Rebecca (1940)

 

Studio: MGM

Theatrical Release: April 12, 1940

Blu Ray Release: January 24, 2012

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Not Rated

Review by James Klein

With the 84^th Annual Academy Awards now over, what better way to start off the Alfred Hitchcock week with his only film that won Best Picture, 1940’s Rebecca. MGM has just released Rebecca on blu ray, Hitchcock’s first American film and one that most Hitchcock fans will enjoy.

Joan Fontaine (who is just so beautiful to look at) is a young woman who meets a rich and charming man named Maxim De Winter (played by the legendary Laurence Olivier) who is a recent widower. His last wife, Rebecca was killed in a boating accident and he still doesn’t quite seem over her death. While the two get to know one another rather quickly, De Winter proposes and soon he has a new Mrs. De Winter in his life. Taking her to his mansion in England, Mrs. De Winter meets the staff of servants, led by the strange and rather snobby Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock). Mrs. Danvers was rather loyal to Rebecca and doesn’t seem to take kindly to Mr. De Winter’s new bride. As Mrs. De Winter feels more and more out of place at this mansion, she soon finds out more than she was lead to believe about Rebecca’s death and her relationship with her ex-husband. When her husband is threatened to be blackmailed by Rebecca’s cousin and possible lover Jack (George Sanders of Village of the Damned), Mrs. De Winter must decide if she should tell authorities what she knows or stay loyal to her new husband.

Rebecca is a fun movie to watch if you are in the right mood. I do love a good murder mystery, especially when I am in the hands of the master himself. Hitchcock can manipulate an audience like no other, captivating you with not only the story but by his magnificent visuals and stunning camera work. When Mr. and Mrs. De Winter drive up to the mansion for the first time, I couldn’t help but utter a small “wow” to myself. The mansion (which was actually a miniature) is gigantic and the camera just swoops in at a low angle, making it all the more bigger and intimidating, especially to the shy Mrs. De Winter who already feels out of place and nervous in starting her new life with her husband. When Olivier delivers his long speech to his wife on what happened to Rebecca, Hitchcock suddenly uses the camera as its own identity. The camera itself becomes Rebecca and it follows the mansion as if we are seeing it through Rebecca’s dead eyes.

While the film was made in 1940, some audiences will probably find the film dated and at times a bit long winded and dry. No question about it, Rebecca is not the fastest moving picture that Hitchcock directed nor is it my favorite (I could watch Psycho once a week and never be bored with it). There is much character build up that takes place before anything vital to the story happens. Some of the dialog is now dated and while Fontaine is quite good and drop dead gorgeous, she still has some silly lines that no modern woman would ever utter (unless she was in some strange abusive relationship). However, I can forgive these small annoyances. The rest of the film is so well done, with an obvious talent behind and in front of the camera that one would be a fool to not appreciate this great work of film making.

MGM’s new blu ray transfer looks just fine. While the picture is crisp and the audio is clear, the movie is over 70 years old so don’t expect to be blown away by the picture or sound. What I do like is the amount of special feature’s on the blu ray. We get an old Hitchcock interview, (audio only) test footage, radio play adaptations, the trailer, and two featurettes. There is a bland commentary track by historian Richard Schickel which may provide some interesting behind the scenes stories but his voice alone is enough to make me fall asleep. Just watch “The Making of Rebecca” and you’ll get all the info you would want from this movie (I particularly enjoyed the stories of Hitchcock feuding with producer David O. Selznick).

If you are a Hitchcock virgin, I wouldn’t start off with Rebecca. While it is good, the film is a bit dated and rather slow moving. However, fans of the master of suspense will be thrilled to see his only film to win Best Picture to finally be out on blu ray.