Rebecca (1940 movie) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rebecca
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alfred Hitchcock
Produced by	David O. Selznick
Screenplay by	Robert E. Sherwood Joan Harrison
Adaptation by	Philip MacDonald Michael Hogan
Starring	Joan Fontaine Laurence Olivier Judith Anderson George Sanders Reginald Denny Gladys Cooper C. Aubrey Smith
Music by	Franz Waxman
Cinematography	George Barnes
Editing by	W. Donn Hayes
Studio	Selznick International Pictures
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	March 21, 1940 (1940-03-21) (Miami) April 12, 1940 (1940-04-12) (United States)
Running time	130 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.29 million
Money made	$6 million

In Monte Carlo, Max de Winter (Laurence Olivier) stops to speak to Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper (Florence Bates) only after recognizing her companion (Joan Fontaine), the girl he had encountered earlier.

Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, stars of the film

Rebecca is a 1940 American romantic psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was Hitchcock's first American project, and his first film under contract with producer David O. Selznick. The screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison, and adaptation by Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan, were based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier.

The film stars Laurence Olivier as the brooding, aristocratic widower Maxim de Winter and Joan Fontaine as the young woman who becomes his second wife, with Judith Anderson, George Sanders and Gladys Cooper in supporting roles. The film is a gothic tale shot in black-and-white. Maxim de Winter's first wife Rebecca, who died before the events of the film, is never seen. Her reputation and recollections of her, however, are a constant presence in the lives of Maxim, his new wife and the creepy housekeeper Mrs. Danvers.

Rebecca was theatrically released on April 12, 1940, to critical and commercial success. It received eleven nominations at the 13th Academy Awards, more than any other film that year. It won two awards; Best Picture, and Best Cinematography, becoming the only film directed by Hitchcock to win the former award. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Cast

Hitchcock's cameo appearance, a signature feature of his films, takes place near the end; he is seen walking, back turned to the audience, outside a phone box just after Jack Favell completes a call.

Production credits

The production credits on the film were as follows:

• Director - Alfred Hitchcock
• Producer - David O. Selznick
• Screenplay - Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison
• Cinematography - George Barnes (photography)
• Art direction - Lyle R. Wheeler (art direction), Joseph B. Platt (interiors designed), Howard Bristol (interior decoration)
• Music - Franz Waxman (music), Lou Forbes (music associate)
• Special effects - Jack Cosgrove
• Film editor - Hal C. Kern (supervising film editor), James E. Newcom (associated film editor)
• Scenario assistant - Barbara Keon
• Sound - Jack Noyes (recorder)
• Assistant director - Edmond Bernoudy

Accolades

Rebecca won two Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Cinematography; and was nominated for nine more: It is the only film since 1936 (when awards for actors in supporting roles were first introduced) that, despite winning Best Picture, received no Academy Award for acting, directing or writing.

Rebecca was twice honored by the AFI in their AFI 100 Years... series

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – No. 80
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains – Mrs. Danvers, No. 31 Villain

See also

In Spanish: Rebecca (película) para niños