Synopsis
Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.
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Cast
- Laurence OlivierMaxim de Winter
- Joan FontaineMrs. de Winter
- George SandersJack Favell
- Judith AndersonMrs. Danvers
- Nigel BruceMajor Giles Lacy
- Reginald DennyFrank Crawley
- C. Aubrey SmithColonel Julyan
- Gladys CooperBeatrice Lacy
- Florence BatesEdythe Van Hopper
- Melville CooperCoroner
- 100
New York Daily News
The suspense of the story is magnificently sustained throughout the film, which didn't surprise us, as maintaining suspense in a story has always been Director Hitchcock's forte - 100
Slant Magazine
A key film in Alfred Hitchcock’s evolution as a master explorer of sexual neuroses. - 90
The New York Times
An altogether brilliant film, haunting, suspenseful, handsome and handsomely played. - 89
Austin Chronicle
The performances are first-rate, and Anderson as the obsessively attached maid Mrs. Danvers is a perverse gem. - 88
ReelViews
With Rebecca, he (Hitchcock) illustrates an aptitude for crafting not only psychological terror but drama and romance. - 80
Variety
Picture is noteworthy in its literal translation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel to the screen, presenting all of the sombreness and dramatic tragedy of the book in its unfolding. More important, it commands attention in establishing Joan Fontaine as a potential screen personality of upper brackets. - 80
BBC
Produced by David Selznick, Rebecca is a delirious Gothic melodrama, swimming with queer undercurrents - 75
Chicago Reader
Through its first two-thirds it is as perfect a myth of adolescence as any of the Disney films, documenting the childlike, nameless heroine's initiation into the adult mysteries of sex, death, and identity, and the impossibility of reconciling these forces with family strictures.