2024 Blind Spot Series: Rebecca

 

Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca is the story of a woman who falls in love and marries a widowed aristocrat as he takes her to his mansion where she is haunted by the presence of his late wife. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison and adapted by Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan, the film is the exploration of a woman who finds herself in a new world as she copes with her husband’s grief over his late wife as well as the presence of his late wife whose shadow looms large over the mansion. Starring Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Gladys Cooper, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Denny, C. Aubrey Smith, Florence Bates, Leo G. Carroll, Leonard Carey, Edward Fielding, and Philip Winter. Rebecca is an evocative and rapturous film from Alfred Hitchcock.

The film follows a woman who meets and marries a widow aristocrat only to be haunted by the presence of his late wife who looms an immense shadow over his estate. It is a film that does not just explore a woman inhabiting the new role of a wife but also to become the mistress of an estate where she deals with the stories and presence of her husband’s late wife. The film’s screenplay starts off in a reflective narrative where the voice of an un-named woman (Joan Fontaine) talks about how she met George Fortescue Maximilian “Maxim” de Winter (Laurence Olivier) while she was working as a companion to the wealthy Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates) during a vacation in Monte Carlo. She sees him looking down at a cliff as if he is to jump off as she says something to him as he would stop as they would later meet again at a hotel lobby. The two begin a relationship and then marry where he takes her to his estate known as Manderley which is run by its housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) who takes a dislike towards the new Mrs. de Winter.

The script does not just feature some stylish dialogue but also intrigue into those who talk about Maxim’s late wife Rebecca as his sister Beatrice (Gladys Cooper) and his estate manager Frank Crawley (Nigel Bruce) are both vague in wanting to talk about her knowing that anything about her would upset him. Even as Mrs. de Winter deals with some of the mysteries of the home including a small cottage on the beach as well as a room that belonged to Rebecca. Mrs. de Winter would notice something in the room as well as an unexpected visitor in Rebecca’s cousin in Jack Favell (George Sanders) whom Maxim hates. Things would start to unravel with Maxim becoming angrier while Mrs. de Winter becomes troubled by the comparisons of Maxim’s late wife where revelations would emerge about what happened on the night she died.

Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is stylish in its presentation from the opening sequence of him panning the camera around an estate that is now in ruins as it sets up the tone of what to expect through Mrs. de Winter’s narration in that opening scene. Shot on various locations in California including Big Sur and the Culver Studios in Hollywood for many of its interiors. Hitchcock would use wide shots for some of these exterior locations including scenes set on the beach including the opening shot of the house that was shot at the studio. Hitchcock’s direction also has some unique compositions in the way he shoots scenes in Manderley as it is a character in the film. Even as he would have these interior wide and medium shots that highlights the space of the room including an office where Mrs. de Winter converses with Crawley about Rebecca where it is shot in close-ups and medium shot, and it then moves back to a wide shot. It is among the many visual ideas that Hitchcock would imbue into the film.

Then there is the titular character as there is not a single picture of her nor any flashbacks as it relates to her as she is this unseen presence whose shadow looms large over everyone and the world they inhabit. There is also a lot of allusions as it relates to Rebecca’s relationship towards both her cousin Favell and Mrs. Danvers with the former implying an incestuous relationship while the latter is considered taboo during the time of its production in the late 1930s/early 1940s. There is sexual tension that occurs though it is very subtle due to the production code of those times where Mrs. Danvers tries to get Mrs. de Winter to wear Rebecca’s clothes and such to create discord between Maxim and his new wife. The film’s third act does have Maxim reveal to his wife about Rebecca and their marriage following a discovery that makes Maxim uneasy. Even as Favell and Mrs. Danvers it would bring ruin to Maxim and his new wife being ousted though there are many complications that would be unveiled leading to an ending that is grand. Overall, Hitchcock crafts a riveting and mesmerizing film about a woman who marries a man whose late wife casts a large shadow over their lives.

Cinematographer George Barnes does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography in creating unique lighting for the daytime interior scenes as well as the scenes at night for the scenes at Manderley. Editors Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom do excellent work with the editing in creating rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense as well as some montages to play into Maxim and Mrs. de Winter’s growing relationship in Monte Carlo. Production designer Joseph B. Platt, with set decorator Howard Bristol and art director Lyle Wheeler, does incredible work with the look of Manderley in its many interior settings with the shape of a room as well as its dining hall and the mystery that is Rebecca’s bedroom. Costume designer Irene does fantastic work with the design of the clothes including a costume that Mrs. de Winter would wear for the costume ball.

The special effects work of Jack Cosgrove is terrific for some of the visuals that include blurry images as well as backdrops for some scenes where characters are walking or driving. The sound work of Jack Noyes and Arthur Johns is superb for the sound effects that are created as well as the atmosphere of a location to help build up its suspense. The film’s music by Franz Waxman is brilliant for its soaring orchestral score that plays into the suspense and drama as it helps heighten the tension as well as some small moments to help build up the suspense.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Forrester Harvey as an innkeeper who appears in the third act, Philip Winter as the Manderley servant Robert, Edward Fielding as the head Manderley butler Frith whom Mrs. de Winter likes, Lumsden Hare as the boat builder Mr. Tabbs, Leonard Carey as a hermit named Ben who stays at Rebecca’s cottage, Leo G. Carroll in a one-scene performance as a doctor who saw Rebecca the day she died, Melville Cooper as a coroner late in the film, and Florence Bates in an excellent performance as Mrs. de Winter’s employer in Mrs. Edyth Van Hopper who appears in the film’s Monte Carlo sequences as she always has something to say as she is a total delight to watch. Gladys Cooper and Nigel Bruce are superb in their respective roles as Maxim’s sister Beatrice and her husband Major Giles Lacey with the former as someone who knew Rebecca though she admits that there’s things about Rebecca’s relationship with her brother that didn’t feel right while the latter is a comic relief who takes a liking towards the new Mrs. de Winter.

C. Aubrey Smith is fantastic as Colonel Julyan, this police authority figure who comes in during the film’s third act where he investigates what has happened while trying to make sense of why Maxim is being targeted. Reginald Denney is brilliant as Frank Crawley as the estate manager of Manderley and a friend of Maxim who knew Rebecca during her marriage to Maxim while vague about wanting to talk about her. George Sanders is amazing as Jack Favell as Rebecca’s cousin as he is this charming yet devilish figure that only appears in a few scenes as he is someone that has his own motives to create discord for Maxim and Mrs. de Winter. Judith Anderson is tremendous as Mrs. Danvers as the housekeeper of Manderley as she is this woman that is cold towards the new Mrs. de Winter as she is someone who loved Rebecca as she would also create chaos in Maxim’s marriage to his new wife as an act of devotion towards her late mistress.

Finally, there’s the duo of Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine in great performances in their respective roles as Maxim and Mrs. de Winter where Olivier displays a man in anguish as someone who is consumed with guilt and grief over the loss of his first wife while is desperate to hold on to his new life with his new wife. Fontaine brings a livelier performance as a woman who is excited in the new life she has given but is troubled by the shadow of Maxim’s late wife. Even as she then deals with the stories of Rebecca and tries to understand everything that had happened with Maxim where she and Olivier have great rapport in the way two people deal with a ghostly presence who tries to destroy their happiness.

Rebecca is a spectacular film by Alfred Hitchcock that features phenomenal leading performances from Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine as well as an outstanding supporting performance from Judith Anderson. Along with its ensemble cast, thrilling music score, entrancing visuals, and its study of loss. It is a film that explores a couple dealing with the presence of a man’s late wife as well as secrets about this woman that is never seen in the film’s entirety. In the end, Rebecca is a sensational film by Alfred Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock Films: (Number 13) - (The Pleasure Garden) - (The Blackguard) - (The Mountain Eagle) - (The Lodger) - (A Story of the London Fog) - (The Ring) - (Downhill) - (The Farmer’s Wife) - (Easy Virtue) - (Champagne) - (The Manxman) - (Blackmail) - (Juno and the Paycock) - (Murder!) - (The Skin Game) - (Mary) - (Lord Camber’s Ladies) - (Rich and Strange) - (Number Seventeen) - (Waltzes from Vienna) - (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)) – The 39 Steps - (Secret Agent) - (Sabotage) - (Young and Innocent) – The Lady Vanishes (1938 film) - (Jamaica Inn) – (Foreign Correspondent) – (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) – Suspicion (1941 film) - (Saboteur) – (Shadow of a Doubt) – Lifeboat - Bon Voyage - (Spellbound) – (Notorious) – (The Paradine Cage) – Rope - (Under Capricorn) – (Stage Fright) – Strangers on a Train - I Confess - Dial M for Murder - Rear Window - To Catch a Thief - (The Trouble with Harry) – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) - (The Wrong Man) – Vertigo - North by Northwest - Psycho - The Birds - Marnie - (Torn Curtain) – (Topaz) – (Frenzy) – (Family Plot)

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