Rebecca (1940)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Daphne Du Maurier (novel)
Philip MacDonald (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The shadow of this woman darkened their love.

Plot:

When a naive young woman marries a rich widower and settles in his gigantic mansion, she finds the memory of the first wife maintaining a grip on her husband and the servants.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Housekeeper | Death | Widower | Servant

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Dec. 16

3:45 AM

TCM

Cast

Laurence Olivier	...	'Maxim' de Winter
Joan Fontaine	...	The Second Mrs. de Winter
George Sanders	...	Jack Favell
Judith Anderson	...	Mrs. Danvers
Nigel Bruce	...	Major Giles Lacy
Reginald Denny	...	Frank Crawley
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Colonel Julyan
Gladys Cooper	...	Beatrice Lacy
Florence Bates	...	Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper
Melville Cooper	...	Coroner
Leo G. Carroll	...	Dr. Baker
Leonard Carey	...	Ben
Lumsden Hare	...	Tabbs
Edward Fielding	...	Frith
Forrester Harvey	...	Chalcroft
Philip Winter	...	Robert
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Billy Bevan	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Egon Brecher	...	Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Outside Phone Booth (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Mullen (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell	...	Hotel Headwaiter (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Hotel Waiter (uncredited)
Ronald R. Rondell	...	Hotel Dining Room Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Daphne Du Maurier		(novel)
Philip MacDonald		(adaptation) and
Michael Hogan		(adaptation)
Robert E. Sherwood		(screenplay) and
Joan Harrison		(screenplay)

Produced by
David O. Selznick	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
George Barnes		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
W. Donn Hayes		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Makeup Department
Monte Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edmond F. Bernoudy	....	assistant director (as Edmond Bernoudy)
Eric Stacey	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Howard Bristol	....	interior decorator
Joseph B. Platt	....	interior designer
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jack Noyes	....	sound recordist
Arthur Johns	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Simpson	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur E. Arling	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Vincent J. Farrar	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Lloyd Knechtel	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Fred Parrish	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Irving Rosenberg	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Archie Stout	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
John F. Warren	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Harry L. Wolf	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Hal C. Kern	....	supervising editor (as Hal G. Kern)
James E. Newcom	....	associate film editor

Music Department
Louis Forbes	....	musical associate (as Lou Forbes)
Robert Russell Bennett	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Joseph Nussbaum	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Barbara Keon	....	scenario assistant
W.A. Bagley	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Russell Birdwell	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Katherine Brown	....	story editor (uncredited)
Adele Cannon	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Val Lewton	....	story editor (uncredited)
Marcella Rabwin	....	executive assistant to producer (uncredited)
Lydia Schiller	....	continuity supervisor (uncredited)
David O. Selznick	....	presenter (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Selznick International Pictures

Distributors

• United Artists (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists Corporation (1940) (UK) (theatrical)
• S.R.O. (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• Eagle-Lion Films (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• ABC Video (1967) (USA) (all media)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Guild Home Video (1986) (UK) (video)
• CBS / Fox Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Braveworld (1992) (UK) (video)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (1996) (UK) (theatrical)
• Total Home Entertainment (1996) (UK) (video)
• Videosonic Arts (1996) (Greece) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Pearson Television International (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Aventi (2005) (France) (DVD)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• T&K Telefilm (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Athos Films (196?) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Buena Vista International (????) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Fox Video (video)
• Sonoro Filme (Portugal)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) | Spain:13 | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #5969) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Peru:14 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Company:

Selznick International Pictures

Trivia:

Due to the success of this film in Spain, the specific jackets that Joan Fontaine wears during the film began to be known as "rebecas". The word "rebeca" is still used nowadays to refer to this item of clothing.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The word pamplemousse (French for grapefruit) is incorrectly spelled as 'pamplemouse' in the Princesse Hotel Monte Carlo menu toward the beginning of the film.

Quotes:

Maxim de Winter: "I'll make a bargain with you," she said. "You'd look rather foolish trying to divorce me now after four days of marriage. So I'll play the part of a devoted wife, mistress of your precious Manderley. I'll make it the most famous showplace in England if you like. Then, people will visit us and envy us, and say we're the luckiest, happiest, couple in the country. What a grand show it will be! What a triumph!"

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001) (TV)

If you want to be totally enthralled for two hours just watch 'Rebecca'!

Hitchcock felt 'Rebecca', his first Hollywood film, was a compromise, but as a viewer I just can't fault it. It's a masterpiece in my opinion, full of suspense, mystery and brooding atmosphere. It's also one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. I've watched it several times over the years, and even now that I know all the plot twists and turns (quite shocking on your first viewing), it never fails to hook me in. One of the reasons it really works is the flawless casting. I'm not much of an Olivier fan but he's superb as de Winter, with just the right mixture of charm and coldness. And Joan Fontaine is just perfect as de Winter's new bride. I can't spot an unconvincing moment in her performance and can't imagine any other actress in the role. Hitchcock subsequently used her in 'Suspicion' with Cary Grant. She was also excellent in that but 'Rebecca' is a much stronger movie. The supporting cast also includes some brilliant performances, especially Judith Anderson ('Laura') as the extremely creepy Mrs. Danvers, George Sanders who plays Rebecca's slimy cousin, and Nigel Bruce in a typical role as de Winter's bumbling brother-in-law Major Lacy. Sanders subsequently worked again with Hitchcock in 'Foreign Correspondent', and Bruce played Cary Grant's lovable pal "Beaky" in 'Suspicion'. I sometimes think that Hitchcock's 1940s movies are overlooked by many because they are regarded as being too "old fashioned", but for me movies like 'Suspicion', 'Saboteur', 'Lifeboat' and 'Spellbound' are some of the most entertaining movies Hitchcock ever made, and 'Rebecca' is the best of the lot. If you want to be totally enthralled for two hours just watch 'Rebecca'!