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)
© thevoid99 2024
Based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, Village of the Damned is the story of a British village where its women give birth to children who are mysterious and have powers. Directed by Wolf Rilla and screenplay by Rilla, Stirling Silliphant, and Ronald Kinnoch, the film is a look into a home that is unhinged by mysterious children who want to take over. Starring George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens, and Michael Gwynn. Village of the Damned is a mesmerizing and eerie film from Wolf Rilla.
Set in a small British village, the film revolves its villagers who suddenly fall asleep for hours and then wake up not knowing what had happened as some of the women in the village have become pregnant as the children they would give birth to are very mysterious. It’s a film that plays into a community that is baffled by this mysterious event as well as be disturbed by this group of white-haired children who are much smarter than normal children and can read minds. The film’s screenplay starts off with this typical normal day in the village of Midwich where everyone is just doing what they do until they all suddenly faint and fall asleep for some mysterious reason.
Leading the investigation is Alan Bernard (Michael Gwynn) who is a military officer that was talking to Professor Gordon Zellaby (George Sanders) when the event happened as he wonders what had happened and how his wife Anthea (Barbara Shelley) and the other women in the village became pregnant. A few years go by after the pregnancy and birth is where things become really strange as the kids grow up faster than the other children as well as exhibit certain powers and ask big questions.
Wolf Rilla’s direction is largely straightforward for much of the film in terms of the compositions and its approach to suspense by not delving into the horror and drama immediately in the film except in the opening sequence. There are a few moments of minor suspense early on but much of it is dramatic as Rilla’s compositions in the medium shots and close-up play into the characters coping with what happen and this new situation they’re in. By the film’s second half where the children have arrived and have these strange powers, it does become a more suspenseful feature where Zellaby tries to understand what is going on. There are some wide shots in the film as it relates to the number of children who have these powers in Rilla needing to get all of them in the shot.
There are also these scary moments where the power of these children where their eyes would lit up as it would play into something drastic as it harkens to the dangers of what happens with society if it’s under the control of people who bring fear as it harkens to the times of the Cold War in the 1960s. All of which would play into Zellaby needing to confront these children as well as what they’re planning to do with society. Overall, Rilla crafts a chilling yet haunting film about a group of children terrorizing a village.
Cinematographer Geoffrey Faithfull does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it help play into the film’s evocative look and tone for much of the daytime exteriors as well as some chilling scenes set at night. Editor Gordon Hales does excellent work with the editing as it help play into the suspense and drama with some rhythmic cuts including a few stylish cuts for some of the intense moments of the film. Art director Ivan King does fantastic work with the film’s sets from the look of the homes where the characters live and work at to the look of the house where the children would go to in their attempt to start their own colony. Sound recordist Cyril Swern does terrific work with the sound in creating something that feels natural but also unsettling for some of the dramatic suspenseful moments. The film’s music by Ron Goodwin is superb for its low-key yet eerie orchestral score that play into the drama and suspense.
The casting by Irene Howard is amazing as it feature some notable small roles from Jenny Laird and Sarah Long in their respective roles as a mother-daughter duo who both become pregnant, Richard Warner as a man who is angry over his wife’s pregnancy as he returns home from the sea, John Phillips as General Leighton who wants to destroy the town believing it is dangerous because of the children, and Laurence Naismith as Dr. Williers who would examine the women and notice something odd about the children before and after they’re born. Michael Gwynn is superb as Alan Bernard as a military officer friend of Professor Zellaby who is trying to understand what is going on as he would have a confrontation with the children only to nearly be killed by them.
Martin Stephens is fantastic as Anthea’s son David as one of the children who has these strange powers as he is the leader of sorts of these kids who is very intelligent and cunning in his determination for power. Barbara Shelley is excellent as Anthea as the woman who would give birth to David as she copes with his powers as she becomes unsure of what she’s given birth to as well as the chaos he’s caused. Finally, there’s George Sanders in a brilliant performance as Professor Gordon Zellaby as a man trying to make sense of everything as well as engage in conversation with his son and the other children where he realizes that something about them isn’t right.
Village of the Damned is an incredible film from Wolf Rilla. Featuring a great cast, eerie visuals, and a gripping story on a community unraveled by evil and mysterious children. It’s a film that explore what happens when something mysterious and unexplained can lead to chaos and put the lives of a community at risk. In the end, Village of the Damned is a sensational film from Wolf Rilla.
Related: Village of the Damned (1995 film)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novel Duo by Colette, Journey to Italy is the story of a couple traveling to Italy on a holiday as they cope with their disintegrating marriage. Directed by Roberto Rossellini and screenplay by Rossellini and Vitaliano Brancati, the film is an exploration of couple’s attempt to save their marriage on a vacation through countryside in Naples as they deal with themselves. Starring Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders, Maria Mauban, Anna Proclemer, and Leslie Daniels. Journey to Italy is an evocative film from Roberto Rossellini.
Set largely in Naples, the film explores a married couple traveling to the Italian city and its nearby surroundings hoping to save their marriage as they both cope with the loss of a friend and a villa they plan to sell. During the course of their Italian vacation, Alex (George Sanders) and Katherine Joyce (Ingrid Bergman) find themselves out of step with each other and in the activities they want to do. While it’s a story that doesn’t have much of a plot, it is about the slow disintegration of a marriage as it is told in the matter of days where Alex is fed up with Katherine’s obsession for museums and historical landmarks as it relates to a friend of theirs. Katherine feels that Alex has been spending too much time either working or socializing with their friends as the film’s script plays into the tension as much of the second act plays into the two spending time with other people. It then leads to this very dramatic third act where the two go to Pompeii where all of these emotions between the two finally come to ahead.
Roberto Rossellini’s direction is quite intoxicating for not just the usage of the different locations in Italy such as the island of Capri, Pompeii, and Naples but also in how it plays into a couple’s attempt to save their marriage in this beautiful country. Rossellini’s usage of wide and medium shots help play into the majestic look of the locations as well as the growing dissolution between Alex and Katherine. There aren’t a lot of close-ups except in certain locations of where Katherine goes including some of the ruins of Pompeii and the volcanic landscape nearby. Yet, there are moments where it adds to the sense of despair as well as scenes where Alex encounters temptation as he ponders whether or not he should make things worse. The film’s climax in Pompeii doesn’t just play into what Alex and Katherine discover but also questions about whether or not they should try to work it out or call it quits. Overall, Rossellini creates a compelling yet touching study about marriage and its complexities through a couple on vacation in Italy.
Cinematographer Enzo Serafin does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to play into some of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes set at night as well as some of the interiors of the museum and landmarks that Katherine goes to. Editor Iolanda Benvenuti does fantastic work with the editing as much of it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts in the early scenes set on the road as well as in the film‘s climax at a ceremony in Naples. Production designer Piero Filippone does amazing work with the look of the villa and the rooms in the villa that Alex and Katherine live at. The sound work of Eraldo Giordani is superb for some of the moments that occur from usage of live music heard in the streets to some of the raucous moments in the city of Naples. The film’s music by Renzo Rossellini is brilliant for its orchestral-based score mixed in with traditional Italian folk music to play into the world of Italy as well as the lush string arrangements to play into the dramatic elements of the film.
The film’s terrific cast include some notable small roles from Leslie Daniels and Natalia Ray in their respective roles as friends Tony and Natalie Burton, Paul Muller as the villa house sitter Paul Dupont, Anna Proclemer as a young prostitute Alex picks up, and Maria Mauban as a friend of Alex and Katherine in Marie who tries to flirt with Alex. George Sanders is marvelous as Alex Joyce as a workaholic businessman who tries to move on from the death of a friend as he later goes on his own as he tries to ponder his own feelings about himself and his wife. Finally, there’s Ingrid Bergman in a remarkable performance as Katherine Joyce as a woman trying to cope with loss as well as a marriage that is disintegrating as she goes to various Italian landmarks in order to try and comprehend everything is happening to her and her marriage as it’s a very radiant performance from Bergman.
Journey to Italy is a spectacular film from Roberto Rossellini that features great performances from Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders. It’s a film that isn’t just a captivating drama that explores a couple coming apart but also a film that plays into people taking on two different journeys to find themselves in Italy. In the end, Journey to Italy is a phenomenal film from Roberto Rossellini.
Roberto Rossellini Films: (La Vispa Teresa) - (Desiderio) - (Paisan) - (L’Amore-Il Miracolo) - Rome, Open City - (Germany Year Zero) - Stromboli - The Flowers of St. Francis - Europe '51 - (Medico Condotto) - (The Seven Deadly Sins-Envie, L’Envy) - (Machine to Kill Bad People) - (We, the Women-Ingrid Bergman) - Fear (1954 film) - (Giovanna d’Arco al rogo) - (General della Rovere) - (Escape by Night) - (Viva l’Italia!) - (Vanina Vanini) - (Benito Mussolini) - (Ro.Go.Pa.G.-Illbatezza) - (The Carabineers) - (Rice University) - (Anno uno)
© thevoid99 2015
