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The classic film 'Rebecca' will not stand the test of time

Despite the intriguing storyline, 'Rebecca' will not be around for much longer, as it is already disappearing


In the classic 1940s film, “Rebecca,” dramatic marital conflict is the major storyline, making for two hours of what appears to be a cinematic Lifetime Original Movie. Nevertheless, it isn't exactly awful. It's just a guilty pleasure of sorts, as the fights and murder investigations draw you in.

“Rebecca” was a popular film in its day, and it isn’t as old as it appears. The film is in black and white despite color film technology being available in 1940. This is because the director, Alfred Hitchcock, wanted to maintain the dark atmosphere of the Daphne du Maurier novel that the film is based on.

Leading actors Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine brought the movie to a new level by personifying the characters with high dignity. The movie starts off in Monte Carlo, where the rich Maximilian "Maxim" de Winter (Olivier) meets a young woman (Fontaine).

Photo courtesy of United Artists

Just like the novel, the young woman is never given a name, and is only referred to as the second Mrs. de Winter, as Maxim lost his beloved first wife, Rebecca.

The initial major conflict of the film is the second Mrs. de Winter's apparent competition with the ghost of Rebecca. Everyone raves about Rebecca and her elegance, saying Maxim has yet to move on. Each servant in the house reacts with the same notion, being cold to the Second Mrs. de Winter since she isn’t Rebecca.

However, the notion that Maxim is still in love with Rebecca is discounted after a few conflicts with his new wife. He confesses to the Second Mrs. de Winter that his marriage to Rebecca was a scam. Soon after, the investigation of Rebecca’s death goes underway, as the police now suspect that she was, in fact, murdered.

At first glance, the film seems to be attempting to discount jealousy, as the second Mrs. de Winter believes that her husband’s first marriage was one for the ages when in reality it was nothing of the sort.

The film, although a little long, was interesting to watch. Joan Fontaine plays her role beautifully. She appears nervous, as if she doesn’t belong in the estate, much like the character should. Olivier has the haughty elegance that an owner of a great estate should.

Despite the couple's on screen chemistry, they did not get along very well off camera, as Olivier was disappointed that his then-girlfriend Vivien Leigh of "Gone with the Wind" lost the part to Fontaine.

It seems that this movie is quickly on its way to being timed out. It was not readily available on either Netflix or iTunes, although the entire feature film is on YouTube.

Soon, with our rise in technology, it will not be present on any of our favorite streaming apps. Since no one will wait around for the DVD to come in the mail, "Rebecca" will most likely not be seen by too many new viewers.

Comments? Tell the reporter at dpharias@asu.edu or follow @dpharias on Twitter.

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