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Title: Rebecca (1940)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| 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 |
A shy lady's companion, staying in Monte Carlo with her stuffy employer, meets the wealthy Maxim de Winter (Sir Laurence Olivier). She and Max fall in love, marry, and return to Manderley, his large country estate in Cornwall. Max is still troubled by the death of his first wife, Rebecca, in a boating accident the year before. The second Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) clashes with the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Dame Judith Anderson), and discovers that Rebecca still has a strange hold on everyone at Manderley. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>
Hitchcock felt 'Rebecca', his first Hollywood film, was a compromise, but as a viewer I just can't fault it. It's a masterpiece in my opinion, full of suspense, mystery and brooding atmosphere. It's also one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. I've watched it several times over the years, and even now that I know all the plot twists and turns (quite shocking on your first viewing), it never fails to hook me in. One of the reasons it really works is the flawless casting. I'm not much of an Olivier fan but he's superb as de Winter, with just the right mixture of charm and coldness. And Joan Fontaine is just perfect as de Winter's new bride. I can't spot an unconvincing moment in her performance and can't imagine any other actress in the role. Hitchcock subsequently used her in 'Suspicion' with Cary Grant. She was also excellent in that but 'Rebecca' is a much stronger movie. The supporting cast also includes some brilliant performances, especially Judith Anderson ('Laura') as the extremely creepy Mrs. Danvers, George Sanders who plays Rebecca's slimy cousin, and Nigel Bruce in a typical role as de Winter's bumbling brother-in-law Major Lacy. Sanders subsequently worked again with Hitchcock in 'Foreign Correspondent', and Bruce played Cary Grant's lovable pal "Beaky" in 'Suspicion'. I sometimes think that Hitchcock's 1940s movies are overlooked by many because they are regarded as being too "old fashioned", but for me movies like 'Suspicion', 'Saboteur', 'Lifeboat' and 'Spellbound' are some of the most entertaining movies Hitchcock ever made, and 'Rebecca' is the best of the lot. If you want to be totally enthralled for two hours just watch 'Rebecca'!