RebeccaSome shoes can never be filled; nor would you want to, given the reputation of the predecessor. Rebecca is the story of a young woman (Joan Fontaine) who falls in love with the aloof, rich widower, Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), and finds herself in the position of the lady of one of the most prestigious houses in England, known as Manderley. Intimidating as that prospect is, it is compounded by the looming presence of the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), who embodies the ghost of the first Mrs. de Winter, a phantom felt throughout the film, from whom the story derives its name: Rebecca.
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Adapted from the novel by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca marked the first foray into the Hollywood studio system for the acclaimed master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, bearing his signature flourishes and directorial trademarks. The story of Rebecca is equal parts romance and suspense, fluidly adapting from the the rosy-eyed love in the eyes of the second Mrs. de Winter (who remains unnamed throughout the story) to the harrowing ordeal she experiences when the shadow of Rebecca has overtaken Manderley, the late heiress' spiteful legacy. Certainly, the second Mrs. de Winter's appearance--prior to her marriage to Maxim--portrays her as a sweet, but mousy, girl...someone who would ordinarily not draw the attention of the elite and rich at Monte Carlo. But after her interjection at the start of the film--presumably to dissuade Maxim from leaping from the cliffside onto the rocks below--she catches his eye all the same. In her, Maxim--who remains shut off and distant, even in matters of the heart--still finds a vivacity in her youth and innocence; it is this which brings him back to life from the cold, remote reaches of his despair. She takes this depression to be a reflection of his lost love, Rebecca; only later do we discover that what he conceals is not the same feeling, not the love he feels for his new bride. Maxim and the second Mrs. de Winter should share a joyous honeymoon, but this matrimonial bliss begins to disintegrate as they return to the castle-like homestead on the edge of the sea, the crashing waves an ever-present reminder for Maxim of his late wife's fate--drowned a year prior when her boat went down in a storm, although she was a professed expert sailor. Maxim's new wife does everything in her power to be accepted in Manderley--as much by Maxim as Mrs. Danvers, who bores into her with her cold, steely eyes and is so rigid, she might easily be mistaken for a statue in the house's vaunted collection of antiquities. The battle of wills between these women seems one-sided, as Danvers is relentless in her calculated methods to undermine and even destroy the woman who would replace her former master. And after an ill-fated costume ball is interrupted by the discovery of the late Rebecca's boat--along with another body--the past is dredged up and Maxim's terrible confession to his new wife alters her, both destroying her innocence and her dreams of Manderley as she knew it forever.
Although the second Mrs. de Winter goes unnamed in all of Rebecca, she is unquestionably the focus of the story. In fact, she is often in focus as we--like all others--watch and observe her and her struggles to fit in to her new accommodations. Notice how everyone who looks upon her does so by scanning her up and down with their eyes, as though they are trying either to assess her place in her new world, or see if they can ascertain what Maxim sees in her. She is scrutinized and studied far more than any polite person would do to another. She is too polite--or too naive--to make mention, but she is aware that she is under a microscope and pushes her nerves to the limit to try to be a part of the world of the man she loves. And she does love Maxim, and we know--despite his occasional brusqueness and flights of rage--that he loves her; not because she is representative of the world he is already a part of, but rather that she is a liberation from it. Some of the people of the upper crust are jovial and kind like Maxim's sister, Beatrice (Gladys Cooper), while others like Jack Favell (the expertly cast George Sanders) are an unmitigated cad. Maxim's new wife endures them all with grace and charm, and her honesty and kindness are her best defense against the feelings of inadequacy and anxiety plaguing her as she tries to cope with a world of monogrammed pillow cases and a full squadron of footmen to attend to her. Although the ghost of Rebecca is felt all throughout the film--even the title bears her name--she is never once portrayed in the movie, mentioned only in the recollections of those who had born witness to her being. When people recall Rebecca, they seem to all look off in the distance. Men recall her uniformly as supremely beautiful, an unmistakable mixture of awe and even lust in their eyes, as if she were the avatar of Venus herself. One can only speculate as to the true nature of Rebecca's relationship with Mrs. Danvers, who defends her with such passion and even insane obsession, that one might think that she were not convinced her former master were even bested by death. Even before Maxim tells his new wife in a confession that Rebecca was a sinful creature, details remain unsaid, but one can imagine the scandals that might be too shocking to share circa 1940, and that makes it even more abhorrent. We sense that Rebecca was no doubt a wanton vixen; Danvers' display of Rebecca's bedroom to the second wife is a showcase of her excess, especially in regard to her taste in lingerie. Danvers is interesting here, because there is a brief moment where one might suspect that she is trying to see if Rebecca's successor has the guts to allow herself to be tempted into the depravity which was so familiar to Rebecca, but the thought is all too shocking to the innocent girl who fell in love with Maxim not out of lust or greed, but out of kindness and compassion. The stain of Rebecca has left its mark on all of Manderley, even in ways that might appear less obvious. When Maxim's honor is called into question after the discovery at the bottom of the sea, practically all of the town and staff of the house prepare to defend their lord, many of them making suggestions that they would be willing to commit perjury to avoid Mr. de Winter from becoming embroiled in scandal. These people are good and act out of a noble sense of duty--but they do hint at a conspiracy to commit felonious acts, even if their motives are admirable. One cannot help but wonder if the ghost of Rebecca would forever haunt the rooms of Manderley and its occupants, a devilish phantasm which can only be purged in the end by consignment to the flames of Hell.
Recommended for: Fans of a deft merging of romance and suspense, of the anxieties which overtake a young girl who finds herself in a world not her own, while being subtly driven out by the lingering presence of the late wife of her new husband. It is a gorgeous and charming story, but one which also promises chills and mystery--a milestone for Hitchcock.
Although the second Mrs. de Winter goes unnamed in all of Rebecca, she is unquestionably the focus of the story. In fact, she is often in focus as we--like all others--watch and observe her and her struggles to fit in to her new accommodations. Notice how everyone who looks upon her does so by scanning her up and down with their eyes, as though they are trying either to assess her place in her new world, or see if they can ascertain what Maxim sees in her. She is scrutinized and studied far more than any polite person would do to another. She is too polite--or too naive--to make mention, but she is aware that she is under a microscope and pushes her nerves to the limit to try to be a part of the world of the man she loves. And she does love Maxim, and we know--despite his occasional brusqueness and flights of rage--that he loves her; not because she is representative of the world he is already a part of, but rather that she is a liberation from it. Some of the people of the upper crust are jovial and kind like Maxim's sister, Beatrice (Gladys Cooper), while others like Jack Favell (the expertly cast George Sanders) are an unmitigated cad. Maxim's new wife endures them all with grace and charm, and her honesty and kindness are her best defense against the feelings of inadequacy and anxiety plaguing her as she tries to cope with a world of monogrammed pillow cases and a full squadron of footmen to attend to her. Although the ghost of Rebecca is felt all throughout the film--even the title bears her name--she is never once portrayed in the movie, mentioned only in the recollections of those who had born witness to her being. When people recall Rebecca, they seem to all look off in the distance. Men recall her uniformly as supremely beautiful, an unmistakable mixture of awe and even lust in their eyes, as if she were the avatar of Venus herself. One can only speculate as to the true nature of Rebecca's relationship with Mrs. Danvers, who defends her with such passion and even insane obsession, that one might think that she were not convinced her former master were even bested by death. Even before Maxim tells his new wife in a confession that Rebecca was a sinful creature, details remain unsaid, but one can imagine the scandals that might be too shocking to share circa 1940, and that makes it even more abhorrent. We sense that Rebecca was no doubt a wanton vixen; Danvers' display of Rebecca's bedroom to the second wife is a showcase of her excess, especially in regard to her taste in lingerie. Danvers is interesting here, because there is a brief moment where one might suspect that she is trying to see if Rebecca's successor has the guts to allow herself to be tempted into the depravity which was so familiar to Rebecca, but the thought is all too shocking to the innocent girl who fell in love with Maxim not out of lust or greed, but out of kindness and compassion. The stain of Rebecca has left its mark on all of Manderley, even in ways that might appear less obvious. When Maxim's honor is called into question after the discovery at the bottom of the sea, practically all of the town and staff of the house prepare to defend their lord, many of them making suggestions that they would be willing to commit perjury to avoid Mr. de Winter from becoming embroiled in scandal. These people are good and act out of a noble sense of duty--but they do hint at a conspiracy to commit felonious acts, even if their motives are admirable. One cannot help but wonder if the ghost of Rebecca would forever haunt the rooms of Manderley and its occupants, a devilish phantasm which can only be purged in the end by consignment to the flames of Hell.
Recommended for: Fans of a deft merging of romance and suspense, of the anxieties which overtake a young girl who finds herself in a world not her own, while being subtly driven out by the lingering presence of the late wife of her new husband. It is a gorgeous and charming story, but one which also promises chills and mystery--a milestone for Hitchcock.