Rebecca

Rating:
Summary: Kept My Interest But Dated
Review: There are some spoilers below, so please don't continue unless you want to know/have seen the film.

Overall, the film kept my interest with plenty of suspense, twists, and beautiful cinematography. I could even look beyond the stylized acting that was more common back then. However, there are three things that bothered me. First (and my primary criticism), as one reviewer indicated below, it's hard to empathize with Max deWinters. We're supposed to want him and Mrs. deWinters II to end up together. Am I the only one who kept shouting throughout "What are you doing? Leave the idiot?!!!" He's not particularly nice to the heroine and has a nasty temper/is extremely moody. Also, I know they changed the ending to make it more sympathetic towards him and to "explain" his actions more, but he's still a criminal in various ways. How would she know she's not also going to become a victim? Second, the stereotypes of the women really bothered me. We have the mousy heroine who has no backbone, the cold and insane lesbian housekeeper, the promiscuous slut who deserves her death. Ugh. Third, I don't think the characters' actions often made sense. For instance, if Max deWinters had those feelings towards his first wife, why did he keep Mrs. Danvers around? Why was she kept after she tried to convince Mrs. deWinters II to kill herself? And why did the doctor's news motivate Mrs. deWinters I to do the things she did the last night of her life? Perhaps these things are better explained in the novel but I left with more questions than answers.

Rating:
Summary: An Array of Suspense
Review: This is a great movie. It is a work of art. While watching this video, you can really put yourself in the characters shoes and know how they feel. You will want to watch this movie again and again.

Rating:
Summary: A great film!
Review: This is a must see classic film. Full of mystery, romance, and a really intriguing story all the way. I't s got something for everyone. Joan Fontaine is so young and beautiful and Laurence Olivier, so handsome and full of charm and charisma, as her husband. It's really like th ebook, and brings it beautifully an dbrilliantly to screen.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie. DVD Criterion edition not so.
Review: This is a great movie. The DVD however is not that great. The extras that one gets from the Criterion Edition are all text. There is no visual extras of deleted scenes, interviews etc. Reading the text of the extra features that this edition provides is tiresome, and boring.

Rating:
Summary: Hitch's first American Classic
Review: Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock's debut as an American director and the only one of his films to ever win a Best Picture Oscar. Creatively the relationship between Hitch' and producer David O. Selznick was a tumultuous one but it yielded some of the finest examples of suspense cinema Hollywood has ever known. PLOT: Rebecca is the story of a rich playboy who remarries after his first wife's mysterious death. Based on the novel by Daphne Du Maurier, Hitch' was forced to change a key element in the original story in order to get the production past the censors. No, I can't tell you what that is. It would ruin the film for a first time audience. Suffice it to say, if you haven't seen this classic you should. It's a chilling suspense film that continues to hold its own.
Criterion has done a masterful job on the transfer. However, I'd really like someone at Criterion to explain why an alternative main title sequence was used in the remastering of this disc. The original release of Rebecca through Anchor Bay Home Video retained the title sequence that audiences saw back in 1940. It also was a heck of a lot cheaper than Criterion's new version, though Anchor Bay's version is also out of print, unfortunately. In comparing the two transfers, they appear, other than the main title sequence, to be virtually identical. Black and white contrast is superb and the original mono tracks have been nicely restored. Criterion offers a "musical score only" track that I was really looking forward to until I realized that some of the tracks included herein were substitutions. That and the main title sequence substitution are two major sticking points with me since Criterion is usually a company that prides itself on "doing things right" and charging the customer royally for the priviledge. Also included: the Lux Radio broadcast of the film and a theatrical trailer and that's about it. No making of documentary which is a real disappointment. The detailed booklet included explains the film's production nicely. Still, a documentary would have been nicer. Overall, I wouldn't spend the extra money on Criterion's version if the option of finding Anchor Bay's original release in a used bin at my local video retailer became an viable option. Regardless, Rebecca is definitely a masterpiece, a great work of suspense and a brilliant addition to any DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: Sublime Suspense...
Review: A haunting masterpiece by Alfred Hitchcock begins on a cliff over the Mediterranean near Monte Carlo. A man is uncomfortably close to the edge of the cliff and close to falling when a young woman (Joan Fontaine) yells, "No! Stop!". On a later occasion these two cross each others path again and they begin to spend more time together. The young woman is suppose to work for an older lady as a friend for hire; however, she has taken ill and the young lady is presented with more opportunity to spend time with the man whose name is George Fortescu Maximillian de Winter (Laurence Olivier), also known as Max. During the young woman's time in Monte Carlo she finds out from her benefactor that Max has recently lost his wife Rebecca in a drowning accident. On the day when her boss is about to go back the United States the young woman becomes panicky that she will not see Max again. Thus, she seeks him out, finds him, and he proposes to her. She becomes the new Mrs. de Winter. However, as she arrives at Max's estate, Manderley in Cornwall, England, she finds herself still living in the shadow of the departed Rebecca. Everything in Manderley reminds everyone of Rebecca and the new Mrs. de Winter begins to feel the ghost of Rebecca being near her. Rebecca is a brilliant film where Hitchcock triggers thoughts and feelings of suspense and suspicion through breathtaking cinematography, stunning sound, and meticulous detailed mise-en-scène. The film is based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier, who also grew up in Cornwall. This story is a remarkably well adapted for film, since it can get anyone to feel the anxiety of the new Mrs. de Winter as she lives in Manderley. When the audience exhales, they will have received some two hours of suspense and careful character development that leaves them with a excellent film experience.

Rating:
Summary: Love the book? Love the Movie!
Review: From the famous opening line "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again.." any fan of Daphne Du Maurier's book of the same name will be satisfied with this story of an incredibly naive,silly and nameless young woman who meets the dark and mysterious Max DeWinter in the South of France and marries him in a flash, not realising that his life is haunted by Rebecca, the beautiful drowned first wife of incomparable beauty and talent.

The movie follows the book faithfully, (except for the cause of Rebecca's death, presumably for audience sympathy to Max)recreating the gloomy atmosphere of Manderly, the ancestral seat, the insanely loyal retainer Mrs Danvers (great performance and casting to perfection)the bumbling Colonel Juylan, and the smarmy blackmailing Favell.

But kudos go to Joan Fontain as Mrs Nameless DeWinter the Second:is such silly simplicity possible in a grown woman? She plays the part of the witless besotted wifey perfectly for that time and setting, whereas the never seen, ever maligned, gutsy independent but very dead Rebecca is my true heroine! Great for anyone who loves atmospheric black and white suspense.A must for Hitchcock fans.

Rating:
Summary: Special Features Best Viewed On Computer
Review: Allow me to preface my review by stating that Rebecca is my absolute favorite movie. When I heard about the release of this DVD with all of the special features, I ordered it immediately and could hardly wait for it to arrive in the mail. When I popped in the special features DVD, my bubble of excitement suddenly burst. The features were mostly stills and audio recordings, which is great if you are in front of a computer, but not so great when you're lying on the couch.

Watching the actual film with the restoration of sound and images was a treat, and I am grateful to the folks who restored this film. Now Rebecca is forever safe from the fate of all celluloid. This, alone, is worth the price of admission.

Rating:
Summary: "Look, you can see my hand through it!"
Review: Rebecca is a haunting story that keeps you guessing almost to the end. It is amazing all the undercurrents in the story. Joan Fontaine is very young and captivating. Lawrence Olivier is charming but mysterious. George Sanders, Gladys Cooper and Nigel Bruce give nice turns, but it is Judith Anderson who steals the movie. She is obsessed with Rebecca, Mr. DeWinter (Olivier's) late first wife. From the hints in the movie, their relationship was anything but platonic, and her obsession leads to disaster.
The Anchor Bay DVD delivers the film superbly, so much so that I have been trying to get additional copies as gifts. There are no extras, but Anchor Bay did a beautiful job of cleaning up and transferring the film. Anchor Bay also has released DVD's of the other three films Hitchcock directed for producer David O. Selznick; Notorious, Spellbound and The Paradine Case. Snap them up, make some popcorn and enjoy. Thanks, CAL

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent haunting classic from the master of suspense
Review: "Rebecca' would easily rate in my top ten of the best films ever to come out of Hollywood's golden age. Rarely have I seen a film that reeks perfection in every department that was responsible for realising the final product. A stunning American film directing debut for Alfred Hitchcock, perfect casting of both leads and supporting cast, a famous and totally compelling novel as a basis for the story, superb sets and atmosphere, all combine beautifully to make "Rebecca" the unforgettable classic that it is, cherished by generations of adoring movie goers.

Adapted from the famous novel by Daphne du Maurier, David O. Selznick tackled this as his first major project after the mammoth production of "Gone With The Wind". Like that movie classic "Rebecca" was not an easy film to make with constant difficulties with the casting, relations between Producer and Director and ongoing tension between the two leads, however none of this shows in the final product and it seems that so often out of movie production mayhem comes unforgettable work of the highest quality. Indeed high quality is the best way to describe "Rebecca". Rewarded with the 1940 Academy Award for Best Film it won a number of other nominations and I still feel strongly that Joan Fontaine should have won Best Actress for her portrayal of the shy and insecure young bride of Cornwall landowner Maxim de Winter who finds herself as the lady of the manor living in the shadow of his deceased first wife the mysterious Rebecca. All the acting roles are flawless in their casting and performance. Sir Laurence Olivier never a favourite actor of mine, is never better than here as the tortured widower who cannot seem to exorcise his first wife's memory from his life. Joan Fontaine is nothing short of brilliant as the nameless second wife who must not only adjust to life at the hauntingly beautiful Manderley estate but also contend with the ghost of Rebecca and worse still the strong disapproval of the unforgettable Mrs. Danvers who runs the house and maintains everything as Rebecca had it. Indeed it was a stroke of genius in not providing Fontaine's character with a name as it further emphasises her completely living within the shadow of Rebecca and the life she led. Dame Judith Anderson perhaps has the most famous role in the whole film as the sinister and totally frightening Mrs Danvers. Hers is a memorable performance filled with hatred, disapproval and sinister goings on and she makes a compelling presence in the story. Her stern expressionless face in her long black gown silently walking the corridors of Manderley is an image that always stays in my mind and it combines perfectly with the almost Gothic atmosphere provided in the story. One of my favourite actors George Sanders also appears as the scoundrel Jack Favell a cousin of Rebecca's, who sees an opportunity to enrich himself at Maxim's expenses when the full story about Rebecca's demise is made public. He is equal parts cynical rogue and witty observer of others failings with few redeeming qualities of his own, in short a perfect George Sanders type part and he has also been never better. The gifted character actress Florence Bates had probably her most famous role in "Rebecca" in the film's first section as the aggressive social climber Edythe Van Hopper who travels to Monte Carlo with Joan Fontaine's character as a hired travelling companion. Her scenes while filled with venom also contain the few moments of humour in the story. Who could ever forget her butting out her cigarette in the pot of cold cream!! She makes a wonderful impression playing the overpowering and bossy American dowager who is not aware of the whirlwind romance between Mr. du Winter and her shy and awkward charge..

The suspense story of "Rebecca" concerns the resurfacing of the mystery surrounding the boating accident that supposedly claimed the life of the first Mrs. de Winter. I wont go into detail concerning this so as not to spoil the suspense for those seeing the film for the first time. The beauty of this film is that also we never get to actually see what the famous Rebecca looks like, only brief descriptions of her social grace, lovely dark hair and extreme wit and indeed cruelty. Originally a prologue was to be inserted with Rebecca portrayed in it however it was rightly decided to scrap that idea to maintain the mystery by having the audience picturing Rebecca in their own minds as the story unfolds.

Visually "Rebecca" is full of rich images fully exploited by Hitchcock and the sombre Gothic tones of the story are seen in the forbidding old estate of Manderley, with its great rooms, sweeping driveway and proximity to the pounding waves of the ocean and in particular with the mysterious beach house once used by Rebecca for her romantic trysts. All this adds up to one of the most atmospheric of motion pictures and combined with the haunting and at times quite disturbing musical score really creates the right feel for a superb suspense tale of the first order.

I strongly recommend "Rebecca" to you as an excellent example of filmmaking at its very best. Certainly it is in the top five of Alfred Hitchcock's directing efforts. The original novel is also well worth reading and contains other interesting facets to this riverting story not included in the film. However "Rebecca" is a viewing experience to cherish forever. I never tire of it and regard it as a suspence masterpiece and one of the greatest films to come out of the golden years of Hollywood film making. Enjoy!