"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..."
"You thought you could be Mrs. de Winter, live in her house, walk in her steps, take the things that were hers!"
— Mrs. Danvers
Rebecca is Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film adaptation of the novel of the same name. It was his first American project and starred Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine in the leading roles.
Brooding, wealthy widower Maxim de Winter (Olivier) remarries to a younger woman (Fontaine) and takes her to his estate, Manderley. The second Mrs. de Winter, though loving towards her husband, is out of sorts with the housekeeper Mrs. Danverse (Judith Anderson) and disturbed with her husband's seeming obsession with his first wife Rebecca. Eventually, the secrets of Manderley come to light...
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: Maxim accidentally killed Rebecca; he got angry and pushed her, and she fell and struck her head. This is a deviation from the original novel, where he shot her, very much on purpose. She rather had it coming, to the point of taunting him into doing it.
- Adaptational Heroism: For Maxim. The film eliminates his murder of Rebecca, by necessity of the Hays Code. By extension, this removes the potentially psychotic element from his wife's decision to help him, helping to make her more sympathetic and heroic after The Reveal.
- Adaptational Karma: In the book, Mrs. Danvers escapes Manderly after she burns it to the ground. The film — by order of the Hays Code — shows her dying in the fire.
- Adaptational Villainy: A consequence of the elimination of Maxim's murder of Rebecca in the Hitchcock film is that Jack Favell's persecution of Maxim is now based completely on a falsehood. To his credit though, he seems to be as shocked as anyone when the truth is revealed - it seems that he genuinely thought that Maxim had killed Rebecca.
- Animal Motifs: The animal favoured by the nameless heroine is the lap-dog, Jasper. Rebecca, however, is regularly mentioned in conjunction with horses. The second Mrs. de Winter is meek, mild, and childish, always eager to please and desperate for her husband's approval, to the point where she is almost pathetic. Rebecca, however, is wild and dangerous and too powerful for Max De Winter to keep control of — especially since the horses mentioned alongside her are crazy with pain, as Rebecca whips them into a frenzy.
- Bitch Alert: The famous Establishing Character Moment for Mrs. Danvers, as she enters the room, sweeps out in front of the rest of the servants and walks 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 going to have a major ordeal on her hands. Rather fittingly, the trope namer was dressed to resemble Mrs Danvers.
- Comically Missing the Point: The heroine completely misses that Maxim is trying to propose to her.Maxwell (from an adjoining room): Either you go to America with Mrs. Van Hopper, or you come home to Manderley with me.
Narrator: You mean you want a secretary or something?
Maxwell I'm asking you to marry me, you little fool. - Creator Cameo: Alfred Hitchcock makes one of his signature cameos when he walks past Favell and the constable while they talk. There's about three minutes left in the film at that point, making it the latest Hitchcock cameo in any of his films.note
- Death by Adaptation: Mrs. Danvers in the film. In the novel she escaped the burning house, but the Hays Code wouldn't allow her to survive. The musical takes this further and shows that this is a suicide.
- Evil Sounds Deep: George Sanders playing the role in the 1940 film adds his deep voice to the antagonistic Jack Favell.
- Honest John's Dealership: This version of Favell is a "motor car salesman", which suits his sleazy personality (presumably he tries to hustle wealthy customers to buy luxury cars, which again is perfectly in character for him).
- Impractically Fancy Outfit: Played with. The heroine, having just married former widower Maxim, is desperate to prove herself a Proper Lady (and not an Inadequate Inheritor to the titular Rebecca). Hoping to appear elegant and tasteful, she buys a fancy party dress from a fashion magazine... but quickly learns that it's completely out of place for a quiet evening at home, Big Fancy House and Fiction 500-status be damned.
- In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: At the beginning:SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL presents its picturization of DAPHNE DU MAURIER'S celebrated novel REBECCA
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Jack Favell, who was visibly crushed and devastated when he learned from Dr. Baker that Rebecca had terminal cancer, which also let Maxim off the hook for her death, says "I wish I had a drink."
- Prim and Proper Bun: Mrs. Danvers always wears her hair in a tight bun, befitting her stern persona. It's not the usual type however, as she wears it in a plaited bun.
- Singing in the Shower: Maxim is heard singing in his shower at the Monte Carlo hotel. It prevents him from hearing an important phone call.
- Smug Snake: Slimy, conceited, amoral, constantly-smirking Jack Favell, as played by George Sanders, is one of the smuggest snakes in media history. His getting sucker punched by Maxim at the climax is very satisfying.
- Table Space: In the film, the table isn't quite as oversized as some examples, but the not-so-happy newlyweds do sit on opposite ends.
- Wham Line: The big reveal of the truth of Maxim and Rebecca's marriage.Maxim: I knew where Rebecca's body was. Lying on that cabin floor on the bottom of the sea.
Mrs. de Winter: How did you know?
Maxim: Because I put it there.
