REBECCA
Film from 1940 directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
In Monte Carlo, a shy English girl prevents Max De Winter, a recent widower, from committing suicide. The two begin spending time together, fall in love, and soon Max proposes marriage.
It is back in England, at the ancient Manderley estate, that the first difficulties arise: the new Mrs. De Winter realizes that everyone compares her unfavorably to Rebecca, the first wife…
Her husband’s erratic behavior and the haunting presence of Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper who lives in Rebecca’s memory, only amplify the young bride’s discomfort and sense of inadequacy.
During a costume ball, the housekeeper manipulates her into wearing one of Rebecca’s dresses in order to humiliate her and push her towards suicide.
That very evening, the yacht on which Rebecca disappeared is found. Max confesses to his wife that Rebecca was unfaithful and that she died accidentally during a quarrel…
TRIVIA ABOUT REBECCA
This film was Hitchcock’s first American project and the only one of his films to win the Oscar (Best Picture). Hitchcock reportedly told Joan Fontaine that everyone on set hated her, to make her feel as insecure and fragile as the film’s protagonist.
