Rebecca
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Alfred Hitchcock
Produced by	David O. Selznick
Written by	Original novel: Daphne du Maurier Adaptation: Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan Screenplay: Joan Harrison Robert E. Sherwood Image File history File links Rebecca_1940_film_poster. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 â€“ April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... David O. Selznick David Oliver Selznick (May 10, 1902–June 22, 1965), was one of the icon Hollywood producers of the Golden Age. ... Daphne, Lady Browning DBE (13 May 1907–19 April 1989), commonly known as Dame Daphne du Maurier (IPA: ), was a famous British novelist, playwright and short story writer. ... Philip MacDonald, November 5, 1900, London — December 10, 1980, Woodland Hills, California, was a British thriller writer. ... Michael Hogan (born ? in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada is a Canadian actor. ... Joan Harrison (June 26, 1907 - August 14, 1994) was a film producer and screenwriter. ... Robert Emmet Sherwood (4 April 1896–14 November 1955) American playwright, editor, and screenwriter. ...
Narrated by	Joan Fontaine
Starring	Laurence Olivier Joan Fontaine Judith Anderson
Music by	Franz Waxman
Cinematography	George Barnes
Editing by	W. Donn Hayes
Distributed by	Selznick International Pictures United Artists
Release date(s)	April 12, 1940 (USA)
Running time	130 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$1,288,000
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Rebecca is a 1940 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock as his first American project. Its screenplay was an adaptation by Joan Harrison and Robert E. Sherwood from Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan's adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel of the same name, and was produced by David O. Selznick.^[1] It stars Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter, Joan Fontaine as his second wife, and Judith Anderson as his late wife's housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award-winning British American actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award-winning British American actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. ... Dame Judith Anderson, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Dame Judith Anderson, AC DBE (February 10, 1897–January 3, 1992), born Frances Margaret Anderson-Anderson, was an Tony award and Emmy winning stage and film actress who was also nominated for a Grammy and an Oscar. ... Franz Waxman (December 24, 1906, Königshütte, Upper Silesia (now Chorzów, Poland) - February 24, 1967, Los Angeles, California), born Franz Wachsmann, was a German-born Jewish-American composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasy for violin and orchestra and for his musical scores for films. ... Sir George Barnes (1904-1960) was a British broadcasting executive, who was a station Controller of both BBC Radio and later BBC Television in the 1940s and 1950s. ... Selznick International Pictures was a Hollywood motion picture studio, founded in 1935 by producer David O. Selznick and investor John Hay Whitney. ... This article is about the film studio. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 1940 in film involved some significant events. ... Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 â€“ April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Joan Harrison (June 26, 1907 - August 14, 1994) was a film producer and screenwriter. ... Robert Emmet Sherwood (4 April 1896–14 November 1955) American playwright, editor, and screenwriter. ... Philip MacDonald, November 5, 1900, London — December 10, 1980, Woodland Hills, California, was a British thriller writer. ... Michael Hogan (born ? in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada is a Canadian actor. ... Daphne, Lady Browning DBE (13 May 1907–19 April 1989), commonly known as Dame Daphne du Maurier (IPA: ), was a famous British novelist, playwright and short story writer. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rebecca is a novel by British author Daphne du Maurier. ... David O. Selznick David Oliver Selznick (May 10, 1902–June 22, 1965), was one of the icon Hollywood producers of the Golden Age. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award-winning British American actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. ... Dame Judith Anderson, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Dame Judith Anderson, AC DBE (February 10, 1897–January 3, 1992), born Frances Margaret Anderson-Anderson, was an Tony award and Emmy winning stage and film actress who was also nominated for a Grammy and an Oscar. ...

The film is a gothic tale about the lingering memory of the title character, which still affects Maxim, his new bride, and Mrs. Danvers long after her death. The film won two Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Strawberry Hill, an English villa in the Gothic revival style, built by seminal Gothic writer Horace Walpole Gothic fiction is an important genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...

Plot

The story begins with images of a ruined country manor, and a woman telling us that she can never return to Manderley - as it no longer exists, except as a ruin. Joan Fontaine plays a young woman (who is never named) who works as a companion to the wealthy Edythe Van Hopper (Florence Bates). In Monte Carlo, she meets the aristocratic widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) and they fall in love. Within weeks, they decide to get married. Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award-winning British American actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. ... Monte Carlo is a very wealthy section of the city-state of Monaco known for its casino, gambling, beaches, glamour, and sightings of famous people. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ...

Maxim takes his new bride to Manderley, his country house in Cornwall, England. However, the servants are reluctant to accept the new Mrs. de Winter as the new lady of the house. They are loyal to Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who died under mysterious circumstances. Holkham Hall, one of the grandest English country houses not only displayed the owners fashionable and cultivated tastes, but was the epicentre of a vast landed estate, providing employment to hundreds The English country house is generally accepted as a large house or mansion, once in the ownership of an... For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Particularly unpleasant is the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson). She is still obsessed with Rebecca's beauty and sophistication, and preserves her former bedroom as a shrine, even to the point of seeming to worship Rebecca's handmade underwear and expensive négligée. Rebecca's "cousin" Jack (George Sanders) (actually, and as well, one of her lovers) occasionally appears at the house when Maxim is away, and seems to know Mrs. Danvers well, calling her by the name "Danny", which was Rebecca's pet name for her. This and more in the film strongly suggests a lesbian relationship, or at least a sexual obsession on the part of Mrs. Danvers, with her promiscuous former mistress; although social ethics at the time strictly forbade any such outright declaration in the narrative. Dame Judith Anderson, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Dame Judith Anderson, AC DBE (February 10, 1897–January 3, 1992), born Frances Margaret Anderson-Anderson, was an Tony award and Emmy winning stage and film actress who was also nominated for a Grammy and an Oscar. ... Do you mean: George Sanders (1906-1972), the British actor George Sanders, who was awarded the Victoria Cross on the first day of the Battle of the Somme This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The new Mrs. de Winter is intimidated by Mrs. Danvers and by the responsibilities of being the new chatelaine of Manderley. As a result, she begins to doubt her relationship with her husband. The continuous presence of Rebecca in the house starts to haunt her. Chatelaine (French châtelaine, wife of the lord of a castle) has the following meanings: A woman who owns or controls a large house (for example, the Chatelaine of Rideau Hall). ...

Trying to act more like the perfect wife, Mrs. de Winter suggests to Maxim that they host a costume party. Maxim reluctantly consents. Mrs. de Winter excitedly plans her own costume in secret, but Mrs. Danvers suggests that she copy Caroline de Winter, an ancestor, whose portrait hangs in the upstairs hallway. On the night of the party, Mrs. de Winter reveals her costume to Maxim, who is both surprised and angry at her, shouting at her to change her costume. Mrs. de Winter rushes upstairs, sees Mrs. Danvers go into Rebecca's room and follows her. There she confronts Mrs. Danvers about her knowing that Rebecca had worn the same costume the previous year. Mrs. Danvers retaliates by saying that she will never take Rebecca's place and almost convinces Mrs. de Winter to commit suicide. But Mrs. de Winter snaps out of her trance when a sudden commotion starts downstairs - a ship has been spotted floundering off the coast.

Mrs. de Winter (after changing her outfit) rushes downstairs to the front lawn, where she hears news that a sunken boat has been found off the coast - with Rebecca's body in it. She spots a distant glow from the cottage on the shore and enters to find Maxim. Maxim admits to his new wife that he had misidentified another body as Rebecca's in order to prevent discovery of the truth. From almost the beginning of their marriage, he and Rebecca had hated one another. They had agreed to "keep up appearances" of a real marriage for the sake of the family honor. Rebecca, however, began to get "careless" after a while, for example disappearing for days on end and then returning as though nothing were wrong. Maxim was also aware of Rebecca's ongoing affair with Jack. One night, suspecting to find Rebecca and Jack together, Maxim came down to the cottage. Rebecca had been expecting Jack, but he had never come, she told Maxim that she was pregnant with Jack's child. During the argument, she fell, hit her head, and died. Maxim took the body out in a boat which he then scuttled.

In the ensuing police investigation, officials question whether the damage to the boat indicates that Rebecca may have committed suicide. Jack quickly provides evidence, a letter from Rebecca, that strongly suggests that she was not suicidal (he even tries to blackmail Maxim with it). Maxim comes under suspicion of murder; and the second Mrs. de Winter must face the prospect of losing her husband. The investigation focuses on Rebecca's secret visits to a London doctor (Leo G. Carroll); visits which the audience presumes were due to her illicit pregnancies, i.e. that the doctor performs illegal abortions. However, an interview with the doctor reveals that Rebecca was, in fact, suffering from cancer, and would have died very shortly. She was not pregnant: she had lied to Maxim, apparently trying to goad him into killing her - as an (indirect) means of suicide. Leo G. Carroll (October 25, 1892–October 16, 1972) was an British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope... Abortion has been legal in England, Scotland and Wales since 1967. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

As Maxim returns home to Manderley, he finds it on fire, set alight by the deranged Mrs. Danvers, who dies in the flames.

Adaptation

At Selznick's insistence, the film adapts the plot of du Maurier's novel Rebecca faithfully.^[2] However, one plot detail was altered to comply with the Hollywood Production Code, which said that the murder of a spouse had to be punished.^[2] In the novel, Maxim shoots Rebecca, while in the film, he only thinks of killing her after she taunts him, whereupon she suddenly falls back, hits her head on a heavy piece of ships tackle, and dies from her head injuries, so that her death is an accident, not murder. According to the book It's only a Movie, David O. Selznick wanted the smoke from the burning Manderley to spell out a huge "R". Alfred Hitchcock thought the touch lacked subtlety. While Selznick was preoccupied by Gone With the Wind (1939), Hitchcock was able to replace the smoky "R" with the burning of a monogrammed négligée case which lies atop a bed pillow. Hitchcock also edited the picture in the camera, a method of film-making that didn't allow David O. Selznick to reedit the picture. The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of guidelines governing the production of motion pictures. ... For the novel, see Gone with the Wind. ...

The theatrical release of Rebecca was delayed in order to give it a shot at the 1940 Academy Awards - the 1939 Awards would (obviously) be dominated by Gone with the Wind, another Selznick production.

Cast

• Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter
• Joan Fontaine as The Second Mrs. de Winter
• George Sanders as Jack Favell
• Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers
• Nigel Bruce as Major Giles Lacy
• Reginald Denny as Frank Crawley
• C. Aubrey Smith as Colonel Julyan
• Gladys Cooper as Beatrice Lacy
• Florence Bates as Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper
• Melville Cooper as Coroner
• Leo G. Carroll as Dr. Baker
• Leonard Carey as Ben
• Lumsden Hare as Tabbs
• Edward Fielding as Frith
• Forrester Harvey as Chalcroft
• Mary Williams - The Head Maid
• Keira Tate - The Parlour Maid
• Rose Trace - The Parlour Maid
• Sandra Phillip - The Parlour Maid
• Kelly Sanderton - The Parlour Maid
• Herietta Bodvon - The Housemaid

Hitchcock's cameo appearance, a signature feature of his films, takes place near the end; he is seen outside a phone box when Jack is making a call. Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award-winning British American actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. ... Do you mean: George Sanders (1906-1972), the British actor George Sanders, who was awarded the Victoria Cross on the first day of the Battle of the Somme This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Dame Judith Anderson, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Dame Judith Anderson, AC DBE (February 10, 1897–January 3, 1992), born Frances Margaret Anderson-Anderson, was an Tony award and Emmy winning stage and film actress who was also nominated for a Grammy and an Oscar. ... Nigel Bruce (left) with Basil Rathbone in a promotional photo for their Sherlock Holmes film series William Nigel Ernle Bruce (September 4, 1895 – October 8, 1953), usually credited as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor, best known as Dr. Watson in a series of films and a radioseries starring... Reginald Denny in his final acting role as Commodore Schmidlapp in Batman: The Movie. ... Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (known as Sir Aubrey Smith) (21 July 1863-20 December 1948) was an English cricketer and actor. ... Dame Gladys Constance Cooper DBE (18 December 1888 – 17 November 1971) was an Oscar-nominated English actress. ... Leo G. Carroll (October 25, 1892–October 16, 1972) was an British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope... Mary Williams (1869 - 1960), pseudonym, Kate Carew, caricaturist self-styled as The Only Woman Caricaturist. ...

Awards

Academy Awards wins (1940)

• Best Picture - Selznick International Pictures - David O. Selznick.
• Best Cinematography, Black and White - George Barnes.

Academy Award nominations (1940) ©A.M.P.A.S.® The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to artists working in the motion picture industry. ... Charles Rosher the first recipient in 1928 The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ...

• Best Actor in a Leading Role - Laurence Olivier.
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Joan Fontaine.
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Judith Anderson.
• Best Director - Alfred Hitchcock.
• Art Direction, Black and White - Lyle R. Wheeler.
• Special Effects - Jack Cosgrove, Arthur Johns.
• Best Film Editing - Hal C. Kern.
• Best Music, Original Score - Franz Waxman.
• Best Writing, Screenplay - Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to directors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Oscar given to one film each year that shows highest achievement in visual effects. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ...

In popular culture

• The movie was spoofed in an episode of That Mitchell and Webb Look where in the first cut of the film, Maxim De Winter (played by Robert Webb) keeps telling his first wife Rebecca (played by Jo Neary) about his future plans for 'the Next Mrs. De Winter', such as "We won't go near the lake - she'll think its haunted" and "the east wing is reserved for the Second Mrs. De Winter", instead of Mrs. Danvers (David Mitchell in women's clothes) thinking the Second Mrs. De Winter is not as good as the first, in this version she believes Rebecca "can't hold a candle to the next Mrs. De Winter". Notably, instead of the scene where Mrs De Winter wears Rebecca's old dress, Rebecca wears the Second Mrs. De Winter's dress, the portrait having a hole in the face with "TBA" written in it.

That Mitchell and Webb Look is a BAFTA award winning British television sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, that has currently run for two six-part series. ... Robert Webb, born 29 September 1972 in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England, is an English comedian, actor and writer, and one half of Mitchell and Webb, alongside David Mitchell. ... David Mitchell (born 14 July 1974 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England[1]) is an English comedian, actor and writer. ...

Footnotes

For the in-memory database management system, see In-memory database. ...

External links

• Rebecca at the TCM Movie Database.
• Criterion Collection essay by Robin Wood.
• Complete list of actors who were considered for roles
• Rebecca Eyegate Gallery