Where to watch Rebecca (1940)
Rebecca is not currently available to stream, rent or buy in US.
A young woman marries a wealthy widower and moves into his imposing country estate, where the memory of his first wife dominates the household. As she struggles to find her place, an intimidating housekeeper’s devotion and the unanswered questions surrounding the former wife’s death deepen the tension.
Cast: Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Gladys Cooper, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Denny, C. Aubrey Smith, Melville Cooper, Florence Bates, Leonard Carey, Leo G. Carroll
Not available in US
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Trivia & production notes
- Ronald Colman turned down the role of Maxim de Winter because he feared the film would center on the female lead and objected to the plot involving a murder.
- Joan Fontaine was selected for the lead role of the second Mrs. de Winter just three days before principal photography began, after more than 126 actresses had been considered.
- Laurence Olivier campaigned for his lover Vivien Leigh to play the second Mrs. de Winter, but the role ultimately went to Joan Fontaine.
- Judith Anderson insisted that Hitchcock personally direct her screen test as a condition of auditioning for the role of Mrs. Danvers.
- Florence Bates, who played Mrs. van Hopper, was a lawyer by training who had appeared on camera only once before and required an unusually large number of retakes for her scenes.
- The film was originally budgeted for 36 days of shooting at $800,000 but took 63 days to complete, running significantly over schedule.
- Hitchcock edited the film entirely in-camera, shooting only the footage he wanted in the final cut, as a way to limit producer David O. Selznick's ability to re-edit the picture.
- Art director Lyle Wheeler designed 40 sets for Rebecca, including two different miniatures of Manderley mansion—a larger one for close shots and a half-size version for long shots.
- Producer Selznick wanted the smoke from the burning Manderley to spell out a giant letter R, but Hitchcock replaced this idea with the burning of a monogrammed négligée case on a bed pillow.
- Rebecca was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2018, making it the only film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture since 1936 that received no acting, directing, or writing Oscars.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Rebecca (1940 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.