The elaborately appointed manderley mansion became a character in itself, with rebecca s expressively lit, diaphanously curtained bedroom. This woman, our narrator, is dreaming of returning to a place called manderley, but she and the man shes with can never go back. An analysis of alfred hitchcocks thriller, rebecca 02042016 05. Book vs movie podcast replay rebecca the classic 1938 novel by daphne du maurier vs. It was definitely a thriller and kept us on the edge of our seats for the second half. While the movie world is at a bit of a standstill with the current covid19 pandemic, there are still plenty of blockbusters that are slated to premiere in the next year.
For example, jack favell george sanders in the movie is not the drunken slob thats portrayed in the novel. Name the book that begins like this last night i dreamt i went to manderley again. The first of three du maurier adaptations, rebecca was also the film that introduced alfred hitchcock to hollywood. Rebecca by alfred hitchcock alfred hitchcock, laurence. Rebecca, gothic suspense novel by daphne du maurier, published in 1938.
Of happening upon a book youve never heard of, reading it, and absolutely loving it. There was a potential conflict between rebeccas traditional jewish upbringing and the faster world of movie making, but rebecca comes off. In the book, it comes across as the price maxim has to pay in order to remain a free man and keep his new wife. How laughably offtrack theyve been provides a good case study of why. Widely considered a classic, it is a psychological thriller about a young woman who becomes obsessed with her husbands first wife. The title character is already dead when the story begins. Hitchcocks first american film and his only best picture winner, rebecca is a masterpiece of haunting atmosphere, gothic thrills, and gripping suspense. May 18, 2019 book vs movie podcast replay rebecca the classic 1938 novel by daphne du maurier vs. Feb 26, 2019 rebecca was daphne du mauriers fifth novel, and likely it remains her bestknown. Rebecca is a novel by english author daphne du maurier.
A selfconscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrats wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wifes spectral presence. Winner of two academy awards, including best picture and best cinematography, rebecca has been remade several times for television, but this 1940 version is still the classic. The name rebecca, wrote du maurier, stood out black and strong, the tall and sloping r. Darry doesnt treat pony as bad in the movie as he did in the book. Du maurier denied copying nabucos book, as did her publisher, claiming that the plot used in rebecca was quite common. The margos are dreaming about manderley in this listenersuggested episoderebecca. Aug 07, 2012 rebecca is a film about abusive relationships, and the way power might shift within them and, most unusually, even for its time its hero is the worst of the abusers. May, 2018 book vs movie podcast rebecca the classic 1938 novel by daphne du maurier vs. She began writing the book in 1937 and, after what is said to have been a fairly excruciating process, turned the manuscript in and watched as it immediately became one of the most successful novels ever written. Crime and high camp the poster for alfred hitchcocks 1940 film. Jan 04, 2017 rebecca is a 1940 american psychological thrillermystery film. Rather unrealistic story in which rebecca gets to achieve her dream of acting in a movie at the age of ten and one day.
In the movie, rebecca is killed when she falls and hits her head on a boat tackle, whereas in the novel rebecca is shot by maxim. Those who have both read the book and seen the movie generally report that they are quite different. In most cases, characters exhibit both emotionssometimes even a blend of the twoand use their love or hate to justify their actions in the novel. It looks at the lengths that some people will go to make a marriage look successful, even when its a complete failure in reality. By the time hitchcock arrived in america in early 1939, selznick had a better project. Based on daphne du mauriers gothic novel, this romantic madefortelevision drama centers on the beautiful young bride of the much older, recently widowed maxim. Rebecca is a film about abusive relationships, and the way power might shift within them and, most unusually, even for its time its hero is the worst of the abusers. There was a potential conflict between rebecca s traditional jewish upbringing and the faster world of movie making, but rebecca comes off as both naive and preachy. Book vs movie podcast rebecca the classic 1938 novel by daphne du maurier vs. It shines a light on what perceptions do to create myths around an event that are seemingly straightforward. This movie version was very well done and kept the main theme and important scenes intact.
Yet 15,000 words of her new book were torn up in the wastepaper basket. It was absolutely intriguing and i found it hard to put down from time to time. Other than, its minor interpretations of characters and their reactons. The book and the movie are not very much alike, in fact, they are in several. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. We often hear, in critiques of books and movies, that characters are. Diferences between the movie rebecca and the book rebecca. The story begins with her memories of how she and maxim first met, in monte. Everything we know about the new rebecca movie on netflix. Major differences between the gone girl book and movie. Despite the fact that flynn wrote the screenplay for david finchers new film, there are a few small plot twists that didnt make the cut. But dont be surprised to see some changes in the onscreen adaptation of the beloved gillian flynn book. Actually, the opposite of rebecca if a person can have an opposite youll see why in a minute.
Rebecca deals with delusions, with mental confusion and with ego. An analysis of alfred hitchcocks thriller, rebecca huffpost. Find out where rebecca 1940 is streaming, if rebecca 1940 is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. Over the years, ive watched many filmed adaptations of rebecca, and almost every one has undermined du mauriers novel. Du mauriers novel rebecca was a property selznick had acquired at great cost to follow his production of gone with the wind 1939, and the. Jun 04, 2018 the book vs the movie in both the film and the novel we get the sense that rebecca was an uncommonly strong, independent woman for her timeparticularly in contrast with the new mrs. Rebecca explores the darker side of married life, placing it in the category of family drama. A summary of chapter 20 in daphne du mauriers rebecca. Directed by alfred hitchcock, it was his first american project, and his first film.
One major difference is the circumstances surrounding rebecca s death. This novel even blurs the lines between villain and victim, disrupting any. Rebecca is deliberately written from the viewpoint of a naive young woman with poor self esteem. Not even the execrable 1940 movie adaptation could dampen my ardour. Rebecca was daphne du mauriers fifth novel, and likely it remains her bestknown. The daphne du maurier 1938 novel which was a bestseller at the time and has never been out of print. One yearold girl was quickly caught up in the suspenseful. Ive seen the movie once, several years ago, and now think its time to revisit it. When he brings her to his estate, the imposing manderley, their happiness is overshadowed by the presence not literally of his first wife, the titular rebecca. Rebecca is a 1940 american romantic psychological thriller film directed by alfred hitchcock. It is really maxims ego and sense of bruised pride that the film is about, and the new bride is simply a pawn for us to fixate on while he stands, icy and stoic, in the backdrop, watching the women in his life uncover what he needs to know about reality. Rebecca, a unique novel by daphne du maurier, an english author and playwright of the 20th century, is a love drama with gothic elements. Even better, the new rebecca movie on netflix is boasting serious star power.
It is a portentous curlicue that is emulated in the book. Every page of the novel, every scene of the movie, is oppressive. How laughably offtrack theyve been provides a good case study of why some books are not easily translated to film. In both the film and the novel we get the sense that rebecca was an uncommonly strong, independent woman for her timeparticularly in contrast with the new mrs. With laurence olivier, joan fontaine, george sanders, judith anderson. There are still a few differences like in the book, there is a rich west side and a poor east side. The titular character of du mauriers novel never appears in the book, yet she exerts a powerful influence over all the other characters. It was hitchcocks first american project, and his first film under contract with producer david o. In the movie, there is a rich south side soc and a poor north side greaser. Sherwood and joan harrison, and adaptation by philip macdonald and michael hogan, were based on the 1938 novel of.
In the movie, it just feels like another unfair blow. Rebecca rebecca, a classic suspense novel written by daphne du maurier is considered one of the finest gothic romance of the 20th century. The name rebecca, wrote du maurier, stood out black and strong, the tall and sloping r dwarfing the other letters. In 1940alfred hitchcock adapted it as his first american. Alfred hitchcock gave it a yet wider audience when he made it i. Mar 4, 2020 the film, the novel and all it inspires. Alfred hitchcock gave it a yet wider audience when he made it into a memorable motion. Directed by alfred hitchcock, it was his first american project, and his first film produced under contract with david o.
This is a shrilling story of two wornout souls, which are looking for, and finally find each other in the surrounding darkness. Joan fontaine plays the unnamed narrator, a young woman who works as a companion to the welltodo mrs. A comparison of the book and the movie rebecca kibin. The british film industrys loss was hollywoods gain, as rebecca 1940 made abundantly clear. Rebecca is a 1940 american psychological thrillermystery film. Yes, dear readers, its rebecca, daphne du mauriers 1938 novel and one of my personal stranded on a desert island picks. Sinking into that sentenceand the ones that follow in the brief first chapteris like sharing a close friends confidences or exploring the journal of a.
Love and hate serve as crucial motivational tools for the primary characters in rebecca. Rebecca is a gothic novel by english author dame daphne du maurier. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of rebecca and what it means. And then going out and telling ten other people about the incredible experience. Book vs movie rebecca replay, plus some margo news. Aug 17, 20 it is a portentous curlicue that is emulated in the book. Questioning and disruptive, lighthearted, nostalgic questions abound. See more ideas about hitchcock film, alfred hitchcock and film.
The daphne du maurier 1938 novel which was a continue reading. Selznick had originally intended hitchcocks first film for him to be about the titanic. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Rebecca characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Danvers, the fictional estate manderley, and its opening lines. Although du maurier had been an increasingly prominent fiction. She begins to envy rebecca for her courage and skills. To analyse the differences between these two pieces of work it is perhaps necessary to first point out the obvious.
Sep 21, 2016 in the book, it comes across as the price maxim has to pay in order to remain a free man and keep his new wife. Jun 11, 2015 in my opinion, this book has one of the best villains in the whole of literature. Although du maurier had been an increasingly prominent fiction writer leading up to the. Although sir laurence olivier was unsuccessful in his attempts to persuade sir alfred hitchcock and producer david o. Sherwood and joan harrison, and adaptation by philip macdonald and michael hogan, were based on the 1938 novel of the same name by daphne. Sure, rebecca is a little too long, the beginning too wordy, and the ending dragging out beyond its major revelation toward too many anticlimaxes. In the meantime, however, im planning a blog post soon on another fave, a book called treveryan by daphnes sister, angela. Alfred hitchcocks first hollywood movie features inventive camera work, superb acting, and a story full of twists and turns. Daphne du maurier always said her novel rebecca was a study. We spoil away the details, uncover the plot points, discuss casting choices and shower with praise or pummel with snark as we see fit. Based on the novel by daphne du maurier, the classic psychological thriller rebecca was alfred hitchcocks first american film. Daphne du maurier always said her novel rebecca was a. One major difference is the circumstances surrounding rebeccas death. Mrs danvers is cold, meanspirited, and prepared to do anything to drive the protagonist away from manderley.
I admitted there was some romance to it, but went on to explain that hitchcock had made a film version of the story. Hitch has italfred hitchcock that is, the english master of movie melodramas, rounder than john bull. Analyse the differences between the text and the hitchcock movie of rebecca. A bestseller, there were 2,829,3 copies of rebecca sold between its publication in 1938 and 1965, and the book has never gone out of print. In 1940alfred hitchcock adapted it as his first american feature. Audiences have come to accept these things as part of the process of adapting a book to the screen. Rebecca when my husband saw me reading this book, he asked a bit derisively, i must say if it was some romance novel. Nov 14, 2012 in fact, the entire book is a glimpse into the narrators psyche, which makes it perfect material for an alfred hitchcock movieor so youd think. It was first published in 1938, and became immediate best seller. While working as the companion to a rich american woman on holiday in monte carlo, the unnamed narrator, a naive young woman in her early 20s. Rebecca displayed hitchcocks unparalleled talent for ominous atmosphere, as he derived suspense from the clash between fontaine and judith andersons coldly sadistic, rebecca obsessed mrs. The film rebecca 1940, directed by alfred hitchcock, is an adaptation of a book by the same title published in 1938 by author daphne demurer.
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