Rebecca - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: "I'm not the sort of woman men marry."
Review: Alfred Hitchcock is better known for his thrillers but "Rebecca" - his first Hollywood film - is more of a mystery than a nail-biter. Further adding to its uniqueness is the fact that this film won the Academy Award for Best Picture while many of the director's more well-known films did not

A widower named Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) takes on a new bride (Joan Fontaine) and brings her to Manderley, his personal estate. Soon the young wife finds herself haunted by the memory of her husband's former wife. There are reminders of the dead woman all over Manderley and the strange behavior of de Winter's housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), further compounds her feelings of unease. As time goes on, de Winter's new wife comes to realize that her husband may be hiding a sinister secret.

"Rebecca" is technically sound as is all of Hitchcock's works, but it has this feeling of routineness to it. The cynical manner in which it explores the notion of idealized love makes it a fascinating product of its era but "Rebecca" is essentially a showcase for good acting and not a film that particularly excites or invigorates. Admittedly, it is always interesting to watch Hitchcock explore his trademark themes of moral ambiguity and twisted romance but this outing is simply too ponderous to hold your attention from start to finish. In the final count, the sumptuous production design and the top-notch performances by Olivier, Fontaine, and Anderson just are not enough to make "Rebecca" engaging.



Rating:
Summary: Watch Olivier in the cabin scene
Review: I never tire of watching this movie and one of the reasons is the scene in the cabin where Maxim (Olivier) tells his new wife about the death of his first wife. The whole monolouge as performed by Olivier is hypnotic. Watch how he uses the cigarette in his hand, and how the camera pans the cabin to support his narrative. Brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: A classic film of a classic book: you must see it.
Review: Rebecca achieves greatness. Nothing is off in this film. You'll never forget Judith Anderson's sinister portrayal of the obsessed housekeeper, or George Sanders' cold and cynical charm as "Rebecca's favorite cousin." As for Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, they will never be seriously challenged in any remake of this tantalizing and psychologically molten story. It is their film from start to finish, though one fine character actor after another comes and goes with perfect pitch and perfect proportion. The black and white photography has a porcelain gleam to which color could bring nothing. Like Bronte's great novel, Jane Eyre (in which Joan Fontaine also starred), Rebecca is a seminal tale following an old pattern that has been imitated ad infinitum. But nothing can detract from this pure and innocent effort. I first saw Rebecca when I was a little girl, taken by my mother to a small theatre in New Orleans famous for showing foreign films and artistic films, and what an enchantment it was this world of Maxim de Winter and his great house and the crashing sea -- and finely controlled voices with English accents speaking so carefully but with such feeling. I've seen the film a dozen times since, and it has lost none of its silvery luster. There are times when I don't want to do anything except make a cup of hot chocolate and go in and watch Rebecca. Highly recommended. Add it to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: The best Hitchcock release by the Criterion Collection
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Hitchcock's "Rebecca" based on the novel of the same name by Daphne DuMaurier, remains one of Alfred Hitchcock's most popular films. Even more so as it was a joint project between Hitchcock and David O. Selznick, most famous for "Gone With the Wind"

The release by the Criterion Collection is exceptional and LOADED with specail features which I will mention later.

The film is about a woman on vacation in Monaco who meets a widower. They very quickly fall in love and get married. Her new husband lives in a mansion named 'Manderley.' One of the housekeepers is unhappy with her employer's new wife and tries to disrupt the marriage. I will stop here because I would consider any more information to be a spoiler.

The film has superb acting by Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson.

The Criterion Collection did an excellent job with this double disc set and it remains one of my favorites.

The special features make it even better.

There is an audio track with all dialogue removed, leaving only the music and sound effects which is a first for Criterion DVD's

There is audio commentary by Leonard J. Leff noted film scholar and author of a book about the co-productions between Hitchcock and Selznick.

Other features are:

Screen tests of other actresses who auditioned for the lead role including Vivian Leigh

Selections of Hitchcock's interview with Francois Truffaut

Telephone interviews with Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson

A large number of production and publicity stills along with lobby cards, location scouting pictures and many others

Facsimilies of letters written by Hitchcock, Selznick and others to film studio executives and censors regarding the movie

Deleted scene scripts

A facsimilie of a questionnaire given to individuals who saw the film before the public release

An essay on the novel's author

Home footage of the 1940 Academy Awards

Three seperate radio show adaptations of the novel and film, one is by the Mercury theater broadcast in 1938, the other two are bu Lux Radio Theater and broadcast in 1941 and 1950

Finally the accompanying booklet has several essays about the film.

The DVD went out of print in January 2004 and will sell higher than the original retail price. With each passing year the price will get higher so if you don't have it, get it sooner rather than later.

Fans of Hitchcock should not skip this one at all.

Rating:
Summary: "I'm asking you to marry me, you little fool."
Review: Rebecca, Alfred Hitchcock's first American film, is such a wonderful movie I didn't want it to end. Joan Fontaine stars as the unnamed heroine, a miserably shy and awkward lady's companion, who meets the charming, sophisticated, and recently widowed Maxim de Winter in Monte Carlo. They seem an odd couple, but after a few short weeks, they marry and come home to his imposing English country estate, Manderley. There, the new Mrs. de Winter is overwhelmed with her new, grand lifestyle, and is especially intimidated by the forbidding housekeeper, who keeps her first mistress' memory and influence alive. Maxim reveals a terrible secret which forever alters the couple's life, and affects the very existence of Manderley.

This wonderfully atmospheric tale, complete with swirling fog and spooky organ music, will take you away to another world, where little Cinderella really does marry the handsome prince and lives in the mysterious castle, but things have a nasty habit of going bump in the night. Joan Fontaine gives a breathtaking performance, convincing us she really is crippled with feelings of inadequacy, despite being a flawless beauty. Judith Anderson is the sneering, contemptuous housekeeper whose devotion to her former mistress turns to madness. Laurence Olivier makes a properly snobbish and mysterious Maxim, and manages to be the hero despite a fatal flaw. The title character, Rebecca, is never seen, but is a powerful force, as is the imposing house of Manderley. If you like gothic romances filled with 1940's elegance and lots of creepy atmosphere, you'll enjoy Rebecca.

Rating:
Summary: The housekeeper from hell
Review: Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Format: Black & White
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Video Release Date: September 1, 1998

Cast:

Laurence Olivier ... George Fortescu Maximillian 'Maxim' de Winter
Joan Fontaine ... The Second Mrs. de Winter
George Sanders ... Jack Favell
Judith Anderson ... Mrs. Danvers
Gladys Cooper ... Beatrice Lacy
Nigel Bruce ... Major Giles Lacy
Reginald Denny ... Frank Crawley
C. Aubrey Smith ... Colonel Julyan
Melville Cooper ... Coroner
Florence Bates ... Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper
Leonard Carey ... Ben
Leo G. Carroll ... Dr. Baker
Edward Fielding ... Frith
Lumsden Hare ... Tabbs
Forrester Harvey ... Chalcroft
Philip Winter ... Robert
Alfred Hitchcock ... Man outside phone booth
Leyland Hodgson ... Mullen, the Chauffeur
Billy Bevan ... Policeman
Egon Brecher ... Hotel Desk Clerk
Gino Corrado ... Hotel Manager
Edith Sharpe ... Bit part
Constance Collier

George Fortescu Maximillian 'Maxim' de Winter (Laurence Olivier) falls in love with, and marries, a simple, unsophisticated girl (Joan Fontaine) a year after the death of his first wife, Rebecca, who was lost in a sailboat accident at sea.

The happy couple retire to his family estate, an opulent castle, Mandeley, to luxury such as his new bride has never experienced. The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), was attached to the first Mrs. de Winter, and resents the new bride. The second Mrs. de Winter is unsure of herself in her new position and allows Mrs. Danvers, who is a housekeeper from hell, to bully and denigrate her, .

It would not do for me to expose the rest of the story to you, since it is full of surprises, but it is very well told, acted, and directed.

This is another dark classic, with suspense, tension, blackmail and murder. It is a fascinating film which I found very entertaining. I think it likely that you will also.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre



Rating:
Summary: Moody, atmospheric, and suspenseful
Review: From the opening voice-over by our unnamed heroine, Alfred Hitchcock's brilliant adaptation of 'Rebecca' grabs the viewer and never lets go. Hitchcock felt 'Rebecca', his first Hollywood film, was a compromise, but as a viewer I just can't find any fault in it. It's a masterpiece in my opinion-- full of suspense, mystery, and brooding atmosphere. It's also one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. I've watched it several times over the years, and even now that I know all the plot twists (quite shocking on your first viewing), it never fails to reel me in.

One of the reasons the film really works is the flawless casting. Laurence Olivier is superb as Mr. de Winter, with just the right mix of charm and coldness. And Joan Fontaine is absolutely perfect as the second Mrs. de Winter. I can't spot an unconvincing moment in her performance and can't imagine any other actress in the role. Believe me, many well-known actresses, including Vivian Leigh, tested for the role. There is a reason the then unknown Fontaine nabbed it.

The supporting cast also delivers brilliant performances, especially Judith Anderson in her Oscar-winning role as the extremely creepy Mrs. Danvers, George Sanders, in his small role as Rebecca's slimy cousin, and Nigel Bruce in a typical role as de Winter's bumbling brother-in-law Major Lacy.

The film is long, running two hours and 10 minutes, without end credits, but it certainly captured the feel of the novel brilliantly, and never has a boring moment. Rebecca is, essentially, a drama of mystery and romance, and in lesser hands it could easily have fallen into the trap of melodrama. But Hitchcock's deft direction, the superb cinematography, and the outstanding performances by the entire cast make it one of the greatest romances ever made, and one of the most atmospheric movies I have seen.