I think that Joan Fontaine was superb in this film!! She was also extremely beautiful and delicate looking in this part she plays! Laurence Olivier was very handsome!! One of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies! I LOVED IT! Deserves more recognition!
I love this film more than I can express. Yes, it is very much a work of its time, and some of the melodrama can seem over the top. But just admire the craftsmanship, the incredible stark beauty, of the story, the staging, all of it. Oh gosh, I sound like Ms. Danvers now, don't I? "Have you ever seen something so delicate? Look! You can see my hand through them..."
My mother introduced me to this magnificent gothic romance, so full of Hitchcock's humor and inventive direction. I agree with some of the commenters that Olivier seems pinched and too calculated (he wanted to play opposite Vivien Leigh), but Fontaine is deeply charming and really fine. Anderson, Sanders and Florence Bates (Mrs. VH) all show their flair for playing rotten people--and none of them got an Oscar, nor did Fontaine (Bates and Sanders didn't even get nominated). Thanks for posting!
This my absolute favorite book and movie. One of the best ever. The fact that her first name was never given is fabulous. You are right, it let's the reader know that Rebecca is the superior Mrs. de Winter.
Laughing at comments that criticize Olivier portrayal of Maxim Delimiter and decry that all American actor, Clark Gable, would've been the better choice for the roll of British aristocrat. Lawrence Olivier is often described as the greatest actor of the twentieth century with a grand theatre and major theatrical awards that carry his name as tribute to his legacy. Gable is memorable for his appearance in It Happened One Night and Gone with the Wind. No one appearing in Rebecca was miscast. I love this movie, especially now that I can RU-vid videos on my 46" HDTV.
Totally agree! Clark Gable as Maxim de Winter?????!!! No way! I read the book as a teenager, years before seeing the film version, but I remember the first time I did see this movie, I thought Olivier was the PERFECT Maxim....can't imagine anyone else in the role. Also, I really can't see an American actor pulling this off....
I didn’t view this film until years after I read “Rebecca.” Olivier nailed Maxim deWinter. Handsome, stylish and unnervingly neurotic. The quintessential trauma/abuse survivor disguised as a “man with everything.” I don’t favor Gable as Max.
...tremendous acting, wouldn't you say? Mrs van Hopper was quite outstanding there, I thought. I've loved Daphne du Maurier books since my school days in the 50s, Rebecca is just out of this world, the same as Frenchman's Creek which were both based on dreams to start the plots off.. . .thanks for posting this !!
what a kick-ass movie this is! Beautiful adaptation of the novel, narrated with wistful longing and little regret by Joan Fontaine. By the way, how many female narrations have we heard in movies in the last 20 years? I can't think of any. An immortal classic!
you just cant beat alfred hitchock he made great films,,, i just love old black and white movies when actors were actors,,cant get enough,,thankls for posting them,,
I haven't read the book, or really known much about anything. I just came across this movie today, and the dialouge makes me smile. Thank you for posting this movie. I'm sure I will enjoy the rest.
Ce film constitue l'un des sommets cinématographique de hitchcock. Tout y est parfait, le scénario, les acteurs, la mise en scène, le noir et blanc somptueux. Un chef-d'oeuvre dont on se délecte à chaque nouvelle vision.
A great movie, i've understood that it is a great book also and now days it is probably the best musical in the world. I'm glad that i saw the musical in Bucharest
The don't make film like this Nowadays. I luv old movies.laurence Oliver as de winter is so sexy in this film and joan Fontaine is Stunning and so adorable. I luv this film and the acting in it so much. One of my all time favourite films.
55 years before my time.. sad, isn't it? Everything that I like was before both mine and my parent's time. I have absolutely nothing in common with anyone my age at all. But I don't care- I'm contented with being able look back and enjoy all these treasures of the past, and I thank God they're still out there and alive in the hearts of those who still appreciate them.
THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU. I WENT ALL OVER THE INTERNET TO FIND THIS! i cant beleve i didnt go to youtube first!!!!! my assignments due tomorrow and i didnt finish reading the book. thankyou soooo much.
I would have loved to see Viven in this role... but I think Joan Fontaine had an innocence about her that went great with that part too. Anyway, this is an amazing film, so thank you so much for posting those videos! :)
@MrShaun42088 absolutely agree with you. I first read the book when I was 13 (I'm 18 now)... it quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. It still is up there and Ive read it at least 4 times, each time reveals something I never caught before. I love Dumaurier's style.
I also thought they sound similar when watching "The princess bride" in English (because I had watched this movie in English many times before). Both have lovely British accents and are/were very handsome. Anyway, I love this movie so much, is one of my favorites of all time, if not my favorite.
Fascinating book, and excellent movie.There is an actor trained by Sir Laurence Olivier, who embodied Maxim in the remarkable 1979 british mini-series "Rebecca": Jeremy Brett. You can watch "Rebecca" 79 on You Tube, but DVDs are not released. Jeremy Brett was sadly underrated, and his work neglected. As a consequence, many people only remember him as Sherlock Holmes.But he played numerous other parts, as you'll see by watching the video "A Journey through Time".As Maxim, he is gorgeous!!!
Joan Fontaine and her beautiful sister Olivia DeHavilland have never revealed the reason for the falling out that lasted throughout their adult lives. Maybe they thought they would have time. On Ms.Fontaine's passing, Ms.DeHavilland broke her silence only to express her grief and profound sense of loss. A lesson worth remembering.
Damn! You said the same things I feel and think about things of the past. I am so picky with music, books, tv series and films of today because I love the stuff of the past so much. Like you said thank God they are still out here and alive for us to see it.
You're quite right, SirRiehl. So much was better then, but of course so much is better now, not least in the area of medicine. It's a pity we can't have the best of both times.
If you enjoy this movie, read the book and read other books by this author, as well as Agatha Christie novels (and films). You will love Murder on the Orient Express, which features her detective Hercule Poirot, as well as the Miss Marple stories. Just wonderful!!
Rebecca has a tendency to haunt me. I read the book beck in tenth grade and watched the movie. This past semester Rebecca started haunting me again so I read the book and I was delighted to find this movie here.
As a weed smokn, pill poppin chick from da hood, u wudnt think I wud b interested in this type of movie, but I adore the book. I actually found the book at Newark airport and hv read it at least 10x, including 2nite, which prompted a google search on the author, which lead to here. Glad to see it on film.
In semn de respect fata de actorii care ne-au incantat timpul liber cu filmele lor ar trebui ca macar o data pe luna sa se dea la TV, cate un film vechi. Chiar daca acest film este vechi, imi place, de cate ori am ocazia, urmaresc, filme vechi.
I read all the comments and no one made the same connection that I did when I watched it. years ago. You know how Mel Brooks borrows from the classics. He used Mrs. Danvers for Frau Blucher from Young Frankenstein. Even the scene at 2:30 looks like it was borrowed for Young Frankenstein. Love this movie. Love Hitchcock!
