Rebecca (1940)

Rebecca, the winner for Best Picture of 1940, is a ghost story without a ghost. The title character never appears because she died the year before the start of the film's narrative. She was the first Mrs. de Winter, and now the second (played by Joan Fontaine as if she's likely to fall apart or faint at any moment) has come to Manderlay, the home where Rebecca's presence seems to be as strong as ever. The movie never needs an actual ghost; eventually, just her name is sufficient to send a chill over Fontaine's character.

The film begins with the courtship of Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) and Fontaine's character, who is never identified by name. They meet in Monte Carlo where she has traveled as the companion to a rather stuffy older woman. When the older woman falls ill to a cold, the two lovers use their free time to develop a deepening romantic relationship. Rather than travel with the woman to America for a wedding, Fontaine's character decides to accept Maxim's marriage proposal. Little does she know what is in store for her.

When the newly married couple arrives at Manderlay, which is a rather impressive ancestral home, the new Mrs. de Winter quickly learns how devoted everyone was to the first Mrs. de Winter. Hardly a moment goes by without some comparison to Rebecca, who was apparently lovely and charming and whatever other marvelous adjectives could be used. Chief among the culprits is Mrs. Danvers, brilliantly played by (later Dame) Judith Anderson. Mrs. Danvers has assumed control of the household since Rebecca's death and has managed to maintain it in much the same manner as Rebecca did while still alive. If you're wondering why the new Mrs. de Winter doesn't just say that she wants things to be different from the start, you've never had to confront Anderson's implacable face.

Maxim is no help either. He continues to seem distraught over Rebecca's death from a boating accident, even to the point of forbidding the second Mrs. de Winter from entering the boathouse. When the new wife shows up at a costume ball dressed in the same way as Rebecca once did--thanks to the interference of Mrs. Danvers--well, Maxim almost explodes. He has a rather short temper anyway, but any reminder of his late wife, even an accidental one, seems to set him off quickly.

There's an interesting twist to the plot about three-fourths of the way through the film, but I won't spoil that for you. It really does make you question who is telling the truth in this film, and much of the movie forces you to question what constitutes someone's true identity. Who is the "real" Mrs. de Winter, in particular, becomes a key matter of concern. There's also a shocking finale to the story, and I definitely won't spoil that either. It's worth the surprise if you've never seen Rebecca before.

All of the acting is first-rate. Fontaine shows you just how close to the edge she becomes, a trait she would also use to good effect the following year in Suspicion, which would garner her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Olivier probably has the greatest range of emotions here; he gets to be fiery and passionate and defeated. It's quite solid, if not as showy as his earlier work in Wuthering Heights. The supporting cast includes such noteworthies as George Sanders and Nigel Bruce (he of Sherlock Holmes fame) and Gladys Cooper, who is fast becoming one of my favorite actresses thanks to this project.

The one who steals the movie, though, is Anderson. She gives such a controlled performance as Mrs. Danvers, one of the most truly frightening characters in film history. Much has been made of the homoerotic subtext of this film as it relates to her character, and it isn't difficult to see how she has made and maintained a shrine to the woman she loved. The way she caresses Rebecca's fur coat and then uses the sleeve of that coat to caress Fontaine's face pales in comparison only to the gentleness with which she displays Rebecca's underwear drawer and then fondles Rebecca's sheer nightgown, which has been tucked conveniently in a case embroidered by Mrs. Danvers herself. It's all a bit creepy, to be frank, particularly as you begin to realize that she would rather Maxim mourn the loss of his first wife than enjoy the company of his second wife.

This was the first Hollywood film to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who had already made a name for himself in Great Britain. It's also the only one of his films to be named Best Picture (and one of the very few even to be nominated). Rebecca doesn't quite hold the same level of suspense as some of his later work, particularly those masterpieces of the 1950s like Rear Window and The Man Who Knew Too Much. And it certainly isn't quite as tense as his greatest works, films like Vertigo and Psycho and The Birds. Still, there is a strong hand at work already, and you can easily see how Rebecca fits into the growing directorial sensibility that would come to define his movies.