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Rebecca (1940)
Alfred Hitchcock's Most Beautiful Film
'Rebecca' is Alfred Hitchcock's most beautiful film. Closely based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, the film follows the romance and subsequent marriage between an unworldly young woman and Mr. Maxim de Winter, a wealthy widower and owner of the lavish estate Manderley. From its famous opening line, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again
" the film transports us into a dream-like world where fears of unworthiness and incompetence predominate, and the specter of Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, reproaches the young Mrs. De Winter at every turn.
The casting in 'Rebecca' is impeccable. Joan Fontaine plays the wallflower wife (nameless in both the film and the novel) of Maxim de Winter. Fontaine brings to the role the perfect blend of hand wringing, stutters and stumbling around, while managing to look absolutely lovely doing it. Her performance is beautifully understated and full of sincerity and quiet charm. Lawrence Oliver was the obvious choice to play the moody and unpredictable Maxim given his earlier (and equally excellent) portrayal of Heathcliff in William Wyler's 1939 adaptation of 'Wurthering Heights'. However, it is Judith Anderson's haunting presence in the role of Manderley's housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, that really steals the show. Anderson captures the nuances of this conflicted, complex woman who is often a stronger and more compelling character than Mrs. De Winter, the dreamy heroine. The scene in which Mrs. Danvers gives Mrs. De Winter a tour of Rebecca's former bedroom is among the most powerful in the film.
'Rebecca' is beautifully scripted throughout, drawing heavily on du Maurier's original text. One key difference between novel and film, however, is that Maxim's culpability in Rebecca's death is largely mitigated in the film version, while in the novel he explicitly confesses to intentional murder. One can debate the merits of this choice - it certainly brings the film to a more conventional resolution, where Maxim is permitted to assume a semi-heroic role and the demands of moral conduct are satisfied. But this comes at the expense of du Maurier's original intention, which would have allowed a moral ambiguity to cloud the interpretation of the characters of Maxim and, especially, Rebecca.
Ultimately, 'Rebecca' is among the most lovely and elegant pictures ever made. It does full justice to Daphne du Maurier's complex novel about relationships and the judgments and circumstances that divide them. Highly recommended to all fans of classic cinema and literature.
Indiscreet (1958)
Good Performances, Mediocre Film
Appreciation for the 1958 romantic comedy 'Indiscreet' will likely depend on one's interest in watching the two stars, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, play out romantic scenarios. Though both deliver charming performances, one is left with the impression that the generic and largely unfunny script would have come apart completely in less capable hands. As it is, 'Indiscreet' is not a bad movie. The performances of the two leads, together with a few genuinely amusing moments towards the end as the couple's tangled schemes start to unravel, are enough to compensate for its deficiencies. However, for another, much finer, Bergman/Grant romance, try Alfred Hitchcock's 'Notorious.'