Unfortunately it sometimes takes the death of a beloved star to finally see that movie you've been meaning to watch "someday." That was the way it was with Rebecca, a movie that had been sitting on my "To See" list for far too long. When Joan Fontaine died this past weekend, we decided it was time.
Fontaine plays a timid young woman who is swept away by the sophisticated Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) while on holiday, and accepts his sudden proposal. She finds herself out of her element in his huge estate, intimidated by the disapproving housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), and haunted by constant reminders of the beauty and perfection of the deceased first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca.
I loved loved loved this movie. It's dark, it's moody, and it's full of twists and turns. It's Alfred Hitchcock at his most gothic and elegant (and it is the only Hitchcock film to win the Oscar for Best Picture). Fontaine is great as the fragile and anxious Mrs. de Winter, but Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers? Chilly and amazing. She floats through the film like an ominous shadow. I love the decision to not give Fontaine's character a name, and to never show an image of Rebecca. It's these details that give this film an edge, and make our imaginations run wild. I'm so happy I finally saw this and I can't recommend it enough!
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