Rebecca

Rating 5/5

A wonderful book turned into an equally wonderful movie.

Rebecca is a film based on the novel written by Daphne Du Maurier. It tells the story of a young woman, who's first name is never revealed, that goes from being the paid companion of a pompous aristocrat, to the wife of Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier).

The new Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) couldn't be happier with her whirlwind romance and marriage, that is until she gets to Maxim's estate, Manderley. Trapped within the walls of Manderley are the memories of Maxim's late wife, Rebecca. Throughout the film, Mrs. de Winter's struggles with adapting to her new life, but mostly living in Rebecca's shadow. Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), the lead housekeeper of Manderley, refuses to give the new Mrs. de Winter any kindness, as she was fiercely devoted to Rebecca.

Rebecca is what I would consider to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's best movies. I have personally seen many Hitchcock films, and I think he truly shines in his black and white work. Of course his movies like the Birds, and Vertigo are suspense masterpieces, but when he works with black and white, his skill truly seems to shine. The one exception that I'd say exists for this rule would be Rear Window, because in my opinion, that is Hitchcock's best film.

What makes the black and white aspect of Rebecca so important, is how the use of shadow is essentially a character. It is there to shroud and conceal all the mysteries that dwell within Manderley, and make it so the viewer is just as uneasy and unsure about what's around each corner as the new Mrs. de Winter is. Hitchcock's use of shadow in Rebecca proves why he is still considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He knows how to take something as simple as Mrs. de Winter or Mrs. Danvers entering a room, and turn it into something visually stunning and frightening.

Compared to some of the other films that Hitchcock had in his archives, Rebecca is rather quiet. There's no blood, espionage, or obvious sense of peril, yet, you never sense that Mrs. de Winter is safe. Part of this feeling is largely due to the impeccable writing of the story's creator, Daphne Du Maurier, but it's also the way that Hitchcock portrays the characters around Mrs. de Winter and the estate of Manderlay. There's so much unknown, that the suspense doesn't come from the imminent danger of a knife wielding murderer, but from the past that Mrs. de Winter must uncover.

As a final note on this movie, it should also be mentioned that it does an excellent job of following its' original source material. I have personally read Rebecca, and I can honestly say it is one of the better book to film adaptations that I have ever seen. In my journey of watching every Academy Award Best Picture winner, this film reigned number one for a very long time, and was only recently dethroned. However, it still stands in a respectable second place, I doubt it will find its way out of the top ten by the time I'm done with this cinema adventure.

1940 Best Picture Winner-Rebecca

1940 Best Cinematography, Black and White Winner-George Barnes