theclassicmoviemuse I think all of us remember the first time we went to Manderley.
Manderley – the house of dreams. With dozens upon dozens of elegant rooms, rose bushes caressing its weathered stone walls, open terraces leading out to the boundless sea.
Shadows of the past linger there, beckoning us to this gothic tale once more.
What begins as a blissful whirlwind romance for our timid, nameless heroine (Joan Fontaine) becomes a living nightmare as she realizes the deep hold her husband’s (Laurence Olivier) late wife continues to have over him, his palatial estate – Manderley, and all who live there.
Adapted for the big screen by David O. Selznick from the best selling novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Rebecca (1940) is an atmospheric masterpiece of both storytelling and filmmaking.
The teaming of Selznick and Hitchcock is the stuff of legend. Books have been written about their tumultuous working relationship and differing approaches to filming and editing.
The point cannot be argued that the clashing of these two titans produced meticulous attention to detail, nuanced beauty, and a focus on creating strong, unforgettable characters.
In glorious black and white, we see a world of both darkness and light.
The darkness is personified by the creepily restrained, calculating Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) and the ghostly presence of Rebecca. Though we never see the titular character, we viscerally feel her dominating every frame of the film.
From Franz Waxman’s eerie, otherworldly cues, to the words of praise heaped upon her by doting friends, and the home she so beautifully decorated and maintained, Rebecca is inescapable, while elusive, yet sees and knows all.
When we meet the future second Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) she is a shy, lovely young lady, though burdened by a demeaning employer. Through her marriage to Maxim she feels insignificant and unwanted, living in the looming shadow of her predecessor. Mrs. Danvers only confirms this notion with her devious schemes.
Then secrets begin to unravel and Fontaine’s character grows in confidence and maturity, but life at Manderley can never be the same again.
If I had to sum up the theme of Rebecca in one word it would be “fear.” Simply because our leading lady, the second Mrs. de Winter, encounters it at every corner and from many angles. The fear of being unloved, fearing the limits of your emotional strength, the fear of making mistakes, fearing for your safety and sanity.
But unlike Mrs. Danvers, who is hopelessly tied to the past, choosing to stay there in death, the second Mrs. de Winter looks ever forward, mustering her strength towards a bright future and ultimately, chooses life.
These very primal matters at its core make Rebecca powerful and resonant nearly a century later.
May she continue to haunt us for centuries to come.
This post is my contribution to the A Haunting Blogathon: In the Afterlife hosted by the Classic Movie Blog Association. Enjoy the haunting offerings here!
Rebecca (1940) is one of my favorites. I love what you wrote in your introduction, “I think all of us remember the first time we went to Manderley.” And what a magical journey that was and still is. -A Vintage Nerd xox
Hey, Daffny! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Beautifully said – It is magical being transported to Manderley via this film. Aren’t you glad we can take the journey whenever we desire? xo
Lovely to see you Ari. The perfect film for this blogathon needs such a wonderful post, and you have done just that. I loved the dreamy way you wrote this, wonderful read. Hope all is good with you XX
Thank you for your lovely comment, Gill! Hearing from you is always a treat. I’ve loved this film (and book) for many years and am glad to have this opportunity to write about it. Hope all is well on your end! xo
P.S. Are you a fan of the book?
Still to read the book, but read a book about the book and the making of this movie. Sounds like they got the casting right, would you change it? I know you are a fan of both.
Oooh, really? Do you recall the name of the book? It sounds right up my alley 🙂 I wouldn’t change the casting at all. They chose perfectly for every part!
I can do better than that, here’s my review… https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/promotions-2/film-book-promotions/books-rebecca-by-patricia-white/
Perfect, thanks Gill!!
No problem, thanks for popping over to read my post – was lovely to see you again xxx
I love how atmospheric Hitch made this one. We feel the presence of the dead Rebecca just as much the second Mrs. DeWinter does. Joan is terrific as the fragile woman struggling to retain her sanity and stop feeling inferior to a ghost from the past.
Agreed, Maddy! It is a beautiful film and it is amazing how they made Rebecca so real to us.
Sometimes I wish we had a flashback scene to witness Rebecca in action. I’ve always pictured her as a mash-up of Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett and Rita Hayworth’s Gilda (before her marriage to Johnny). But I think the filmmakers made a wise choice in leaving her to our imagination in her ghostly realm, for what is more to be feared than the unknown and unseen?
Hope all is well with you xo Thank you for stopping by!
I always thought Vivien Leigh would make a good Rebecca! They were smart not to cast her as Mrs. de Winter even if Laurence Olivier pushed for it. She looks too cunning to play such a timid creature.
I agree, Charity! I rewatched her audition recently and all I could think was “nope, nope, sorry Vivien. You’re brilliant, but your physicality and manner for this part is not matching up.”
You might enjoy this article about this topic and also how Olivier, although pressured by Vivien to promote her, ultimately knew she wasn’t right for it.
http://vivandlarry.com/classic-film/vivien-leigh-and-the-search-for-rebecca/
“Vivien thought I didn’t try hard enough for her with Hitchcock for the part in Rebecca. Well, I didn’t. I hadn’t felt she was right for that part, truth be told.”
I just watched this one – again – recently, and every time I think maybe I’m not so in love with it, the romance begins again. A lovely post about a truly haunting film.
So lovely to hear that, Marsha. It’s difficult to not fall under the spell of this film, isnt it? Thank you for stopping by!
Rebecca is one of my favorite movies and novels (and miniseries…) for… unknown reasons. I just love it, and find it fascinating and haunting. I enjoyed this little essay on its themes and the point you made (one woman chose death and the past, one chose life and the future). 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Charity! 🙂 Doesn’t Rebecca have the perfect blend of romance, gothic atmosphere, suspense, and glamour? It’s one of my favorites too. I wish there were more stories like it!
P. S. I also love Phantom of the Opera for its gothic romance vibes <3
I was so thrilled that you chose this film for this blogathon because I cannot imagine a more fitting choice for the haunting theme. Great details in your write-up – thank you for adding this to the blogathon!
Thanks for stopping by, Kellee! There simply was no other choice for me – it had to be Rebecca. I’m grateful for the opportunity to write about this amazing film – thanks again!
You had me with your first sentence that “I think all of us remember the first time we went to Manderley” – because I do! I appreciate you discussing how how fear works in this film. I hadn’t thought of it before in those terms, but you nailed it. – Toni R.
Thanks for your kind comment, Toni! If there were a theme park to visit full of famous movie locations, we can bet our beloved Manderley would be one of them 🙂 I view the second Mrs. de Winter as a hero of sorts, enduring all the madness she went through and coming out the other side. It was lovely to write about her and give her the credit she deserves. Thanks again!
This one’s in the Haunting Hall of Fame, a masterpiece. It was already a favourite and then I was lucky to see it at the TCM festival, so impressive and a great highlight. Enjoyed reading this!
“The Haunting Hall of Fame” Love that – well said!
Ooo that sounds like an unforgettable experience. Thank you for stopping by and for the follow, too! It’s always lovely to find another fan of Rebecca. I hope you get to see more of your favorites on the big screen at the festival in the future 🙂
LOVE this amazing film! The Gothic elements and building tension is palpable and yet beautifully crafted. A fantastic review!
Thank you very much, Paul! Hitchcock was the perfect director for Rebecca, wasn’t he? In some ways I think it was an excellent warm up for Vertigo since again we are dealing with that hazy, dreamlike divide between perception and reality. Thanks again for stopping by!
Another excellent write up and post Muse, very good stuff as usual. I’ve never read any of Daphne Du Maurier’s work, but the screen adaptations of her books do seem to be on point to her themes and style. My first film class in college, we watched the documentary The Celluloid Closet, and a brief section was dedicated to the clearly not so subtle lesbian feelings Mrs. Danvers held for Rebecca, and the hints it was secretly reciprocated. I’ve always felt this is also a strong theme to the film next to the fear the unnamed Heroine faces: Mrs. Danvers doesn’t see her as trying to seduce her from Rebecca, but’s clear the duo don’t like her as either the new mistress of Manderley or as an unintentional interloper on their forbidden romance. Had the book’s original twist been kept in the film (I don’t want to spoil either) this atmosphere wouldn’t have had the same impact. Rebecca is an enigma even though we never see her in person, not even via flashbacks, only through others’ recollections of her. Not knowing a character first hand makes everything we hear from others about them much more speculative, not knowing if we’ve heard the truth or not.
Thank you for the kind words, Moviefanman! :)<3
As always, you make great points with excellent food for thought! The book is amazing and one of the aspects that stands out to me is du Maurier's description of Mrs. Danvers - "skull's face, parchment-white, set on a skeleton's frame." So chilling. Hitchcock added to this instructing Judith Anderson to reduce her blinking as much as possible. It's a wonderful characterization, giving her a deathlike, almost supernatural quality. As if she's already joined Rebecca in the spiritual realm, while retaining her earthly body.
Brilliant post, Ari 💕👏 Absolutely brilliant.
I had to pause after each of these lines, in order to literally act out a *chef’s kiss* in the direction of the screen 😘🤌…
“ I think all of us remember the first time we went to Manderley”
“ In glorious black and white, we see a world of both darkness and light.”
“ …the second Mrs. de Winter looks ever forward, mustering her strength towards a bright future and ultimately, chooses life.”
“ May she continue to haunt us for centuries to come.”
I then felt the need to go and grab a big snuggly blanket after reading the following lines which caused me to get the heebie jeebies and shiver in fright (bearing in mind, it’s about 30°C down here as I type this 😂)…
“ Rebecca is inescapable, while elusive, yet sees and knows all.”
“ The fear of being unloved, fearing the limits of your emotional strength, the fear of making mistakes, fearing for your safety and sanity.”
You are so spot on. The level of fear, the suffocating omnipresent stranglehold that Rebecca has and seemingly will forever have on us, no matter how many times we read about/ watch /visit Manderley… my goodness the intensity never dissipates, does it?
I LOVE that you included that wonderfully evocative shot of the curtains. It gets the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention each and every time I see it.
I also must thank you profusely for framing our unnamed Mrs. de Winter II as a “heroine”! I have only ever heard her being referred to as “our unnamed protagonist” and I’ve got to tell you, the extra punch of power, optimism and strength that the label “heroine” brings, really does so much to boost her character, achievements and determination to the fore.
And I mean can we just take a moment for Judith Anderson’s performance……✨🏆
I so enjoyed this trip back to Manderley via your astute and beautifully written observations and thoughts, Ari 💝 Thank you Xx
Thank you very much for reading and for your kind and lovely comment, Lee! <3 The filmmakers really did amazing work in giving Rebecca her power, didn't they? *chills*
Yay! I'm so glad you are a second Mrs. de Winter fan! Love your note referring to her character. It's such a great word isn't it? With so many meanings, forgive me for digressing, but this one I think applies to her beautifully - "strength and originality in a person's nature." It reminds me of the lovely scene where Maxim's friend, Crawley, speaks of the qualities that are most important.
My goodness...Judith Anderson - in a class all by herself. A perfect performance!
Thanks again for stopping by, Lee! Hope all is well your way xo
Enjoyed your descriptive post and your lovely screenshots! You make me want to watch Rebecca again!
Thanks for reading, Karen! Hope you enjoy your rewatch! 🙂
Great review! I’ve wanted to see “Rebecca” for a long time and this just sells me on it more.
Thank you for stopping by, Rebecca! 🙂 I’d love to hear your thoughts on the film.