Rebecca (1940)

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I'm not saying that this is one of my favorite Hitchcock films (it isn't), but it IS one of my favorite books. Because of the production code being in full swing in 1940, several main plot points are either much too subtle or were left out of the film altogether, and I want people who have seen "Rebecca" to understand some of the most important things in the story.-First of all, why the heck was Mrs. Danvers such a creep? Because she was in love with Rebecca, who was using her like she used everyone else! Daphne du Maurier (the author) was also a lesbian, and this dynamic in her writing was intentional. If you watch the movie again with this in mind, with Danvers as a jilted lover who was upset by 1) Rebecca's cheating on her (and Max); 2) R's supposed pregnancy; 3) Rebecca's drowning; 4) Max's remarrying; 5) Rebecca's body being found (again); and 6) the new Mrs. de Winter's getting rid of Rebecca's things, it makes a LOT more sense. Trust me. Danvers was not *just* creepy / evil.-Why did the relationship between Olivier and Fontaine seem off? Because it was. He was distant; she was naïve; it was supposed to be a weird match. They actually only really fall in love when she helps him cover up the murder (in the book, he DOES kill Rebecca, not just cover up her death - the revelation / plot twist is not just that he murdered her, but that she was a really manipulative and horrible piece of work under all of her "charms", and that he hated her.The book is amazing. I won't tell you everything that Hitchcock had to leave out, but the film does seem unfinished because of it (and Fontaine overacts like crazy).

It was a true masterpiece. A beautiful piece of art. Hitchcock makes your heart beat fast during almost half of the movie. Hitchcock's movies have a peculiarity. If you see that the beginnings of his movies is good rest assured that by the end of the movie you will be lost for words. He's not only the master of suspense but the master of romance. He makes the world more beautiful and mysterious to me. I wish i could keep this feeling inside a bottle

The ending is more than a little ex machina. Very unpleasant types: Hecate van Hopper, Maximum de Winter, Deathly Danvers, Flakey Favell Foulenough, combine to bully a sweet, pretty, innocent, young girl with no name. But she slowly grows strong, takes Maxim in hand, and in the end sees off the others. This all takes place at Manderley, not Mandalay. Joan Fontaine is gorgeous.Florence Bates, as van Hopper, has a vicious Hitchcockian way with a cigarette, a stubbing technique later adopted by Jessie Royce Landis in To Catch a Thief. Was this another way Hitchcock decided later to repeat himself ? Just a thought. I don't think he showed up personally in Rebecca.An unusual Hitchcock perhaps, because it is heavy on atmosphere, somewhat reminiscent of Edgar Allan P, and although there is a modicum of suspense, it is slightly flat in that department. It's almost as if Alfred was feeling his way with his first film under American skies. Rebecca's death throes, her smile of satisfaction as she expires, reminds me of Claggart, although the film of Billy Budd was not produced until 22 years later. A gripping watch, but Olivier is extremely unappealing in his role. Other reviewers have explained that Selznick interfered with the direction of this film.

This is another example of Hitchcock's hatred for women. Great Movie...last century. Who likes to see a woman act and be treated like a stupid child nowadays? If you like watch people suffering for no reason but their own fault this is your movie. Or else watch "Big Brother" or similar crap.