Rebecca (1940) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this months episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron may not be seen, but they’re definitely heard as they discuss “Rebecca.”

Picture Title: Rebecca (1940)

Written by: 

Adaptation by Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan

Screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison

Base on the celebrated novel by Daphne Du Maurier

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Saunders, Judith Anderson, C. Aubrey Smith, and Gladys Cooper

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Director Cameo: Walking past a phone booth just after Jack Favell makes a call. He quickly passes by in the background while Favell is discussing a parking matter with a policeman.

The novel was bought by producer David O. Selznick for $50,000 as a vehicle for Carole Lombard, with the idea that he would attempt to get Ronald Colman for the male lead. According to Selznick’s memos, when Colman put off accepting the part because he was afraid the picture would be a “woman-starring vehicle” and because of the murder angle, Selznick turned to his second choices for the role, Laurence Olivier and William Powell. Olivier was willing to work for $100,000 less than Powell, and so he was chosen. Leslie Howard was also considered for the part.

This was Alfred Hitchcock’s second film based on a Daphne Du Maurier novel. The first was Jamaica Inn (1939).

Rebecca is the first movie that Alfred Hitchcock made in Hollywood, and the only one that won a Best Picture Oscar. Although it won Best Picture, the Best Director Award that year went to John Ford for The Grapes of Wrath (1940).

For the only time in his career, Alfred Hitchcock was barred from the scripting process. Therefore, he banned producer David O. Selznick from his own set.

In order to maintain the dark atmosphere of the book, Alfred Hitchcock insisted that this movie be shot in black and white.

Because Laurence Olivier wanted his then-girlfriend Vivien Leigh to play the lead role, he treated Joan Fontaine horribly. This shook Fontaine up quite a bit, so Alfred Hitchcock decided to capitalize on this by telling her everyone on the set hated her, thus making her shy and uneasy, just what he wanted from her performance.

Just as in the original novel, Mrs. de Winter has no first name. The original script named the heroine “Daphne” after writer Daphne Du Maurier. David O. Selznick objected, and the name was not used.

Despite scouring most of America, New England in particular, producer David O. Selznick was unable to find a suitable location to represent Manderley, so he had to resort to a miniature instead. Having started in movies as an art director, Alfred Hitchcock was well-versed in using miniatures to save money, but had to convince Selznick that the process wouldn’t look cheap. Some of the exteriors at Manderley were filmed at Del Monte, CA, while the beach scenes were filmed on Santa Catalina Island.

David O. Selznick was so thrown by Alfred Hitchcock’s methods that he began questioning his own judgment. He asked his wife Irene to come to the studio to look at some of the footage, a practice he rarely exercised. He even confided that he wanted her to tell him if he should just cancel the production. She viewed what had been shot and reassured him that the movie was excellent.

This movie was a huge influence on Citizen Kane (1941): Both movies use deep focus photography. Both movies have mansions–Manderley in this movie and Xanadu in Citizen Kane. Both Rebecca and Charles Foster Kane are dead and their lives are explored through the points of view of others. Both Rebecca and Charles Foster Kane have adulterous relationships. Mrs. Danvers in this movie and Mary Kane in Citizen Kane are dressed in a similar fashion and both characters also behave coldly. This movie ends with a burning pillow with a giant “R” on it and Citizen Kane ends with a burning sled with “Rosebud” on it.

The Random Draw for Next Picture:

Next up, we’ll be discussing “I Confess”

Feedback:

Follow the show on Facebook or Twitter @PresentingHitchcock

Subscribe to Presenting Hitchcock