Rebecca

Rating:
Summary: The gothic movie at its finest
Review: Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier are in top form in this
Hitchcock thriller. Dame Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers is
probably her most famous role. The story had to be rewritten
because in 1940 Olivier could not get away with murder so
the book is changed. With Criterion you always get lots of extras
and this one includes several screen tests made by Margaret
Sullavan, Vivien Leigh, Loretta Young and a very young Anne
Baxter (who nearly got the part). But Fontaine was the only
one who had that special mousiness needed for the role and they
made the right choice. The Masterpiece Theatre Video with Diana
Rigg as Mrs. Danvers is also worth purchasing as she is magnificent and the book is followed. But it is in color. Gothic
movies should be black and white.

Rating:
Summary: Good Hitchcock.
Review: This was a pretty good Hitchcock movie, but it isn't among my favorite of his works. At times the story seems sort of confusing and leads you down unexpected paths, but instead of resulting in classic Hitchcock suspense they seem somewhat distractive and drawn-out. Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson are wonderful as the two starring females, but Laurence Olivier becomes increasingly annoying as the movie progresses. The production value accounts for something, though few of Hitchcock's signature tricks are executed. This was his only Best Picture winner, though I would have been happy with the award going to The Philidelphia Story or The Letter. If you liked movies like The Haunting or Wuthering Heights, you should check this one out.

Rating:
Summary: About the Criterion DVD version
Review: In terms of video/audio quality, the new Criterion DVD version of REBECCA is a mild improvement over Anchor Bay's DVD version from 1998. Both discs have clean picture and bright, clear mono audio. The Criterion disc looks a tad sharper and more detailed, so that in the first scene with Mrs. van Hopper, her jewelry looks a bit more glittering. The picture of the Anchor Bay disc, conversely, looks a bit softer. Such small differences may not be noticeable on smaller TV sets, but could have a significant effect on large, high-def monitors. Anchor Bay's 2.0 mono soundtrack is louder compared to Criterion's 1.0 mono track, otherwise the two soundtracks are virtually indistinguishable in quality.

From here on, Criterion's version beats Anchor Bay's in every way. The Criterion disc has optional English substitles and is region-free. Anchor Bay's has no subtitles or closed captioning and is coded for Region 1 only. The Criterion disc shows the original 1940 opening credit sequence, while the Anchor Bay disc, like many previous video releases of the film, uses the modified opening credits for the 1950s re-release of the film.

The Criterion disc also includes a mammoth collection of supplements. Via photos, screen tests, production memos, audio interviews, we get to see, hear, and read from most of the principals in the film: Hitchcock, Selznick, Fontaine (who reacts angrily but humorously to negative rumors about Hitchcock), Anderson, du Maurier (who refuses to tell the name of the heroine). The inclusion of an audio excerpt (8 minutes) of the historic Hitchcock-Truffaut interview is invaluable. There is also the result of a sneak preview questionnaire that shows audiences' responses to be overwhelmingly favorable. There is even a segment on the design of the "R" initial seen in the film. Leonard J. Leff conducts 20-minute phone interviews with Fontaine and Anderson, and also gives an excellent audio running commentary for the film. The commentary covers a lot of ground both in the technical, logistical, artistic aspects of the film as well as the relationship between Hitchcock and Selznick. And given the large scope, Leff, who speaks unhurriedly, often skillfully segues from one subject to another, as opposed to simply digressing to it. The result is smooth and engrossing. Leff's commentary was recorded in 1990 for Criterion's CAV laserdisc and it is still one of the best ones I've heard.

Rating:
Summary: Wellcome to Manderley again
Review: Just amazing. This new Criterion edition is full of wonderful extras. Beautifully packed (only the cover art isn't as appealling as the enclosed booklet) and restored to give it the feeling of actually returning to Manderley.
If only for the screen tests of the actresses who were candidates for the role, this DVD would be worth it. It's amazing to see a pretty Vivien Leigh trying to look shy when looking and acting like Scarlett (she was shooting "the wind" at the time).
This is a must for anyone who yearns for the good old days of moviemaking.
So get this DVD right away and witness the magic.

Rating:
Summary: Another really great Criterion disc
Review: Actually two discs. Once again, Criterion has really done it right. The extras here are extensive. The screen tests of the actresses for the main role of "I", are really fascinating. Anne Baxter, Loretta Young, Vivien Leigh, Margaret Sullavan, and finally Joan Fontaine...It provides a glimpse of the old Hollywood casting process; gives us an opportunity to watch how each of these actresses brings her own unique qualities to the same scene. Finally, it allows us to dream how the balance of the relationships in the movie might have turned out had one of the other women gotten the part...Fun to see all the options that were in front of the casting people...Really interesting.

This is one of my favorite movies and I am relishing the experience of looking at it from all the different angles provided here.

Rating:
Summary: Another Hitchcock triumph
Review: Rebecca was Hitchcock's first American movie and also one of his finest. Visually, it's stunning, with its Gothic Englishness and highly atmospheric recreation of Daphne Du Maurier's evocative novel. But the film triumphs on all levels: from its superb (and witty) script to its peerless cast and suspenseful direction.

Joan Fontaine is outstanding as the unnamed second wife of Max de Winter (Laurence Olivier), but it is Judith Anderson who steals the show as the enigmatic Mrs Danvers. The scene in which the creepy Danvers attempts to lure Joan Fontaine to suicide is mesmerising, and pure cinema in its spooky imagery.

One quibble only: it's rare indeed for Hitchcock to miss an opportunity to exploit a suspenseful moment, but I did feel that more tension could have been wrung from the climactic scene involving certain pivotal revelations from Rebecca's doctor. But a minor lapse in an otherwise classic production.

Rating:
Summary: Hands down, the most wonderful Hitchcock film ever made!
Review: When I saw this film on VHS many years ago, I immediately went out and borrowed DuMaurier's book from the local library. It haunted me so, my husband thought I had become obsessed with the thing. I watched the tape again, and then read the book a second time. It's as grand an adaptation as anything in recent history, including Gone With the Wind. The imagery from the book is meted out with great care by the cinematographer, and the acting is so incredibly close to how I would invision the characters from the book. It moved me, not only because Joan Fontaine's character was, in essence, a non-entity, invisible and insignificant to everyone, including her own new husband, but also because of the wonderfully perverse and scrutinizing eye of Mrs. Danvers, who, in my book, is among the cruelest, creepiest and most obsessive characters in film and literary history! Olivier plays a tormented man with mastery, but when Fontaine finds out the truth, the transformation she undergoes is so astounding and empowering, it made me want to go out and take on the whole world! A definite must see!

Rating:
Summary: A great movie!
Review: What can I say "Beautiful, Romantic, alot like Jane Eyre?" Athough it is alot like Jane Eyre ya know "Plain not very rich girl that lives with a brudy old lady, Somewhat handsome rich guy who has a mysterious past, and a buring house" that's not all though. But I loved the movie... Probably because I love Jane Eyre...

Rating:
Summary: "Tell Me, What Was Rebecca Really Like?"
Review: asks Joan Fontaine of Reginald Denny, hoping for a different answer than she gets. And that's what happens to her at every turn in this Hitchcock classic, as the second wife of Max de Winter (so nondescript she never gets a name) keeps realizing her shortcomings when compared to the late first wife, Rebecca. Rebecca, it seems, had everything: beauty, breeding, brains. Loyal servants, too, if we judge from the hostile treatment Joan receives from the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, played angrily by Dame Judith Anderson. Jovial cousins, as depicted by ultra cad, George Sanders. And of course a devoted husband, pre-sir Laurence Olivier. How can Joan hope to compete or make Max forget, even for a moment, what he lost when Rebecca's sailboat capsized last summer? One or two surprises give us the answer to that one. One of Hitchcock's best films, "Rebecca" is aces all the way. Once you hear that first line, "Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again," you'll be hooked.

Rating:
Summary: Juicey Stuff!
Review: This movie is one of my all time favorites. Laurence Olivier is dashing and brooding. Joan Fontaine is all beautiful and devoted. And oh that Mrs. Davers! I almost lost it the first time I saw 'old Daney' fondling Lady DeWinter's lingerie as she torments our confused, lovesick heroine in one of the most fabulous scenes in the movie. Nothing can beat this classic for its high 1940's melodrama!