"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..."
Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.
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Character
Earnest, grave, classical in form and meticulous.
- earnestironic
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- rawmeticulous
- intimateepic
Who loves it, who doesn't
18 profiled raters. Loved most by The Provocateurs; disliked most by The Prestige Hunters.
Where do you stand?
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“Is this Alfred Hitchcock's best work?”
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“Is the book better?”
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“Is Laurence Olivier the best thing in Rebecca?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Curator Co.'s numbers.
- Andres Gomezon TMDB · Jun 20138/10
A good movie and interesting plot but the characters are a little bit exaggerated and the outcome is quite expectable.
Read the whole review on TMDB - CharlesTheBoldon TMDB · Mar 2017
A poor "lady's companion", so self-effacing that we are never given her name (Joan Fontaine), suddenly finds her life changed when a moody widower, Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), proposes to marry her and take her to his splendid estate of Manderley. It seems like a fairy-tale turned true, but it is not. On reaching Manderley, the new Mrs. de Winter (still unnamed) finds herself out of place, as Maxim seems to drift away and the hostile housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) repeatedly tells her that she will never live up to the standard set by Maxim's first wife Rebecca. What was Rebecca really like? The perfect English lady, or a hypocrite who dazzled the people around her? Where do Maxim's affections really lie? The questions not only create a great movie mystery, but a portrait of an unequal marriage between an arrogant aristocrat and a neurotically dependent young wife.
Read the whole review on TMDB - waltzmaon TMDB · Dec 201710/10
Absolutely perfect Gothic Thriller that has many imitators but few of equal quality. With "Rebecca" about to hit the Broadway stage (as a musical!), I thought it was time to write my review of perhaps my favorite Hitchcock film. I recall the first time I saw this on TV almost 30 years ago on the late show, I had set my VCR to tape it, but woke up to start watching a bit of it, and stayed up all night to watch it all. That's how good a film it is. Daphne Du Maurier's tale of a shy companion who shocks her employer by winning the most desired wealthy widow in England is gripping, suspenseful, and filled with innuendo. Joan Fontaine never gave a more lovely performance as the awkward bride who leaves her hysterically selfish employer (Florence Bates) to marry the brooding Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier) and finds animosity from the darkly dressed Mrs. Danver (Judith Anderson) who resents her intrusion because of her devotion to Maxim's late wife, Rebecca. The mystery of how Rebecca died and what kind of woman she really was is explored, and with the intrusion of scoundrel George Sanders and some well-meaning advice from Maxim's toothy sister (Gladys Cooper), the new Mrs. De Winter
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · Jul 201910/10
Do you think the dead come back and watch the living? Rebecca is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and adapted to screen play from the Daphne du Maurier novel of the same name. It stars Laurence Olvier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson. Cinematography is by George Barnes and music scored by Franz Waxman. After meeting and marrying 'Maxim' de Winter (Olivier), the Second Mrs. de Winter (Fontaine), finds life at his English estate, Manderley, far from comfortable because the servants and the house serve to remind her of the first Mrs. de Winter, whose death remains a source of mystery. What did happen to the first lady of the house? Can this newly married couple survive the oppressive cloud that looms large over the mansion? A Gothic emotional near masterpiece, Alfred Hitchcock's first American film may seem a bit too serviceable at times, something he was also aware of himself, but the production values are high and the story is played out supremely well. Within the story we can find Hitchcock's now famous trait of mistrusting Women, but in the main it stays the tragic tale of one young woman living in the ominous shadow of the previous Mrs. De Winter. Mood is often set as foreboding, w
Read the whole review on TMDB - CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20228/10
We saw this quite recently on the big screen at Somerset House in London. One of those outdoor screenings - and the fact that it poured with rain on hundreds of us didn't matter one jot (though the hampers got quite sodden). Olivier and the eerily stupendous Judith Anderson provide the ultimate in sophisticated horror partnerships and make this by far my favourite Hitchcock film. Joan Fontaine is an expert at conveying the naive, adoring vulnerability of the second "Mrs. de Winter", combatting a foe she cannot hope to defeat and George Sanders is almost as sinister as he makes up the quartet in this bleak, frightening and totally enthralling two hours of cinema.
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Laurence OlivierMaxim de Winter
- Joan FontaineMrs. de Winter
- George SandersJack Favell
- Judith AndersonMrs. Danvers
- Gladys CooperBeatrice Lacy
- Nigel BruceGiles Lacy
- Reginald DennyFrank Crawley
- C. Aubrey SmithColonel Julyan
- Melville CooperCoroner
- Florence BatesEdythe Van Hopper
Crew
- Alfred HitchcockDirector
- Joan HarrisonScreenplay
- Robert E. SherwoodScreenplay
- Daphne du MaurierNovel
- George BarnesDirector of Photography
- Franz WaxmanOriginal Music Composer
- David O. SelznickProducer
Where to watch
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
Road to Perdition 200283% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Dragonwyck 194682% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Hombre 196782% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Jane Eyre 194381% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
This Is England 200780% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Secret Beyond the Door 194780% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Klute 197180% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Fingersmith 200577% alikeSeries · Both earnest, grave, classical in form.
Black Bird 202277% alikeSeries · Both earnest, grave, classical in form.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
