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Summary: Perfect film
Review: In my opinion, this film is perfect. I just recently saw it and feel immersed and obsessed with the story. I highly recommend Rebecca to anyone who has not seen it and remind those to refresh themselves who have not seen in it in the past few years.Hitchcock was undoubtedly a master of the art. His work is as fresh and profound today as ever. Thank you Mr. David O. Selznick, Joan Fontaine, Lawrence Olivier and most of all Mr. Hitchcock!
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Summary: Criterion's disappointingly out-of-sync
Review: While I am a great admirer of "Rebecca" and Criterion, I think the sound and picture for this DVD, while superbly restored in and of themselves, are out-of-sync by four or five or more frames throughout the film. Perhaps because I edit film this is more noticeable to me, but I would think that even casual viewers would sense that something is off. Look at the scene where Joan Fontaine confronts Mrs. Danvers after the disaster of the costume ball. In the two-shots, Judith Anderson's voice is ludicrously lagging behind the movements of her lips. "Rebecca" was rather famously plagued by on-set sound recording problems, and was extensively looped in post production, but the original Criterion laserdisc of this film did not suffer from this problem and it cannot be blamed on the original technicians. Having shelled out [the money] for this set, it makes it a bitter disappointment for me. While "Rebecca" the film rates ***** always, "Rebecca" the Criterion release does not.
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Summary: A great afternoon movie
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this Hitchcock movie. On many levels. I hadn't seen it before, and came away quite happy with my purchase. It's kind of timeless. Other than being in b&w, nothing else really dates it per se (other than the actors/actresses of course). It's a good mystery, the scenery wonderful, and Joan Fontaine truly a twentieth century beauty (where are the actresses like her today?).
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Summary: great american debut
Review: Rebecca is Hitchock's first american movie and he does not disappoint. Rebecca has a strong cast that produced a haunting story about a young women who falls in love with a strange husband. When I saw Rebecca, I was amazed at how well Hitchock was able to create an intreging movie like this using subtle technics.
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Summary: Hitchcock Hollywood
Review: Hitchcock himself was dimissive of REBECCA. In some respects it is easy to see why: the film is very much a lavish Hollywood romance; the nature of the story offers little room for the director's legendary talents; and censorship issues of the day effectively prevented the film from touching upon the most startling plot twist of the original novel. Even so, REBECCA remains one of Hitchcock's most praised and widely admired films, and with good reason. The film is perhaps Hitchcock's single finest exercise in pure atmosphere. Every frame manages to convey a combination of misty romance and increasing emotional disquiet, and the look feeds beautifully into the famous story of a mousey second wife who becomes increasingly insecure about her wealthy husband's seemingly perfect and mysteriously dead first wife, Rebecca. The script is remarkably strong, and the cast, with Dame Judith Anderson offering a truly legendary performance as Mrs. Danvers, is particularly fine. Everything about the film is dreamy, slickly produced, and expertly executed, and even the most jaded viewer will likely be drawn into the film's quietly mounting sense of insecurity and paranoia. If this film had been made by any other director, I would have probably given it five stars; since it is by Hitchcock, however, it must be compared to some very, very celebrated work indeed, and I feel it ranks a bit below his best work and therefore give it four instead of five stars. But four or five, REBECCA is certainly a film that belongs in the collection of any one who admires Hitchcock's work--or any one in search of an unusual, romantic story with a carefully crafted gothic atmosphere.
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Summary: Hitch-Selznick collaboration given deluxe treatment on DVD
Review: Hitchcock always disowned Rebecca by stating it "was not a Hitchcock picture" because he made the film in collaboration with producer Selznick. In a sense, he's correct but at this stage of his career it was an advantage. For Hitch working with Selznick taught him how to work within the Hollywood film community. It's the very lesson that was missing for Orson Welles (and became his undoing after Kane). While that meant some of Hitch's early Hollywood pictures weren't as earth shattering, it also allowed him to stretch later in his career and produce Rear Window, Vertigo and Psycho. Rebecca is every bit Selznick's film as Hitchcock's. Regardless, a lot of Hitch's thematic and visual motifs crop up throughout the picture. In lesser hands, Rebecca could have been a fairly routine (albeit intersting) mystery-melodrama. The collaboration between the two created a film that, arguably, turned out better than if either one had attempted it alone. Hitch invests the film with passion and it has stood up fairly well over time. There are flaws to be certain (Olivier's performance is at turns uncertain and over-the-top while Fontaine's performance lacks the spark that Ingrid Bergman might have brought to the role; the script is strewn with awkward, stilted dialog)but Hitch never lost sight of the very theme that had attracted him to the story in the first place (a very similar theme would drive one of Hitch's best films--Vertigo). Selznick's desire to remain true to the source material may have made this less of a Hitchcock film,but it did rein in the excess Hitch demonstrated with Jamaica Inn. When Hitchcock matured as an artist and found the right collaborators (screenwriters John Michael Hayes, Ernest Lehman, Joseph Stefano among others), he managed to demonstrate better insight as a film director and producer. The cinematography is stunning; what's frequently missed are the technical parallels between Rebecca and Citizen Kane. The latter film was shot by Greg Toland who was a pupil of R's cinematographer. The stunning use of miniatures and optical effects to allow the house itself (and as a result Rebecca) become a character (much the way that Welles establishes Kane's character from the very beginning of CK). The extras are numerous and welcome; the screen tests of various actresses considered for the part is a peak into a parallel world of what might have been; Selznick and Hitch's memos also demonstrates the power and difficult aspects of their collaborations. Hitch didn't work for Selznick very often (he was loaned out to other studios as much as he worked for Selznick). The resulting collaborations allowed Hitch to blossom as a film director and continue to discover his own voice. The excerpts of Traffaut's seminal interviews with Hitch are also fascinating; they provide an inside look at Rebecca's production. Fontaine and Judith Anderson's telephone interviews illuminate us on the film as well giving us inside peaks at the production from the actor's point of view. I've seen Criterion's quality questioned here and I have to say it's unfair. Yes, the A&B edition of Rebecca would be a fine purchase for some folks but it doesn't compare to this edition. It's like comparing a fast food burger to fine dining both may accomplish the same goal but the former sacrifices quality for price and quanity. If you're a Hitchcock fan go with the Criterion edition. Yes, some of their releases haven't lived up to their reputation but this one isn't one of them.
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Summary: When did u first realize you loved movies?
Review: Alot can be said for a movie. But if i look back far enough, i knew i loved movies when i saw "Rebecca". I was in my teens and had never heard of it. A class assignment led me to it, and since then this has been my favourite. Its brilliantly done, and unlike anything Hollywood puts out now. The performances are indescribable. They are direct, believable and the settings put the viewer right there at Manderley alongside them. If you havent seen this one yet, or have doubts about buying it, let me reassure you it is worth every cent.
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Summary: The Criterion DVD is far superior to the Anchor Bay issue.
Review: Let me begin by strongly discouraging you from purchasing the cheaper Anchor Bay issue over this Criterion release. Next, while I think either Notorious or Rear Window is Hitchcock's greatest artistic and technical achievement, neither film has enchanted me quite as much as Rebecca. Rebecca was the first film Hitchcock made in Hollywood and the first product of his collaboration with Selznick. The film upon its release was among the director's most popular and critically successful pictures, winning an Oscar for Best Picture (the only significant Oscar ever awarded to a Hitchcock film, and even this one was given to Selznick, as producer). Nonetheless, in Truffaut's interviews with Hitchcock the director is rather unenthusiastic about this picture (a sentiment which Truffaut does little to challenge). Admittedly, Rebecca feels more like a Hollywood picture than much of Hitchcock's later work, which is understandable, given that he had little experience with working in that environment at the time. Some of the criticisms leveled against Rebecca, all of which I would contend are unfair, include: the plot exposition is long and meandering, the conclusion is drawn out, and Olivier and Fontaine are poorly cast (the former, coming across as stiff, the latter as excessively meek). Nonetheless, what strikes one most about Rebecca is where it departs from the Hollywood model for the Gothic romance, most notably, in the thrilling ending. I have always been struck by the parallels between "Citizen Kane" and "Rebecca," (which are nowhere more glaring than in the image of the letter "R" in the final shot of both films). The Criterion DVD issue is superb; do not waste your money on the Anchor Bay release (which I owned prior to this release). Even if you do not care for the overabundance of extras, the superiority of the transfer alone is reason enough. I also owned the Criterion laserdisc issue of "Rebecca," which is an outstanding transfer; however, this DVD surpasses even the laserdisc in video and audio quality. Besides, I do not mind paying the extra dollars for Criterion releases, given their commitment to outstanding digital transfers of classic films. Now if only Fox Lorber would have shown a similar committment to consistent quality in its Godard series. Also, unlike some companies that load their DVDs with both useless and carelessly engineered extras, Criterion, as is its track record, has assembled a list of extras that enhance one's understanding of the film. Besides two separate audio commentaries, among the other valuable resources include numerous screen tests (including Joan Fontaine's), feedback from audience test screenings, and examples of the different letter "R"s considered for the film. Once again, this is an all-around excellent DVD issue of an even more excellent film.
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Summary: Flawless DVD Transfer of Hitchcock Gem
Review: This DVD version of the 1940 Oscar Winner (Best Picture) is one of the most flawless tranfers of a classic I've seen! -- Joan Fontaine portrays the newly wedded second wife of Lord DeWinter (played by Laurence Olivier), who has no idea what she's gotten into: The new wife has a terrible time trying to live up to the first wife's ideal. The first Lady DeWinter (whose image is never shown!) was worshipped by many people, most of all the mysterious governess Mrs. Denvers (who keeps hell hot for the new Lady DeWinter!). Her stunning beauty gave Lady DeWinter an incredible ego, soon leading to Lord DeWinter's detesting his wife. The film spends much time reveiling the secrets surrounding the never clearly explained circumstances surrounding Lady DeWinter's death. -- The master of suspense delivers another great thriller! Oscar winner for best picture (though no other major awards were won). Don't miss it!
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Summary: HITCH DOES DU MAURIER'S HAUNTING ROMANCE
Review: Alfred Hitchcock's great interpretation of Daphne du Maurier's much loved novel "REBECCA" finally arrives in a two disc set that's jam packed with extras including, make up tests, hundreds of production and publicity photos, three radio broadcast of the story and a wonderful commentary by film scholar Leonard Jeff. Joan Fontaine is the plane Jane new wife of handsome widower Maxim de Winter (Lawrence Olivier). Only problem is, his mansion Manderlay on the Cornwall coast is still in the grip of the late Mrs. de Winter. The scary housekeeper is the unforgettable Judith Anderson. A lavish production and pristine transfer of an opulent David O. Selznick production. The ultimate version.
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