Amazon.com essential video: Rebecca is an ageless, timeless adult movie about a woman who marries a widower but fears she lives in the shadow of her predecessor. This was Hitchcock's first American feature, and it garnered the Best Picture statue at the 1941 Academy Awards. In today's films, most twists and surprises are ridiculous or just gratuitous, so it's sobering to look back on this film where every revelation not only shocks, but makes organic sense with the story line. Laurence Olivier is dashing and weak, fierce and cowed. Joan Fontaine is strong yet submissive, defiant yet accommodating. There isn't a false moment or misstep, but the film must have killed the employment outlook of any women named Danvers for about 20 years. Brilliant stuff. --Keith Simanton
Do you speak Taiwanese? This is a typically excellent Afred Hitchcock movie. Unfortunately I purchased mine from a 3rd party vendor in the US through Amazon along with Notorious. These products originate, as they are stamped on the back of the boxes, from a company in Taiwan. They ship with Taiwanese subtitles which you have to turn off. The main menu is in Taiwanese but you cannot turn it back to English so this makes all your DVD settings useless. The US vendor's comment when I complained was to turn off the Taiwanese.....don't quite understand that. When I put in for a refund, the vendor said to ship the two back to them, me to pay the shipping. This is a long standing problem which has been found on products Amazon handles through 3rd parties. The last one I bought was one called Rome Adventure which had the same problem but the quality on that one was so poor, that you could hardly view the movie. I read on Amazon that 3:10 from Yuma originally had the same problem. It had a Chinese train on the front of the box with Chinese flags on it. Amazon's Dispute Resolution appears to have worked for one of them but not both. Stay away from these vendors. This vendor had a selling percentage of 97%.
Rebeca One of the finest films of all time! The acting is superb you can trace the actors to many films of the period - but this film lets that spark, of genius show through! The development of the charactures is exelant. The story of a girl becoming a woman and what a woman! If I had only one film to watch it would be this!
Outstanding Video Quality. As both the Criterion and earlier Anchor Bay releases of Hitchcock's "Rebecca" are out-of-print and very exspensive to purchase as used, I decided to try this Korean import. Turns out to be excellent and appears to come from the Criterion source! It even has their excellent Commentary Track. The many other Extras found on the Criterion release are not included, but the picture, sound and commentary are all first class. A great DVD at a rock-bottom price!
A masterpiece of mystery and suspense. Rebecca is an atmospheric psychological drama that tells the story of a young, naive girl who marries a man of means who is recently widowed. She moves to Manderley, a house with all the best qualities of the house in Dark Shadows, to find that all the servants and the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, have some mysterious allegiance to Rebecca, the deceased wife.
The young wife's weaknesses are manipulated ruthlessly by Mrs. Danvers, who strangely seems to be maintaining a shrine to Rebecca. Her dedication to her is even suggestive of a homosexual relationship. Although it is never stated, the suggestion is there. Whatever that relationship was, it is not the relationship between a housekeeper and employer. Most employees don't hold on to their employer's underwear. After Mrs. Danvers plays a cruel trick on the second Mrs. De Winter, causing her to make an appearance at a costume party in the same gown worn by Rebecca, she tries to pursuade her to commit suicide.
Amidst swirling fog and dark shadows, it is eventually revealed that Mr. De Winter hated his first wife, and she hated him. They stayed together for the sake of the family's reputation. Without spoiling the suspense for anyone who hasn't seen this fabulous film, the ending is not what you would expect. There's good reason why many people list Rebecca as one of their favorite movies of all time.
Rebecca I read the book long before I saw the movie, and now both are my favorites. So well written and characters perfectly matched and performed in movie. Wonderful mystery that keeps you wondering until it ends and you wish it didn't.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tony's Online Tips
Trevor
