Her facial expressions are subtle, like how a real person in her situation would be. The blankness of her stare and the simultaneous severity of her face in the thumbnail is the best. I loved all parts of this movie but the performance of Judith Anderson stands out so much.
What a memorable performance from Judith Anderson. She played this character so convincingly that she made of Mrs. Danvers a protagonist of nightmares. So creepy, so frightening....
It’s funny when you watch later adaptations they seem melodramatic in comparison. You’d think it would be the other way round but this is so subtle. Judith is wonderfully understated and terrifying
Yes, other actresses seem to be trying so hard to be creepy and terrifying that they come off cartoonish. This performance feels like a real, unsettling person.
That uncanny little head twitch and tilt at 9:44... I am absolutely positive that Willemijn Verkaik studied that exact moment over and over in preparation to play in the role in Vienna-right before she sighs into the second verse of her first reprise of Rebecca (act 2), in the video posted by skjonnet-I see it in that moment before she approaches Rebecca's bed.
I still need to see that, since Diana Rigg is sheer perfection in every way! But Judith Anderson is absolutely terrifying in this role, and I certainly can't imagine better.
