Rebecca

"Happiness is something I know nothing about."

While vacationing in Monte Carlo with her wealthy employer, a naive young woman (Fontaine) stops a man from jumping off a cliff.  The man is the wealthy and charming Maxim de Winter (Olivier), who begins spending a significant time with he.  Maxim recently lost his wife Rebecca, who was rumored to be a beautiful and popular woman and left Maxim heartbroken.  As their time together draws to a close, Maxim proposes and whisks his new bride to his seaside home, Manderly.

The couple is deeply in love, but the shadow of Rebecca hangs over the estate.  Starting with their arrival at Manderly, Mrs. de Winter is constantly compared to Rebecca.  The staff are accustomed to Rebecca's routine, and keep her monogrammed paraphernalia everywhere.  And the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Anderson) undermines Mrs. de Winter's decisions.  Maxim is barely around, and when he is, his moods continually change.  Can she find a way to co-exist with the specter of Rebecca and find a way to make her husband happy?


Alfred Hitchcock's first American film paves the way for later masterpieces.  Using techniques and camera angles that he would characterize his later work, Hitchcock creates a memorable and suspenseful film.  As the film progresses, you assume you know how it will turn out... but, there is a big, unexpected twist that changes everything (which I won't spoil here).

The supporting players steal the show...  The most memorable, easiest to mock, performance comes from Judith Anderson as the haughty and condescending Mrs. Danvers.  She seems to float through the house, with the ability to randomly appear in different rooms in the house.  Also memorable, is George Sanders (who has an awesome voice!!) as Rebecca's slimely cousin Jack Favell... disarming and conniving, and draws your eyes in every scene.  Laurence Olivier is charming and aloof, withdrawing more and more.  And Joan Fontaine exudes a believeable naivete and meekness (apparently Hitchcock added to this performance by convincing Fontaine that no one liked her).

Suspenseful and compelling... not my favorite (and not his best), but still an excellent selection from the Hitchcock archive!!

Rebecca (1940) 130 minutes
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter
Joan Fontaine as Mrs. de Winter
George Sanders as Jack Favell
Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers