Rebecca

[The Great Gildersleeve]

I have a ten dollar bet with my mom. I say when we get to the R’s on Oscar night Rebecca will not be shown. Who will win?

[TopBilled]

26 minutes ago, Robbi said:

I have a ten dollar bet with my mom. I say when we get to the R’s on Oscar night Rebecca will not be shown. Who will win?

Here's the schedule of films:

https://www.tcm.com/31days

Go to April 23 when the R's start.

[The Great Gildersleeve]

Why, why, why?

[TopBilled]

4 minutes ago, Robbi said:

Why, why, why?

Why is it not airing? It may have to do with obtaining the rights to broadcast it.

I agree that it should be seen more often.

It last aired on TCM in December 2013 and July 2017.

[txfilmfan]

There was a discussion a few months ago about the Selznick/Hitchcock properties, that referred back to yet another thread on the topic...

 

[The Great Gildersleeve]

July 2017 was the last time I saw it on TCM. I believe you are right, it must be something to do with the licensing.

[The Great Gildersleeve]

It took a long time for rights and licensing to be straightened out so they could air the “Lost Hitchcock’s”.

[Millenniumman]

The story of my life Rebecca was my first topic on this site, last I checked it is still available on youtube.

[The Great Gildersleeve]

I have watched it on YouTube, but for some reason it just isn’t the same.

[Swithin]

9 hours ago, TopBilled said:

Here's the schedule of films:

https://www.tcm.com/31days

Go to April 23 when the R's start.

What a posh-looking schedule (design-wise), thanks for the link! Of course after checking the "R's," I went straight to the "K's" in hopes that King of the Zombies (1941) would have been scheduled. It was nominated for Best Music Score.  But sadly no, it's not there.

Regarding Rebecca, although it has many elements that should make it a favorite, I'm not mad about the film. It's not near the top of the list of my favorite Hitchcock films.

[lydecker]

 

13 minutes ago, Swithin said:

Regarding Rebecca, although it has many elements that should make it a favorite, I'm not mad about the film. It's not near the top of the list of my favorite Hitchcock films.

I totally agree  --  I want to slap Joan Fontaine most of the time but you have to love Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers.

[filmnoirguy]

1 minute ago, lydecker said:

 

I totally agree  --  I want to slap Joan Fontaine most of the time but you have to love Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers.

For me, it's Joan Fontaine's best performance and she should have won the Oscar for Rebecca.

[Swithin]

Shocking (to me) that Rebecca won the Best Picture Oscar, over The Grapes of Wrath! (I also prefer Foreign Correspondent, which was also nominated, to Rebecca.)

 

[TopBilled]

4 minutes ago, Swithin said:

Shocking (to me) that Rebecca won the Best Picture Oscar, over The Grapes of Wrath! (I also prefer Foreign Correspondent, which was also nominated, to Rebecca.)

I think REBECCA benefited coming right after GONE WITH THE WIND. It was another way for the Academy to salute super-producer David Selznick. If REBECCA had come a year before GWTW, or five years after, I don't think it would have garnered so much attention. But Selznick was at the height of his career.

I like REBECCA but agree that FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT is a bit better.

[lydecker]

11 hours ago, Swithin said:

Shocking (to me) that Rebecca won the Best Picture Oscar, over The Grapes of Wrath! (I also prefer Foreign Correspondent, which was also nominated, to Rebecca.)

 

I totally agree.  I have a slight preference for "Foreign Correspondent" (for Best Picture) over "The Grapes of Wrath" but either of those winning would have been better than "Rebecca."  TB is correct when he says that "Rebecca" got a Selznick/ post GWTW undeserved "bump" to Best Picture.

[lydecker]

12 hours ago, filmnoirguy said:

For me, it's Joan Fontaine's best performance and she should have won the Oscar for Rebecca.

I dunno.  I like Joan when she plays bad  --  I think "Born to be Bad" is probably my favorite performance of her's (and I'm not much of a JF fan!)

[midwestan]

Not to be contrarian about it, but I think "Rebecca" is far superior to "Foreign Correspondent" in terms of the story and overall acting by the principal players...and I really enjoy watching "Foreign Correspondent".  FC has too much going on  in it that it can come off as overdoing it on the "McGuffin-ing".  The one thing that bugs me about  FC is the lame ending.  I know the censors were all about the 'happy'  or 'justice for justice's sake' endings when both pictures were up for the Oscars, but with FC, the plane is being blasted out of the sky into open water...and practically everyone survives?  Sorry...too far-fetched to be believable.  On the other hand, "Rebecca" has more believability and realism to it.  How many couples have had a whirlwind romance end in matrimony, before one of the two parties realizes how little they really know about their partners?  Many times, these unions end in divorce, or the jilted party stays true to their vows and accepts the other one's flaws or if they are the flawed person, turn over a new leaf and try to make a clean breast of things?  I agree about Judith Anderson's portrayal as the devoted and psychotic housekeeper for the first Mrs. DeWinter...she was outstanding!  George Sanders, who was in both pictures, gave contrasting performances that were excellent, while Florence Bates, in a smallish role in "Rebecca" was equally memorable.   I too wish "Rebecca" would become more of a 'frequent flyer' on TCM airlines, but stuff like that is out of our control, unfortunately.  ☹ 

[TopBilled]

9 minutes ago, midwestan said:

Not to be contrarian about it, but I think "Rebecca" is far superior to "Foreign Correspondent" in terms of the story and overall acting by the principal players...and I really enjoy watching "Foreign Correspondent".  FC has too much going on  in it that it can come off as overdoing it on the "McGuffin-ing".  The one thing that bugs me about  FC is the lame ending.  I know the censors were all about the 'happy'  or 'justice for justice's sake' endings when both pictures were up for the Oscars, but with FC, the plane is being blasted out of the sky into open water...and practically everyone survives?  Sorry...too far-fetched to be believable.  On the other hand, "Rebecca" has more believability and realism to it.  How many couples have had a whirlwind romance end in matrimony, before one of the two parties realizes how little they really know about their partners?  Many times, these unions end in divorce, or the jilted party stays true to their vows and accepts the other one's flaws or if they are the flawed person, turn over a new leaf and try to make a clean breast of things?  I agree about Judith Anderson's portrayal as the devoted and psychotic housekeeper for the first Mrs. DeWinter...she was outstanding!  George Sanders, who was in both pictures, gave contrasting performances that were excellent, while Florence Bates, in a smallish role in "Rebecca" was equally memorable.   I too wish "Rebecca" would become more of a 'frequent flyer' on TCM airlines, but stuff like that is out of our control, unfortunately.  ☹ 

This may be an unpopular view, but while I love Florence Bates, I find that beginning sequence totally unnecessary. The first 25 minutes could have been collapsed into a five minute montage or left out entirely. In my opinion, the story does not really begin until the new wife arrives at Manderley. Also, I don't consider any of the people in the story the main character, not even dead Rebecca. The house is the main character. How it draws people in, how it leads to their downfall/destruction.

There is even the part in the middle of REBECCA where some of the action shifts to London for a while, but even that could have been compressed. The film is strongest when we are with the new wife in that claustrophobic house.

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT doesn't have any sequence that needs to be cut. The whole thing works like an adventure with a lot of intrigue. 

[Hibi]

13 hours ago, filmnoirguy said:

For me, it's Joan Fontaine's best performance and she should have won the Oscar for Rebecca.

She won it the next year for Suspicion as a sort of apology

[midwestan]

1 minute ago, TopBilled said:

This may be an unpopular view, but while I love Florence Bates, I find that beginning sequence totally unnecessary. The first 25 minutes could have been collapsed into a five minute montage or left out entirely. In my opinion, the story does not really begin until the new wife arrives at Manderley. Also, I don't consider any of the people in the story the main character, not even dead Rebecca. The house is the main character. How it draws people in, how it leads to their downfall/destruction.

There is even the part in the middle of REBECCA where some of the action shifts to London for a while, but even that could have been compressed. The film is strongest when we are with the new wife in that claustrophobic house.

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT doesn't have any sequence that needs to be cut. The whole thing works like an adventure with a lot of intrigue. 

While I like both of these Hitchcock gems, I think "Foreign Correspondent" is too busy with all the ancillary characters in it.  That's an interesting take on 'the house' being the star in "Rebecca".  I disagree with you though about the beginning of the film.  There's something about Joan Fontaine's character that attracts her to Laurence Olivier.  He's trying to overcome the pain of losing a wife, although we aren't quite sure at the outset how she died and whether or not suspicious circumstances were involved.  He's a lonely guy trying to come to terms.  Fontaine is available, and when it's presented to her, she chooses brooding (Olivier) over demanding (Bates).  Mrs. Danvers keeps the memory of Rebecca alive and well and would have felt right at home as a member of an Elvis Presley fan club!  Like I said, I enjoy both films, but "Rebecca" just stands out as the better of the two for me.

[Vidor]

"Rebecca" is terrific.  It's a solid winner for 1940, but 1940 was a spectacular year and you could pick a lot of winners.  I'd have voted for "The Great Dictator".

[midwestan]

1 minute ago, Hibi said:

She won it the next year for Suspicion as a sort of apology

Just like Jimmy Stewart won for "The Philadelphia Story" instead of "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington".  I think Cary Grant gave a better performance in "The Philadelphia Story" than Stewart did.

[Hibi]

14 minutes ago, midwestan said:

Just like Jimmy Stewart won for "The Philadelphia Story" instead of "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington".  I think Cary Grant gave a better performance in "The Philadelphia Story" than Stewart did.

Yup. The Consolation Oscar.

[TopBilled]

10 minutes ago, midwestan said:

While I like both of these Hitchcock gems, I think "Foreign Correspondent" is too busy with all the ancillary characters in it.  That's an interesting take on 'the house' being the star in "Rebecca".  I disagree with you though about the beginning of the film.  There's something about Joan Fontaine's character that attracts her to Laurence Olivier.  He's trying to overcome the pain of losing a wife, although we aren't quite sure at the outset how she died and whether or not suspicious circumstances were involved.  He's a lonely guy trying to come to terms.  Fontaine is available, and when it's presented to her, she chooses brooding (Olivier) over demanding (Bates).  Mrs. Danvers keeps the memory of Rebecca alive and well and would have felt right at home as a member of an Elvis Presley fan club!  Like I said, I enjoy both films, but "Rebecca" just stands out as the better of the two for me.

Don't get me wrong, the elongated segment on the Riviera gives us the backstory of Fontaine's character and that is needed but I think it could have been compressed. If they had started the film with this new bride arriving at the gates of the estate, we could show her meeting Mrs. Danvers and having Danvers inquire about her background...signaling a five minute flashback that shows how the couple's quick courtship on the Riviera took place and that the new bride was eager to marry and improve her station in life. 

I just feel that 25 minute segment at the beginning is very bloated and it seems like another movie. Our main story does not begin until they arrive at the house/estate. 

I also think Mrs. Danvers' worship of the dead first wife should be unspooled a bit more slowly. At first she should seem normal and supportive of this new marriage. Then as we go along, we peel back the layers and see how twisted she is and that she is obsessed with the dead wife. 

It occurs to me that Selznick was trying at every turn to make this seem more "epic" (a la Gone with the Wind) than it needed to be. It's really just a brooding melodrama brimming with atmosphere and possible danger.

[Millenniumman]

The Edith van Hopper character and plot point was unnecessary and should have been cut the rest of the beginning was fine.