Rebecca

The subject of this post is the 1940 film "Rebecca", not the Daphne DuMaurier novel of the same name. The film is an adaptation of the novel, but since I'm only halfway through the book I'll just review the film. This is my wife's favorite movie, and after seeing it a few weeks ago, it was easy for me to see why.

The basic story is that a young woman marries a wealthy English widower and returns to live with him at his mansion by the sea. Though departed, the first wife (named Rebecca), casts her shadow over everything and everyone in the house. The story is a bit dark, and the plot builds slowly. Near the end, the story takes several sharp and unexpected twists.

The film and the book do have their differences, I am told, but the movie is cinematic gold. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and was the movie that truly launched his storied career. The lead characters are played by Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, who both play their parts wonderfully (could we, in hindsight, expect anything less from two such accomplished thespians?). The black and white color adds to the sense of foreboding and suspense, thus making the film even better. Several of the supporting actors are quite good as well, most notably Judith Anderson who plays the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers.

As I said, the plot takes some sharp turns near the end. They are as dramatic and surprising as any I've seen, and even trump some of Hitchcock's own in his later movies. The film is very satisfying, even if the ending is a bit polished up to make it more Hollywood-friendly. It gets five antelopes and is on my short list of films that I would buy if they were available new right now.