History Literature / Rebecca

* ActorAllusion: The [[DuelingDubs Japanese dubs]] has some examples of this:
** In the 2020 one, it's not very hard to see why they cast Creator/YukoMiyamura as Mrs. Danvers: [[Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion It is not the first time that she has voiced a character that a loved one close to her has died, and her absence causes serious conflicts in her personality, except replace "late master" with "mother"]].
** Likewise from the same version, this is not the first time we hear Creator/ShinichiroMiki (Maxim de Winter) [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 has voiced troubled men]] [[Anime/VisionOfEscaflowne who has lost a loved one at some point of their lives]].
** Ditto in the DVD dub, as this is not the first time Creator/RikiyaKoyama (Maxim) [[Literature/FateZero has voiced a man who has lost a loved one in tragic circunstances]].

[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rebecca_1940.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:315:''"You're overwrought, madam; I've opened a window for you."'']]

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Jack probably would have had better luck with his accusations if he hadn't been belligerently drunk while making them. The narrator even points out that his manner completely undermined his claims and probably saved Maxim.

* RomanticizedAbuse: (verbal) Maxim calls the heroine "fool" and "idiot" pretty frequently. Absent from the 2020 version.

* UglyAmericanStereotype: Mrs. Van Hopper, the protagonist's initial employer, is an American woman on holiday in Monte Carlo. She's obnoxious and latches onto famous and wealthy guests to bolster herself.

** The main character is the second wife of the eponymous Rebecca's husband. She's compared unfavorably to Rebecca without ever being told anything about her by his staff. Nothing is revealed abut her as they figure she doesn't need to know, except that she died. In the end the protagonist learns more about Rebecca and [[spoiler:gains the respect of the inhabitants by saving them from a fire]].

* DarkSecret: Maxim has one. The narrator believes he can't love her because he's still thinking of his first wife Rebecca who was supposedly drowned in a sailing accident. [[spoiler:Turns out he had murdered Rebecca himself — and she had goaded him into it.]]

* BuryYourGays: Averted in the book with Mrs. Danvers, and played straight if one subscribes to the film's heavy suggestion she's a lesbian in the film.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Deconstructed. Favell is casually rude, blunt, and lecherous. He's perfectly willing to [[Spoiler: sleep with Rebecca, despite her being married]] and his behaviour toward the narrator is downright predatory. He even attempts to capitalise on his [[spoiler:cousin's murder]] with {{Blackmail}}. Nevertheless his accusations against Maxim are completely correct. Shame he's so obnoxious that when he presents his case to the magistrate, nobody believes him...

* LoveForgivesAllButLust: An interesting variation: The female lead spends the first half of the book moping because she thinks her husband is still in love with his (dead) first wife instead of her. Cue {{wangst}}. But then it's revealed that he hated his first wife, and he actually murdered her. Murder? No problem! He doesn't love that minx; he loves me! (To be fair, it's presented like his first wife was The Vamp with absolutely no moral code and masterfully provoked him to do it... but still.)

* AccidentalMurder: In the Hitchcock film, [[spoiler:Maxim accidentally killed Rebecca; he got angry and pushed her, and she fell and struck her head.]] In the original novel, [[spoiler:he shot her, very much on purpose. She rather had it coming, to the point of taunting him into doing it.]] In the 2020 film, [[spoiler: Rebecca loaded the gun, put it in Maxim's hand, pushed the gun against her body and ''then'' taunted him into pulling the trigger.]]

* {{Jerkass}}: Favell, who is casually rude, blunt, and lecherous. He even attempts to capitalise on his [[spoiler:cousin's murder]] with {{Blackmail}}. His one saving grace, at least in the novel, is that his accusations against Maxim are [[JerkassHasAPoint completely correct]]. The narrator notes that it is Favell's own obnoxious, graceless behaviour that turns the magistrate against him when he presents his case.

* Foreshadowing: When the narrator is exploring the cove she discovers a buoy with the name of Rebecca's sunken boat painted on the side - 'Je Reviens', which means 'I come back'. She reflects on the cruel irony of the name, since Rebecca took it out sailing and never came back. [[spoiler: Little does she know that the boat, with Rebecca's murdered body on board, is due to make a reappearance VERY shortly.]]

* SmugSnake: Slimy, conceited, amoral, constantly-smirking Jack Favell, especially as played by Creator/GeorgeSanders, is one of the smuggest snakes in media history. His getting sucker punched by Maxim at the climax is probably the most satisfying moment in the whole film.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Maxim has this in every version. He confronts [[spoiler:Rebecca in the privacy of her shoreside cottage, about having Favell over against his wishes. She then laughed and said if she had a child, he wouldn't be able to prove it was Favell's, and asked how he would like to raise it as the perfect heir. In the novel proper, he shot her, while in the miniseries, he strangled her with his bare hands. The Hitchcock film he has a different reaction: Maxim approaches her, angry...and smacks her in the face. That's it; obviously bad, but understated compared to. theother aadpations. A smirking Rebecca then tripped and hit her head on some tackle, killing her instantly. While the new wife points out that it was an accident and not murder, Maxim points out that he knows that, even if the court wouldn't believe him so at least his conscience is clear on that front]].

* BewareTheNiceOnes: The second wife eventually gains the courage to give reasonable orders to her new serving staff. WHen Mrs. Danvers complains that it's now how "Mrs. de Winter" did things, the narrator reminds her that ''she'' is Mrs. de Winter and this is how she likes to order her meals.

* BitchAlert: The famous entrance scene for Mrs. Danvers in the 1940 film, sweeping out in front of the rest of the servants and walking toward the camera, with a fearsome, sour expression of disapproval on her face. Before Danvers even says one word you know the second Mrs. de Winter is in deep trouble.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler: The widely adored Rebecca was an utterly selfish, narcissitic bitch who was nice to people to their faces but laughed and jeered at them behind their backs.]]

* SmugSnake: Slimy, conceited, amoral, constantly-smirking Jack Favell, especially as played by George Sanders, is one of the smuggest snakes in media history. His getting sucker punched by Maxim at the climax is probably the most satisfying moment in the whole film.

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: Maxim's "I ''hated'' her!".]]

* MeaningfulName: Rebecca means "a snare" or "captivating".

* SmugSnake: Jack Favell, especially as played by George Sanders, is one of the smuggest snakes in media history.