Rebecca
by Alfred Hitchcock
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: George Sanders, Gladys Cooper, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, Laurence OlivierDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Cinematographer: George Barnes
Composer: Franz Waxman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Restored, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 130 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-10-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Rebecca
Movie Review: Excellent film adaptation of the classic novel!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read Daphne du Maurier's classic for the second time about a year ago, I looked forward to watching the Hitchcock film adaptation. However, obtaining this film became almost impossible. Netflix doesn't have it, and various home rentals or DVD stores sell/rent it for steep prices. I don't often buy a DVD until I've seen the film first. My city library was a last resort. To my luck, they had the DVD! Released in 1940, and under the direction and cinematography of Alfred Hitchcock and George Barnes, Rebecca is a fairly faithful adaptation of the novel. Laurence Olivier brings Maxim de Winter to life, giving the character the pathos and broodiness it required. Plus, he is believable in every way, for Max is forty-something. I'm glad that Hollywood gave the role to a man with the proper age. (Plus, Olivier was SO HOT!) Joan Fontain is also very good as the second Mrs. de Winter. She was bewildered, eager to please and na?ve, just like in the book. (My one complaint with her is that I'd pictured Mrs. de Winter looking a lot younger.) Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers is somewhat disappointing to me at first (for I had a very different picture of her in my head), but as the film went on, she was able to give the character the morbid obsession for Rebecca that chilled me in the book. Other characters, like Mrs. de Winter's in-laws and Rebecca's cousin, and, of course, Mrs. van Hopper, are well acted here. Rebecca shines with her absence; Hitchcock gives this invisible interloper the ghostly feeling required to bring this gothic suspense to life. Another star in this film is Manderley. The house and the set used for its interior are amazing. (But the huge staircase looked a lot like the one in Gone with the Wind.) I only wish this film were available in Technicolor (dunno if it's available or not) to appreciate it more.
All in all, I was pleased with the film. It made my rather dull hours at the ESL Center seem shorter as my co-workers and I watched and ate popcorn together. The only thing I could say against it is that it is at times more romantic than suspenseful, but I'd come to expect that in a 1940 film. Other than that, it's great. It does contain the "must-haves" for a gothic -- i.e., fog, spooky atmosphere, creepy encounters and so on. Philip MacDonald did a great job with the script, using the most memorable lines in the book. The DVD is great. The sound and picture quality are remastered and you won't miss a thing. Technicolor would've been a great addition, but oh well. However, there are no extra features -- no commentary, deleted scenes, etc. At least my DVD copy didn't have those things. If you're in the bargain for a good weekend film to enjoy with friends or on a date, pick up this classic. I intend to buy it and watch it with friends on a rainy and/or foggy night. Old films are so much more enjoyable because they were genuinely romantic and scary without the banalities and vulgarities found in today's films. Enjoy.
Summary of Rebecca
Rebecca is an ageless, timeless adult movie about a woman who marries a widower but fears she lives in the shadow of her predecessor. This was Hitchcock's first American feature, and it garnered the Best Picture statue at the 1941 Academy Awards. In today's films, most twists and surprises are ridiculous or just gratuitous, so it's sobering to look back on this film where every revelation not only shocks, but makes organic sense with the story line. Laurence Olivier is dashing and weak, fierce and cowed. Joan Fontaine is strong yet submissive, defiant yet accommodating. There isn't a false moment or misstep, but the film must have killed the employment outlook of any women named Danvers for about 20 years. Brilliant stuff. --Keith SimantonDrama DVD Video
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