Search - Rebecca on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Adult Situations Movie Release: 1940 DVD Release: 09/07/1999 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 47 Genres: Mystery, Romantic Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Gothic Film See Also: Rebecca [Criterion Collection], Rebecca

Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, the classic psychological thriller Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock's first American film. Joan Fontaine plays the unnamed narrator, a young woman who works as a companion to the well-to-do Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates). She meets the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) in Monte Carlo, where they fall in love and get married. Maxim takes his new bride to Manderlay, a large country estate in Cornwall. However, the mansion's many servants refuse to accept her as the new lady of the house. They seem to be loyal to Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who died under mysterious circumstances. Particularly cruel to her is the prim housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), who is obsessed with Rebecca. She continually attests to her beauty and virtues (referring to her as "the real Mrs. de Winter") and even preserves her former bedroom as a shrine. The new Mrs. de Winter is nearly driven to madness as she begins to doubt her relationship with her husband and the presence of Rebecca starts to haunt her. Eventually, an investigation leads to the revelation about Rebecca's true nature. Producer David O. Selznick had the final cut of the picture, which was drastically altered from Hitchcock's original vision. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Laurence Olivier - Maxim de Winter
Joan Fontaine - Mrs. de Winter
George Sanders - Jack Favell
Judith Anderson - Mrs. Danvers
Nigel Bruce - Maj. Giles Lacey

The only Alfred Hitchcock film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, Rebecca comes to DVD with a standard full-frame 1.33:1 image (as all films released before 1955 should). An English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are neither subtitles nor closed-captions on this release. There are no supplemental materials on this disc. Although it is sad to see such a classic film get a bare-bones release like this, fans of the film will not be disappointed as the list price is quite reasonable. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide