overyourhead

Rebecca...

The other week Stu treated me to a trip to the NFT to see the 1940 film Rebecca. I'd not seen the film in donkey's but Matt had leant me the Daphne du Maurier book quite recently so I was keen to see what Hitchcock had done with it. The answer was quite a faithful translation of the romance cum thriller/mystery. Probably mainly due to producer David O. Selznick insistence that the book be followed. There were plenty on Hitchcockian touches throughout though including the obligatory cameo.

As for the cast Laurence Olivier was rather a limp lettuce as Maxim de Winter whereas Joan Fontaine shone as the second Mrs de Winter. However most notable was Judith Anderson's Mrs Danvers - she was as wooden as the lavish banisters that festooned Manderlay.

All great fun though and amazing cinematography for 1940.