But if we should really talk about Hitchcock's genius at directing, then we must take notice that he used the same suspense technique twice in the same movie and both worked perfectly well--even better the second time round!... I'm talking about the heroine's attempt to woo Maxim by the dress she's wearing (the second being the great suspenseful scene where she walks down the stairs for the ball)... Pure genius I tell you!...
Her behavior is one of the points of the film--a "nobody" who is put into the situation of becoming a "great lady." Her circumstances are also complicated by the fact that the man she married is hiding a LOT about his former wife, and gets endless hints about how fabulous she was. Joan Fontaine is merely playing the role as it was written in the screenplay, and she's playing it VERY well (she was nominated for an Oscar for this role, and would win it the next year for "Suspicion").
if you look at his actions towrads her from the start, (the film from their honeymoon) they seem sweet and loving. It's only when he gets back to Manderlay, then he get darker. The looming shadows of the past still haunt, and the reminder of rebecca is everywhere. Laughing at him from beyond the grave. He kept her as a companion because she blotted out the past for him, but upon their return, he found that could never be.....
i love it when Maxim sticks his tongue out, it looked like he was have a great time, lol it is so funny and it felt like he wasnt acting. jsut being himself ... lol funny
actually, you never find out her name. it's symbolic, she's supposed to be overshadowed bu Rebecca. also just want to say i think it's sad so many people don't seem to like her. I think reading the book you get a better point of her perspective. She is shy and scared, and well, yes is seemingly young, that's how du Maurier wanted to portray her. she does get more mature as the story progresses.
@maremerson88 He married a fresh faced schoolgirl, he was done with the overly sophisticated temptress type. Maxim is keeping a big secret from his new wife and she is interpreting his distance as not being able to compete his ex-wife for his affection. She feels she does not measure up to the late Rebecca in looks or sophistication. But as you learn later in the film the truth is more complicated than this.
@xforcedsilencex Joan Fontaine is beautiful isn't she? She was wonderful in the 1943 version of Jane Eyre too. And generally brilliant in everything, haha.
Hitchcock is such a genius! I love how high on the doors the doorknobs are: it makes "the 2nd Mrs. DeWinter" look so small and vulnerable, like a child reaching up for a doorknob.
BAHAHAHAHA, MRS DANVERS GOT PWNED!!!!! Mrs Danvers: perhaps if such a thing happens again, Mrs de Winter will tell me personally... Maxim: YESYES ALRIGHT THANK YOU MRS DANVERS!
oh,what gorgeous is the movie ,i didn`t expected to be that way ,I just discover the book a few days ago ,and now I`m reading it ,and I begin to think that is one of my favorites ,movie and book. The actors are the best ,she is so sweet and young and he is very handsome.Wish I would live on those days where love and respet value much more .
No her name is deliberately not mentioned at all in the book. Joan Fontaine was Olivia de Haviland's (Melanie Wilkes in Gone With the Wind) sister - they couldn't stand each other.
I just looked again to make sure, and It was a gray. However, it isn't a woman taking charge of things that he fears, it is Mrs. DeWinter becoming Rebecca that he fears. She grew up, which is what she needed to do to find her identity (a huge theme in the film). She is still herself, but matured...and she is finally happy. The fact that they are happy together and there is no longer a shadow of a lie between them is more than enough to make up for Mrs. DeWinter 'growing up'. =)
I have to say, I think Crawley has a point about what's more important in - well, not just in women, but in all humans - kindness, sincerity, and modesty (I'd through in humility there too). Though I do admit placing a pretty high value on intelligence.
@Eternity29 only because we're seeing things from the Narrator's point of view, if you look at his actions, particularly at the start, he's simply beastly to his new bride!
@xforcedsilencex Joan Fontaine...who was the sister of Olivia de Haviland...who was in "Gone with the Wind"...which starred Viven Leigh...who was married to Laurence Olivier...Freaky!! That's a pre-Kevin Bacon six degrees thing happening right there
@Richard Hannay: You could her wearing black and pearls as doing what she wants, despite what Maxim told her he wanted her to be, no? See it very differently.
It adds to the discovery of her own identity. Throughout the movie she keeps trying to be like the late Mrs. DeWinter, however it isn't until the end that she finally finds herself.
He asked her specifically not to wear black satin dresses and pearls and she had promised and now she goes against his wishes. That is why he was so upset
bibliophile, dragonkat, spinspinnsugar Good observations, thank you. I do see that too. Brilliant characterisation, so much so you really feel you want to shake her and tell her to get a grip on herself and be her own person. ps, what other movies are you guys watching, so we can all have a good discussion?
Don't be such a little idiot darling. You're nice, Maxim! And don't undermine her in front of evil Danvers! LOL 'Yes all right, thank you Mrs. Danvers.' Someone got dismissed!
It's sad how she will torment herself and put up with constant anxiety just to stay with someone she believes to be in love with. It's those sort of things that start nervous break downs.
idk, i think she could just suck it up and learn to be confident and boss the servants around like they want her to. her husband seems to assume she is completely capable of being the mistress of the house.
Well, her time with Mrs. Van Hopper gives her some insight into elite behavior so she's more prepared on how not to offend than we'd be. Also, apart from Danvers they all like her quiet and sweet demeanor. Look how happy the maid was to serve her and the estate manager called her a breath of fresh air. Even simple Ben is somewhat nicer around her. The book goes a little farther on the DeWinters' interactions with the staff to highlight this. Ben tells Maxim the new lady of Manderly has 'Angel eyes, kind and thoughtful. Not like the other one, she had snake's eyes'. Interactions like that reinforce his idea that she's winning them over and thus proving herself capable apart from Mrs. Danvers.
Well it definitely was valuable to him and if he thought it a treasure, then so be it. Maybe there's a story to it, now we don't know for sure what it means to him do we? If it wasn't important he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble. Besides, I don't think they made big deal of it. What caused the drama was Mrs. Danvers accusin poor Robert. And thanks for answering my question in the other video :)
Her insecurities and self doubts were the result of her inexperience and young age. If only Max would have told her he loathed his ex wife things would have been easier for the poor girl.
wOW THIS TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP IS LIKE ABUSIVE WOMEN... They see two nice things about the guy and make up a whole beautiful relationship while they blame themselves for everything.... The heart is treachorous; who can know it?
@Brideshead09 I misunderstood what you wrote. I thought you were asking me if I had read the book. People left comments on page 3 and 4 about not knowing the second Mrs. de Winter's name so I left a comment letting people know it's never known. I'm sure people would be "better advised" to read the book, but, I try not to advise people unless they ask me for it.
How come Joan's voice here isn't husky yet unlike in her later movies. But certainly she knows how to deliver well the lines. Olivier is also fine but sometimes he delivers his line as if he's hurrying.
Doesn't she also wear a black dress and pearls by the end of the film?... So in essence, Maxim also killed the second Mrs. De Winter--he mentioned that she wasn't the sweet, innocent girl he once first met--she's become a woman and has begun taking charge...
The new Mrs de Winter is a non-person, poor girl. Notice no one (servants not included), not even her husband, calls her by her first name except darling, my dear. Come to think of it: What is her name? And we've come up to part6!
@vodka4everandalways I watched Wuthering Heights again but, youtube keeps taking Jane Eyre off. Now Voyager with Bette Davis was put up again about a month ago watch it now before youtube finds it. Part 1 - Now, Voyager (1942). The Ghost and Mrs Muir was put up again 2 months. Find it here Part 1 - The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). Go to blinkx.com. You're going to be shocked, but, the movie shuts down after 72 min. and you came back in 54. You can deal with that. It also has Gone With The Wind.
You see, that`s the problem with a lot of people when they try to argue. They assume certain things they shouldn`t about the other (like that of me being a man:P and of lacking certain attributes) and they inevitably fall back on that old trick of argumentum ad hominem. I said purity is overated because I believe it is the result of an insecure man`s thinkiing, who can`t cope with the fact that the woman he loves could be more )or less) that the ideal he envisioned.
Yeah. The guy is monumentally selfish. He even says so. Can you imagine what he'd be like without all the riches? He'd be smacking his woman around like the average rugby player.
`Modesty, sincerity...that mean more to a husband than all the wit and beauty in the world...` Was that a major Freudian slip or what? Gosh, I must say...purity is overrated
From a time when women had rather more refinement than some of the foul mouthed low life trash of today. In fact, reading one or two of the comments on here, I'm surprised a film like this would appeal to such vulgar scrubbers.
But if we should really talk about Hitchcock's genius at directing, then we must take notice that he used the same suspense technique twice in the same movie and both worked perfectly well--even better the second time round!... I'm talking about the heroine's attempt to woo Maxim by the dress she's wearing (the second being the great suspenseful scene where she walks down the stairs for the ball)... Pure genius I tell you!...
Her behavior is one of the points of the film--a "nobody" who is put into the situation of becoming a "great lady." Her circumstances are also complicated by the fact that the man she married is hiding a LOT about his former wife, and gets endless hints about how fabulous she was. Joan Fontaine is merely playing the role as it was written in the screenplay, and she's playing it VERY well (she was nominated for an Oscar for this role, and would win it the next year for "Suspicion").
if you look at his actions towrads her from the start, (the film from their honeymoon) they seem sweet and loving. It's only when he gets back to Manderlay, then he get darker. The looming shadows of the past still haunt, and the reminder of rebecca is everywhere. Laughing at him from beyond the grave. He kept her as a companion because she blotted out the past for him, but upon their return, he found that could never be.....
i love it when Maxim sticks his tongue out, it looked like he was have a great time, lol it is so funny and it felt like he wasnt acting. jsut being himself ... lol funny
this is one of the memorable film of all times! thanks again!
cheers!
actually, you never find out her name. it's symbolic, she's supposed to be overshadowed bu Rebecca.
also just want to say i think it's sad so many people don't seem to like her. I think reading the book you get a better point of her perspective. She is shy and scared, and well, yes is seemingly young, that's how du Maurier wanted to portray her. she does get more mature as the story progresses.
I love how fast he speaks from 7.09 - 7.13 :)
@maremerson88
He married a fresh faced schoolgirl, he was done with the overly sophisticated temptress type.
Maxim is keeping a big secret from his new wife and she is interpreting his distance as not being able to compete his ex-wife for his affection. She feels she does not measure up to the late Rebecca in looks or sophistication.
But as you learn later in the film the truth is more complicated than this.
It was one of the house treasures. Maxim says so himself.
I'm so glad this movie is really loyal to the book:)
@xforcedsilencex Joan Fontaine is beautiful isn't she? She was wonderful in the 1943 version of Jane Eyre too. And generally brilliant in everything, haha.
'What was Rebecca really like?'
Frank should say what we're all thinking: 'A bit of a slag!'
Hitchcock is such a genius! I love how high on the doors the doorknobs are: it makes "the 2nd Mrs. DeWinter" look so small and vulnerable, like a child reaching up for a doorknob.
The first dress is the dress fits the quote he said earlier: "Never to wear a black dress, pearls and be 36"
BAHAHAHAHA, MRS DANVERS GOT PWNED!!!!!
Mrs Danvers: perhaps if such a thing happens again, Mrs de Winter will tell me personally...
Maxim: YESYES ALRIGHT THANK YOU MRS DANVERS!
the book is a good read even if the beginning is kind of boring...but to understand the novel is to understand the beginnning!! great movie and book!!
oh, poor girl :(
oh,what gorgeous is the movie ,i didn`t expected to be that way ,I just discover the book a few days ago ,and now I`m reading it ,and I begin to think that is one of my favorites ,movie and book. The actors are the best ,she is so sweet and young and he is very handsome.Wish I would live on those days where love and respet value much more .
Yes, that was a great and brilliant detail that really had to make an effect to the viewers subconsciously...
really love her cheek!!! very beautiful!
No her name is deliberately not mentioned at all in the book. Joan Fontaine was Olivia de Haviland's (Melanie Wilkes in Gone With the Wind) sister - they couldn't stand each other.
No one beats Rebecca-nobody!
I just looked again to make sure, and It was a gray. However, it isn't a woman taking charge of things that he fears, it is Mrs. DeWinter becoming Rebecca that he fears. She grew up, which is what she needed to do to find her identity (a huge theme in the film). She is still herself, but matured...and she is finally happy. The fact that they are happy together and there is no longer a shadow of a lie between them is more than enough to make up for Mrs. DeWinter 'growing up'. =)
I concur! It runs in her family!
I have to say, I think Crawley has a point about what's more important in - well, not just in women, but in all humans - kindness, sincerity, and modesty (I'd through in humility there too). Though I do admit placing a pretty high value on intelligence.
Joan Fontaine is alive at either 94 or 96yrs. Her older sister is Olivia de Haviland, another great actress..
Mrs. Danvers takes avantage of that. She knows the narrator is scared of her so she manipulates her all she can.
I don't know why but the way Maxim says, "Oh dash it! Oh... oh, hang it!" just makes me crack up every single time!
@Eternity29 only because we're seeing things from the Narrator's point of view, if you look at his actions, particularly at the start, he's simply beastly to his new bride!
Maxim habla recontra archi rapidisissisiisismo!
@xforcedsilencex Joan Fontaine...who was the sister of Olivia de Haviland...who was in "Gone with the Wind"...which starred Viven Leigh...who was married to Laurence Olivier...Freaky!! That's a pre-Kevin Bacon six degrees thing happening right there
@Richard Hannay: You could her wearing black and pearls as doing what she wants, despite what Maxim told her he wanted her to be, no? See it very differently.
The end of this part made me laugh a little.
It adds to the discovery of her own identity. Throughout the movie she keeps trying to be like the late Mrs. DeWinter, however it isn't until the end that she finally finds herself.
I feel so sorry for her. But we are happy, aren't we? Terribly happy!
And the saddest thing is: they, and above all: she, is not happy AT ALL!
He asked her specifically not to wear black satin dresses and pearls and she had promised and now she goes against his wishes. That is why he was so upset
bibliophile, dragonkat, spinspinnsugar
Good observations, thank you.
I do see that too.
Brilliant characterisation, so much so you really feel you want to shake her and tell her to get a grip on herself and be her own person.
ps,
what other movies are you guys watching, so we can all have a good discussion?
You are got to be joking...right??? This is a true classic
that is okay...
Don't be such a little idiot darling.
You're nice, Maxim! And don't undermine her in front of evil Danvers!
LOL 'Yes all right, thank you Mrs. Danvers.' Someone got dismissed!
It's sad how she will torment herself and put up with constant anxiety just to stay with someone she believes to be in love with. It's those sort of things that start nervous break downs.
her name is joan fontaine
No, her name wasn't Susan.
idk, i think she could just suck it up and learn to be confident and boss the servants around like they want her to. her husband seems to assume she is completely capable of being the mistress of the house.
Well, her time with Mrs. Van Hopper gives her some insight into elite behavior so she's more prepared on how not to offend than we'd be. Also, apart from Danvers they all like her quiet and sweet demeanor. Look how happy the maid was to serve her and the estate manager called her a breath of fresh air. Even simple Ben is somewhat nicer around her. The book goes a little farther on the DeWinters' interactions with the staff to highlight this. Ben tells Maxim the new lady of Manderly has 'Angel eyes, kind and thoughtful. Not like the other one, she had snake's eyes'. Interactions like that reinforce his idea that she's winning them over and thus proving herself capable apart from Mrs. Danvers.
I thought he was actually much worse in the book!
Well it definitely was valuable to him and if he thought it a treasure, then so be it. Maybe there's a story to it, now we don't know for sure what it means to him do we? If it wasn't important he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble. Besides, I don't think they made big deal of it. What caused the drama was Mrs. Danvers accusin poor Robert. And thanks for answering my question in the other video :)
The novel never tells you the name of the 2nd Mrs. de Winter. Google Rebecca and read wikipedia.
Her insecurities and self doubts were the result of her inexperience and young age. If only Max would have told her he loathed his ex wife things would have been easier for the poor girl.
@Brideshead09 I read Rebecca about 40 years ago.
I've only heard her be called "the narrator" or "the second wife." So even outside of the book she can't be called anything else hehe.
wOW THIS TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP IS LIKE ABUSIVE WOMEN... They see two nice things about the guy and make up a whole beautiful relationship while they blame themselves for everything.... The heart is treachorous; who can know it?
we are terribley Happy!
hahahah..
Yes, aren't we terribly happy darling? Isn't our marriage a great success?
@Brideshead09 I misunderstood what you wrote. I thought you were asking me if I had read the book. People left comments on page 3 and 4 about not knowing the second Mrs. de Winter's name so I left a comment letting people know it's never known. I'm sure people would be "better advised" to read the book, but, I try not to advise people unless they ask me for it.
Joan Fontaine- lacking beauty?
sorry, that's just ridiculous! :P
How come Joan's voice here isn't husky yet unlike in her later movies. But certainly she knows how to deliver well the lines. Olivier is also fine but sometimes he delivers his line as if he's hurrying.
Cause she was a smoker, that changed her voice in later years.
Doesn't she also wear a black dress and pearls by the end of the film?... So in essence, Maxim also killed the second Mrs. De Winter--he mentioned that she wasn't the sweet, innocent girl he once first met--she's become a woman and has begun taking charge...
8:45= scary!
I think that was her character
The new Mrs de Winter is a non-person, poor girl. Notice no one (servants not included), not even her husband, calls her by her first name except darling, my dear.
Come to think of it: What is her name?
And we've come up to part6!
MY name is jasper.
oh okay :)
ya know how it is with a 42 yr old man who marries a girl fresh out of school. He has a past. And she is clueless.
Actually he was only 33.
I have mixed feeling of joan and Laurence. One source says they hated each other. And another says they loved each other ???
@TheBuff94 ha ha absaloutly very very random though
OMG Maxim treats her like a child and not at all how a gentleman should treat his wife. Book Maxim wasn't such an ass.
@vodka4everandalways I watched Wuthering Heights again but, youtube keeps taking Jane Eyre off. Now Voyager with Bette Davis was put up again about a month ago watch it now before youtube finds it. Part 1 - Now, Voyager (1942). The Ghost and Mrs Muir was put up again 2 months. Find it here Part 1 - The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). Go to blinkx.com. You're going to be shocked, but, the movie shuts down after 72 min. and you came back in 54. You can deal with that. It also has Gone With The Wind.
No, it really wasn't.
What's with the goofy face at 6:00? LOL
Rebecca. Movie >>>>>>>>book. The movie is much better.
You see, that`s the problem with a lot of people when they try to argue. They assume certain things they shouldn`t about the other (like that of me being a man:P and of lacking certain attributes) and they inevitably fall back on that old trick of argumentum ad hominem. I said purity is overated because I believe it is the result of an insecure man`s thinkiing, who can`t cope with the fact that the woman he loves could be more )or less) that the ideal he envisioned.
Cat to the streets
@asmileisspecial LOL
I like Maxim at times but damn he's really annoying at the same time.
No unfeeling I just think he's haunted by the memories of his psycho first wife and her crap however he des seem to be a little bit selfish
Yeah. The guy is monumentally selfish. He even says so. Can you imagine what he'd be like without all the riches? He'd be smacking his woman around like the average rugby player.
`Modesty, sincerity...that mean more to a husband than all the wit and beauty in the world...`
Was that a major Freudian slip or what?
Gosh, I must say...purity is overrated
I find the female lead in this movie unlikeable. Too shy, naive, and asks too many questions - annoying and self aware
annoying R
From a time when women had rather more refinement than some of the foul mouthed low life trash of today. In fact, reading one or two of the comments on here, I'm surprised a film like this would appeal to such vulgar scrubbers.