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Rebecca (movie)

Rebecca is a 1940 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is an adaptation of British author Daphne Du Maurier's 1938 novel Rebecca. It was Hitchcock's first American project. Adapted by Joan Harrison and Robert E. Sherwood, and produced by David O. Selznick, it won two Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.


Rebecca stars Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter, Joan Fontaine as his second wife, and Judith Anderson as his late-wife's servant Mrs. Danvers. The film is a gothic tale about the lingering memory of the title character, which still controls her husband, his new bride, and the housekeeper of their estate, Manderlay, long after her death. (The plot of the novel Rebecca is largely unchanged in the film.)

In Du Maurier's work, the second wife, who narrated the tale, was never identified by name. This central character, played by Fontaine, remains unnamed in the film as well, a difficult feat for the screenwriters.

The three performers were nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, respectively. Hitchcock also received a nod as Best Director.

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Last updated: 05-24-2005 14:38:42
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