IMDb > Rebecca (1940)
Rebecca
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Rebecca (1940) -- When a naive young woman marries a rich widower and settles in his gigantic mansion, she finds the memory of the first wife maintaining a grip on her husband and the servants.
Rebecca (1940) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
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Down 39% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writers:
Daphne Du Maurier (novel)
Philip MacDonald (adaptation) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Rebecca on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 April 1940 (USA) more
Tagline:
The shadow of this woman darkened their love. more
Plot:
When a naive young woman marries a rich widower and settles in his gigantic mansion, she finds the memory of the first wife maintaining a grip on her husband and the servants. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
Directors We Love: Alfred Hitchcock
 (From Cinematical. 1 November 2009, 4:03 PM, PST)

Stephenie Saturday: Stephenie’S Playlists - ‘Dreams’
 (From TwilightersAnonymous. 31 October 2009, 9:54 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Joan Fontaine is so beautiful more (210 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Runtime:
130 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | French
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)
Filming Locations:
Big Sur, California, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Margaret Sullavan tested for the role of Mrs. de Winter. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: Twice during the movie, Maxim leaves Manderley to travel to London, once by train and another by car. On each occasion, he manages to get back before dark. Manderley is in Cornwall, as far from London as you can get, and even with 21st century roads, cars and trains, that feat would be impossible. However, it is kept in the movie to be faithful to the book. more
Quotes:
Maxim de Winter: She was incapable of love or tenderness or decency. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) (VG) more

FAQ

How closely does the movie follow the novel?
Where is Hitchcock's cameo in this movie?
Why did Mrs Danvers reveal Rebecca's room and private things to the new Mrs de Winter?
more
78 out of 103 people found the following comment useful.
Joan Fontaine is so beautiful, 27 October 2004
Author: Jason Forestein (jay4stein79@yahoo.com) from somerville, ma

I spent the majority of this film thinking about how lucky M. Olivier really was. To be able to wrap his arms around Joan Fontaine and kiss her. Oh my. She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen (almost, but not quite as beautiful as Veronica Lake). She's also absolutely perfect in the role of the second Mrs. DeWinter, taking a character that could have become a cloying bore in less capable hands and transforming her into a sympathetic and interesting figure.

The movie, on the whole, is similarly amazing, capturing the spirit and the tone of those great Gothic romances. Watching Rebecca, I was reminded (pleasantly) of Wuthering Heights; I do not mean to suggest that in some way this film re-tells the tale of Cathy and Heathcliff, but rather that Rebecca has the feel of Bronte's novel (I am most certainly not talking about the William Wyler adaptation a few years before the release of Rebecca. That's a terrible film that somehow manages to mis-interpret the novel).

I must assume that the guiding hand of Hitchcock played no small role in recreating the feel of a Gothic romance. There are very few that would be able to take a love story, infuse it with such gloom, with such a sense of foreboding, and still manage to create something that ends happily without it feeling like a cop-out. I'd also like to draw everyone's attention to the incredibly moving section of the film that occurs between the arrival of the second Mrs. DeWinter at Mandalay and the masqued ball. The emotional strain on the Joan Fontaine character is so palpable, so absolutely taxing, that it actually pains me to watch. I hurt along with her. Few other movies affect me so emotionally - one of them is Vertigo.

All in all, this is a fantastic piece of film-making from Hollywood's golden age. Laurence Olivier is in top-form, as he plays the quiet, sad Maxim and George Sanders is positively hateful.

10/10 - a visceral masterpiece

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Maxim's attitude toward his wife spanishdivaangel
Why is 'Good' Not Always 'Memorable'? WHakan
DVD commentary comment buddrflies2001
George Sanders and Florence Bates DS3520
SO different from the book! (spoilers) ldobovsky
A Hitchcock movie or a Lawrence Olivier moive? yvdlhq
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