Rebecca - 1940
A young naïve woman (Joan Fontaine) is looking for the perfect love. She sees and falls for the gorgeous - and extremely wealthy - Mr. Maxim De’Winter (Laurence Oliver), who quite quickly agrees to marry her. The young girl quickly becomes Mrs. De’Winter and they settle into the gigantic mansion known widely as Manderlay. The new Mrs. De’Winter finds it rather difficult to settle in, with Maxim’s late wife still haunting the mansion, and with the head servant taking an immediate dislike to her, Mrs. De’Winter starts to find life tough.
As certain events unravel, everything from the napkins on the desk to the pillow cases reminds not just the staff, but Maxim himself as he mourns the loss of his beloved first wife.
Watch as twists and knots loosen to a dramatic ending and a plot that you’ll leave a chill down your spine.
This 40’s Hitchcock classic promises good performances from the famous Laurence Oliver portraying the troubled and snappy Maxim, to Judith Anderson’s truly frightening performance as Mrs. Danvers, the jealous and mad head housekeeper. Possibly even scarier than Louise Fletchers chilling interpretation of Nurse Ratched in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest’, which is quite a performance to top. Joan Fontaine plays the confused Mrs. De’Winter, who expresses the character with innocence and fragility which is believable. You start to feel sorry for her as you follow her story.
With two well-deserved Oscars under its belt, dramatic scenes are rife in this film that will always keep you on the edge of your seat. With lines like:
“That’s not sunrise, that’s Manderlay!”
To
“I’m Mrs. De’Winters now!”
This film, based on the novel by Daphne Du Maurier, is wonderfully directed by the brilliant Alfred Hitchcock. With famous films like Psycho, The Birds and Lifeboat, this won’t be a disappointment.
With sets that are magnificent from room to room, from strong and captivating performances and to dramatic shocking scenes, this really is a perfect black and white classic.
