Rating: NR
Genre:
Mystery
Theatrical Release: 03/27/1940(USA)
Release Date: 10/14/2008
SubTitles: English/Espanol/French
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD1
Run Time: 131 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations
Distributor/Studio: MGM
Based on the novel by
Daphne du Maurier, the classic
psychological thriller Rebecca was
Alfred Hitchcock's first American film.
Joan Fontaine plays the unnamed narrator, a young woman who works as a companion to the well-to-do
Mrs. Van Hopper (
Florence Bates). She meets the wealthy widower
Maxim de Winter (
Laurence Olivier) in Monte Carlo, where they fall in love and get married.
Maxim takes his new bride to Manderlay, a large country estate in Cornwall. However, the mansion's many servants refuse to accept her as the new lady of the house. They seem to be loyal to
Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who died under mysterious circumstances. Particularly cruel to her is the prim housekeeper
Mrs. Danvers (
Judith Anderson), who is obsessed with Rebecca. She continually attests to her beauty and virtues (referring to her as "the real Mrs. de Winter") and even preserves her former bedroom as a shrine. The new Mrs. de Winter is nearly driven to madness as she begins to doubt her relationship with her husband and the presence of Rebecca starts to haunt her. Eventually, an investigation leads to the revelation about Rebecca's true nature. Producer
David O. Selznick had the final cut of the picture, which was drastically altered from
Hitchcock's original vision.
~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide