Rebecca Film Analysis

Rebecca is a classic 1940 mysterious, and black and white thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and produced from David O Selznick, producer of Gone With The Wind. The film is based on Daphne du Maurier's 1938 gothic novel, Rebecca. Much of the dialogue within the film is completely recycled from the novel, however, there are some variations and alterations between the novel and the film, while the changes aren’t significant, if you read the book, and you’d notice the differences. The film highlights the relationship between Maxim de Winter the heir of a magnificent estate in Cornwall, England, and a young native woman. Unnamed throughout the film and novel much we know about the central character is that she is an orphan who steps into the world of servitude and eventually wealth and scrutiny. The young women must live now in the shadows of Maxim’s former wife Rebecca, who died several years earlier. The new wife played by Joan Fontaine, must also learn how to come to grip with the jealous housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who will not accept the young lady as the new wife in the estate. Alfred Hitchcock is best known for the way he portrays his thrillers, he did a phenomenal job capturing the film noir genre in Rebecca. Through voice - over narration, flashbacks and shadowing the film accurately falls into the film noir …show more content…
Mrs. de Winter reminisces back on the strange days of her life, that all began in the South of France.
Rebecca is a visual experience in light and shadows as Rebecca's persona is cast in light, so is her bedroom, “ the loveliest room you've ever seen.” Mrs. de Winter is constantly overshadowed by the memory of Rebecca; we are reminded of this in almost every scene, as the shadows follow her from room to room. The lighting and shadows are also two key elements of film noir, as it shows conflict, argument, and intense feeling between the