial debut—and starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. The screenplay was written by Robert E. ... Read full article
Classic Conversations: Two Award-Winning Costume Designers Re-Imagine ‘Rebecca’ and ‘West Side Story’
By Danny Miller on Nov 14, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub BlogAs classic movie lovers, we can be a very sensitive group when it comes to messing with our favorites. Even movies that seem to get a new version for each successive generation get severely criticized by those of us who are devotees of the originals. While Lady Gaga received a lot of acclaim... Read full article
book: Ghostwalk (2007) by Rebecca Stott
By John Grant on Aug 7, 2019 From NoirishA modern-day mystery rooted in the history of science — specifically in Isaac Newton’s Cambridge career, with the emphasis on his alchemical researches? Oh, yes. As you can imagine, this book had sold itself to me before I was halfway through the blurb’s first paragraph. And I wasn... Read full article
Rebecca Got a Bad Rep
By Judy on Jun 29, 2019 From Cary Grant Won't Eat You**Spoilers abound** Of all the femme fatales on film and in print, Rebecca may top them all. The woman isn?t even alive at the start of the book or the Hitchcock film that resulted from it, yet the narrator of the story is so haunted by her husband?s previous wife (and Du Maurier is so skilled at fr... Read full article
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Quotes from
Mrs. de Winter: You knew it! You knew that she wore it, and yet you deliberately suggested I wear it. Why do you hate me? What have I done to you that you should ever hate me so?
Mrs. Danvers: You tried to take her place. You let him marry you. I've seen his face - his eyes. They're the same as those first weeks after she died. I used to listen to him, walking up and down, up and down, all night long, night after night, thinking of her, suffering torture because he lost her!
Mrs. de Winter: I don't want to know, I don't want to know!
Mrs. Danvers: You thought you could be Mrs. de Winter, live in her house, walk in her steps, take the things that were hers! But she's too strong for you. You can't fight her - no one ever got the better of her. Never, never. She was beaten in the end, but it wasn't a man, it wasn't a woman. It was the sea!
Mrs. de Winter: Oh, stop it! Stop it! Oh, stop it!
Mrs. Danvers: [opening the shutters] You're overwrought, madam. I've opened a window for you. A little air will do you good. Why don't you go? Why don't you leave Manderley? He doesn't need you... he's got his memories. He doesn't love you, he wants to be alone again with her. You've nothing to stay for. You've nothing to live for really, have you? Look down there. It's easy, isn't it? Why don't you? Why don't you? Go on. Go on. Don't be afraid...
Mrs. Danvers: Go ahead. Jump. He never loved you, so why go on living? Jump and it will all be over...
'Maxim' de Winter: I'm asking you to marry me, you little fool.
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Facts about
Margaret Sullavan tested for the role of Mrs. de Winter.
This was the first film Alfred Hitchcock made with David O. Selznick. Hitchcock worked with screenwriter Robert E. Sherwood and Hitchcock's assistant Joan Harrison in the scripting process. But he was dissatisfied almost from the beginning of the shoot with Selznick's controlling - some called it obsessive - manner of "producing".
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