Rebecca (1940)
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A woman's marriage is haunted by the pervasive and chilling memory of her husband's first wife.
The story
After meeting a mysterious, aristocratic widower named Maxim de Winter on the French Riviera, a young woman accepts his proposal of marriage. They move to Manderley, his grand mansion in Cornwall. However, the estate is dominated by the presence of his first wife, Rebecca, whose memory is kept alive by the chilling and unyielding housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. The new bride finds herself increasingly unsettled by the haunting atmosphere of the house and the fact that Rebecca's belongings and room remain untouched, leading her to question her place in Maxim's life and the true nature of his devotion to his past.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Maxim de Winter marries a young woman and brings her to his Cornish estate, Manderley. The household is dominated by the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who treats the new wife as a usurper of the late Rebecca. The new wife becomes increasingly paranoid as Danvers highlights the differences between her and the glamorous first wife. During a costume party, the new wife wears a dress identical to one Rebecca wore before her death, causing a confrontation with Danvers. The tension peaks when a ship's wreckage reveals Rebecca's body. Maxim then reveals that his first marriage was a sham; Rebecca was a woman of many secrets who died in a tragic accident. Following a legal battle with a blackmailer, the new wife learns that Rebecca was actually terminally ill. The film concludes with the new wife's acceptance of her role and the destruction of Manderley by the deranged Mrs. Danvers.
- First release year
- 1940
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Writers
- Robert E. Sherwood · screenplay; Joan Harrison · screenplay; Philip MacDonald · adaptation; Michael Hogan · adaptation
- Cast and characters
- Laurence Olivier · Maxim de Winter; Joan Fontaine · the young, never-named woman; Judith Anderson · Mrs. Danvers; George Sanders · not specified; Gladys Cooper · not specified; Florence Bates · Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper
- Genres
- romantic; psychological thriller; gothic
- Themes
- haunting memory; identity; social status; gothic atmosphere
- Tone and mood
- haunting; suspenseful; tragic; oppressive
- Setting
- A grand mansion in Cornwall and the French Riviera in the early 1940s.
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; romance; gothic; psychological
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier
- Content notes
- suspense
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, praised for its atmosphere and acting, and was selected for the National Film Registry.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 86 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Awards and nominations
- Best Picture · Academy Award · Won; Best Cinematography · Academy Award · Won
- Production trivia
- Hitchcock's first American project; Only Hitchcock film to win Best Picture; Included a cameo by Hitchcock
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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