MovieChat Forums > Rebecca (1940) Discussion > If I hadn't known this was directed by H...

If I hadn't known this was directed by Hitchcock beforehand...

posted 10 years ago by Mr_Ectoplasma
6 replies | jump to latest

...I would have never been able to tell based on the pure aesthetics and stylistics. I've studied Hitchcock academically in college, and "Rebecca" was a film we never did view in the course I took. I found the Criterion DVD at a used movie shop and was compelled to buy it, but I have to say that I am very surprised by how un-Hitchcockian this is. It is almost devoid of so many of his quirks, and reads more like a Gothic haunted house film akin to "The Innocents" than anything else Hitchcock ever put his hands on. Definitely stands out among his filmography if for nothing more than being so uncharacteristic. A fantastic film in any regard still, but I was struck by how little it felt like a Hitchcock movie.

[–] george-adelman 10 years ago

This is early Hitchcock- before he became as stylized as he would. I'm guessing in your college class you studied his stuff from the 50s and beyond. I find this movie very reminiscent of his work over in Britain. I love the comparison to The Innocents!

[–] TheManInOil 10 years ago

It might not be as obvious as some, but it's certainly full of Hitchcockian touches.

The comical spinster who is an obstacle between the (also older) male lead and the pretty girl.

The frequent visual techniques of suspense-building, especially when Mrs. DW2 is coming down the staircase and everyone's backs are turned.

The frequent focus on objects to emphasize their significance to plot.

The sinister (implied) homosexual character.

The insistence upon using a treadmill in front of green-screen instead of location shooting.

The presentation of cops as alternatively frightening and comical, with disdain for their work.

The connection between devouring food and a predatory attitude.

Maybe Fontaine wasn't blonde enough? But on the whole it's consistent with his other work, and to me at least far more recognizable as such than say The Wrong Man, which was more experimental for him.

[–] kenny-164 10 years ago

Manin,

Nice list and I agree.

The Hitch film from his later period I think is most like this one is Marnie. Sure there are many differences. Marnie was not so much shy and unaware of her beauty and how others saw her as she was averse to sex and sexuality. But you had something of the same way in which there was a distance between the leading man's view of Marnie and the self doubts held by the woman.

[–] macfilm 9 years ago

A big point about this movie seeming to be less "Hitchcockian" is that it was a David O. Selznick production.

As I understand it, Selznick, a micro-manager of all his productions, kept pushing Hitchcock to emphasize the romance aspects of the story, while Hitchcock wanted to bring out the mystery elements. In my opinion, you see both..... with the first half or so of the film being the romance and the second half getting deeper into the mystery of Rebecca's death.

Also, Hitchcock never seemed to rate Rebecca as one of his favourite films. Not that he thought it was a bad movie, just that it wasn't pure Hitchcock. It was a Selznick-Hitchcock hybrid.

[–] MayoGalway 8 years ago

Check the trivia pg. It highlights all the Hitch/Selznick battles. Very informative. Hitch comes out the winner, but it seems the interference was grating.

[–] SamoanJoes 8 years ago

There's something different about this film than his other ones. I think it has to do with the art direction looking different than his previous works.