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Rebecca (1940)

Won the Academy Award for black and white cinematography and picture.
Nominated for art direction/set decoration, special effects, editing, original score, screenplay, director, supporting actress, leading actor, and leading actress.

This film was Hitchcock’s first American film, his first Oscar nomination, and his only best picture award.  The story follows a young woman as she meets, and then marries, a wealthy English man. When she follows him back home she is surrounded by the memory of his last wife, Rebecca. She is looked down upon by the staff and is forbidden to speak or ask of her by her husband.  She eventually reaches her boiling point and lashes out in frustration.

This film is Hitchcock’s first project with producer David Selznick.  Selznick originally had Hitchcock ready to go on a film about the Titanic, but when that project fell through Selznick put him on this.  Selznick was notorious for keeping a tight reign on filming and many of the artistic decisions in his films were made by him instead of the director, and the final product ends up being more Selznick than it is Hitchcock.

This is actually one of the reasons why Hitchcock started producing his own features.  All of this certainly does not lead to a bad film, just not your typical Hitchcock flavor. It is therefore ironic that it is considered by many to be one of the best movies in Hitchcock’s filmography.

(Directed by Hitchcock)

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