Rebecca (1940)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Daphne Du Maurier (novel)
Robert E. Sherwood (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The shadow of this woman darkened their love.

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.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Housekeeper | Death | Cornwall | Widower

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Laurence Olivier	...	'Maxim' de Winter
Joan Fontaine	...	Mrs. de Winter
George Sanders	...	Jack Favell
Judith Anderson	...	Mrs. Danvers
Nigel Bruce	...	Major Giles Lacy
Reginald Denny	...	Frank Crawley
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Colonel Julyan
Gladys Cooper	...	Beatrice Lacy
Florence Bates	...	Mrs. Van Hopper
Melville Cooper	...	Coroner
Leo G. Carroll	...	Dr. Baker
Leonard Carey	...	Ben
Lumsden Hare	...	Tabbs
Edward Fielding	...	Frith
Philip Winter	...	Robert
Forrester Harvey	...	Chalcroft
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Billy Bevan	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Egon Brecher	...	Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Outside Phone Booth (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Mullen (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell	...	Hotel Headwaiter (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Hotel Waiter (uncredited)
Ronald R. Rondell	...	Hotel Dining Room Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Daphne Du Maurier		(novel)
Robert E. Sherwood		(screen play) and
Joan Harrison		(screen play)
Philip MacDonald		(adaptation) and
Michael Hogan		(adaptation)

Produced by
David O. Selznick	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman		(music by)

Cinematography by
George Barnes		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
W. Donn Hayes		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Lyle R. Wheeler		(art direction) (as Lyle Wheeler)

Makeup Department
Monte Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edmond F. Bernoudy	....	assistant director (as Edmond Bernoudy)
D. Ross Lederman	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Eric Stacey	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Howard Bristol	....	interior decorator
Joseph B. Platt	....	interiors designer
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jack Noyes	....	recorder
Arthur Johns	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Simpson	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur E. Arling	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Vincent J. Farrar	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Lloyd Knechtel	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Fred Parrish	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Irving Rosenberg	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Archie Stout	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
John F. Warren	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Harry L. Wolf	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Hal C. Kern	....	supervising film editor (as Hal G. Kern)
James E. Newcom	....	associate film editor

Music Department
Louis Forbes	....	music associate (as Lou Forbes)
Robert Russell Bennett	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Joseph Nussbaum	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Barbara Keon	....	scenario assistant
W.A. Bagley	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Russell Birdwell	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Katherine Brown	....	story editor (uncredited)
Adele Cannon	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Val Lewton	....	story editor (uncredited)
Marcella Rabwin	....	executive assistant to producer (uncredited)
Lydia Schiller	....	continuity supervisor (uncredited)
David O. Selznick	....	presenter (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Selznick International Pictures

Distributors

• United Artists (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists Corporation (1940) (UK) (theatrical)
• Ciné Vog Films (1945) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Films Galatée (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• S.R.O. (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• Eagle-Lion Films (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1967) (worldwide) (all media)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Guild Home Video (1986) (UK) (video)
• CBS / Fox Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• ABC Video Enterprises (1992) (USA) (VHS) (licensed to CBS/Fox)
• Braveworld (1992) (UK) (video)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (1996) (UK) (theatrical)
• Total Home Entertainment (1996) (UK) (VHS)
• Videosonic Arts (1996) (Greece) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Pearson Television International (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Aventi (2005) (France) (DVD)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• T&K Telefilm (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Athos Films (????) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Sonoro Filme (????) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• ABC Distribution Co. (????) (USA) (TV) (as ABC Distribution Company)
• Buena Vista International (????) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises Inc. (????) (USA) (TV)
• Fox Video (?????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) | Spain:13 | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #5969) | USA:TV-PG | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Peru:14 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Company:

Selznick International Pictures

Trivia:

Mrs. Danvers is hardly ever seen walking; she seems to glide. Alfred Hitchcock wanted her to be seen solely from Joan Fontaine's character's anxious point of view, and this effect tied in with her fear about Mrs. Danvers appearing anytime unexpectedly.

Goofs:

Continuity: Frank's hand holding the letter jumps from in front of the filing cabinet to resting on top of it.

Quotes:

Maxim de Winter:[to his wife at breakfast] Have a look at "The Times"; there's a thrilling article on what's the matter with English cricket!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blanca por fuera y Rosa por dentro (1971)

Soundtrack:

Love's Old Sweet Song (Just a Song at Twilight)

Haunting Hitchcock.

The only Alfred Hitchcock (Oscar-nominated for directing) film to win the Best Picture Oscar, "Rebecca" is one of those typical films from the amazing director that chills, entertains and puts you on the edge of your seat each time you watch it. Joan Fontaine (Oscar-nominated) has just married the very wealthy Laurence Olivier (also Oscar-nominated), but she is haunted by his mysterious housekeeper (a show-stopping Oscar-nominated performance by Judith Anderson) and the memory of the film's titled character (Olivier's late wife). Hitchcock, noted for his subtle sexual under-tones in films spares none of that here as Anderson's character and the late titled character's relationship seemed to go much further than employee-employer. Anderson slowly tries to drive Fontaine to insanity and the end she may accomplish her devious goal. Hitchcock's first real major U.S. debut stunned the Academy and audiences alike and would lead to the coveted Best Picture Oscar. It is not the best film the legendary director ever worked on, but it is still an amazingly good production that works on many cinematic levels. 4.5 out of 5 stars.