Rebecca (1940)
96%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
7 wins & 10 nominations total
Rebecca, the 1940 classic directed by the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock, is a hauntingly beautiful adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel. With Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine delivering captivating performances, Hitchcock’s signature touch of mystery and imagination is on full display in the decor of Manderley. While some may have expected a horror or freak show, Rebecca is instead a dramatic piece that expertly weaves suspense and emotional appeal into a two-hour and a quarter masterpiece. Hitchcock’s cunning use of the camera and the film’s flesh-curling delights, including fog, shipwrecks, and water-soaked corpses, make Rebecca a must-see for any lover of suspense thrillers.
Rebecca is a classic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don’t be fooled by the lack of jump scares and gore, this movie is all about the suspense and drama. Hitchcock weaves a tale of mystery and murder that will leave you guessing until the very end. And let’s not forget the stunning performances by Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. If you haven’t seen Rebecca yet, what are you waiting for? It’s a must-watch for any fan of the genre.
Production Company(ies)
Selznick International Pictures,,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Big Sur, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
Year of Release
1940
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:2h 10m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 12, 1940 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2008
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, George Sanders, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Denny, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Daphne Du Maurier, Philip MacDonald, Michael Hogan, Robert E Sherwood, Joan Harrison, Barbara Keon, mystery, thriller, Gothic, suspense, haunting atmosphere, box office success, budget, reviewed by Katherine Howard, Ian Coster, Otis Ferguson, Mildred Martin, Mae Tinee, Colvin McPherson, Francois Truffaut, L.B Powell, T.C Kemp, David Reddish, Chase Burns, released in 1940, produced by David O Selznick, MPAA rating, United Artists, Mono sound mix, Flat aspect ratio
Worldwide gross: $72,275
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,856,736
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,435
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 202,479
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Joan Fontaine – The Second Mrs. de Winter
Judith Anderson – Mrs. Danvers
George Sanders – Jack Favell
Nigel Bruce – Major Giles Lacy
Reginald Denny – Frank Crawley
Director(s)
Alfred Hitchcock
Writer(s)
Daphne Du Maurier, Philip MacDonald, Michael Hogan, Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison, Barbara Keon
Producer(s)
David O. Selznick
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
7 wins & 10 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (102) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (101) | Rotten (1)
Don’t go to Rebecca thinking you will see some sort of horror or freak movie. It is not a Frankenstein, but an intensely dramatic piece with all the suspense and emotional appeal you could cram into one movie.
March 24, 2022
Katherine Howard
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
TOP CRITIC
Hitch concentrates on telling the story. He tells it beautifully, but without the filmic asides for which he is celebrated.
March 24, 2022
Ian Coster
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
They could have made the last half first, and then saved the first half for a bit of Guy Fawkes bonfire. Unfortunately they didn’t; so the whole thing runs off in fireproof projection booths for two hours and a quarter and the audience burns instead.
April 12, 2021
Otis Ferguson
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
[Hitchcock] has succeeded brilliantly In his initial Hollywood venture. In his Individual fashion, he has re-told in his own creepy, colorful way Miss du Maurier’s forbidding, fascinating story of life and death, malignancy and murder.
April 12, 2021
Mildred Martin
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
I didn’t think they could do it! Capture the suspense, the horror, the beauty, and the strange eeriness of Rebecca, the book. But they have! The screen version is subtle, electrifying — and almost as fascinating as the novel.
April 12, 2021
Mae Tinee
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Fog, shipwreck, an insane man wandering the beach, water-soaked corpses, inquests, forbidden chambers and finally a destroying fire in a big English country house — all these flesh-curling delights are to be found in Rebecca.
April 12, 2021
Colvin McPherson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Rebecca has to be seen. Above all, it has to be seen a second time.
May 9, 2022
Francois Truffaut
Arts (France)
There is not a moment… when the camera is not used with cunning confidence… Add to that the usual brilliance of Laurence Olivier and the fact that Joan Fontaine attains a new high level in her career, and you know why this is a first-rate picture.
March 24, 2022
L.B. Powell
Birmingham Mail
Alfred Hitchcock has made a first-class job of the production. He decorates the manor of Mandeley with his customary touch of mystery and imagination.
March 24, 2022
T.C. Kemp
Birmingham Post
Viewed 80 years on, Rebecca still ranks as one of Hitchcocks best movies, and one of the great suspense thrillers. Give it a watch, fall in love with its twisted story, and judge its treatment of its gay lead for yourself.
March 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
David Reddish
Queerty
Hitchcock’s film is long, dark, and important…
December 9, 2021
Chase Burns
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock’s first Hollywood movie after a stellar run in his native England — to say that it proved to be a potent calling card would be putting it mildly.
October 11, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy…
Plot
A shy lady’s companion, staying in Monte Carlo with her stuffy employer, meets the wealthy Maxim de Winter (Sir Laurence Olivier). She and Max fall in love, marry, and return to Manderley, his large country estate in Cornwall. Max is still troubled by the death of his first wife, Rebecca, in a boating accident the year before. The second Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) clashes with the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Dame Judith Anderson), and discovers that Rebecca still has a strange hold on everyone at Manderley.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Rebecca includes Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, George Sanders, Nigel Bruce, and Reginald Denny.
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