Hitchock's REBECCA

[C K Dexter Haven]

I'm so down.

There's this famous scene in Hitchcock's REBECCA where Mrs Van Hoffer puts out her cigarette in a jar of cold cream. Hitch later repeats this joke (or, if you prefer, this characterization) by having Grace Kelly's character's mother put out a cigarette in a fried egg in TO CATCH A THIEF.)

Well, it turns out the cigarette-in-the-cold-cream is right from the du Maurier book. I'm so bummed. All these years, I thought it was Hitchcock being brilliant. Sigh.

[Early Out]

Remind me again: who played the title role in Rebecca?

[slackergirl]

Can you be happy that Du Maurier was being brilliant? That's one of my favorite books.

[Michele in SoCal]

Originally posted by Early Out
Remind me again: who played the title role in Rebecca?

That's a good one.

Now me: What was the first name of the second Mrs. De Winter?

(My Two favorite DuMaurier novels are Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel )

I liked the books better than the movie versions. The movie version of My Cousin Rachel was especially disappointing.

[Cliffy]

Supposedly Hitchcock wrote a letter of apology to du Marier when the studio changed the ending.

I liked both the book and the film, although the film did have one very significant advantage in Judith Anderson.

--Cliffy

[Miss Mapp]

Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven
There's this famous scene in Hitchcock's REBECCA where Mrs Van Hoffer puts out her cigarette in a jar of cold cream. Hitch later repeats this joke (or, if you prefer, this characterization) by having Grace Kelly's character's mother put out a cigarette in a fried egg in TO CATCH A THIEF.)

Well, it turns out the cigarette-in-the-cold-cream is right from the du Maurier book. I'm so bummed. All these years, I thought it was Hitchcock being brilliant. Sigh.

I was watching the Criterion DVD of Rebecca with commentary just last weekend. The film scholar who's doing the comments notes this scene and its reuse in To Catch a Thief as a recurring Hitchcock motif, with no mention of the book.

I shall have to write him a stern letter.

[Guinastasia]

They changed the ending? HOW???

Who played Mrs. de Winter?

[Miss Mapp]

Warning: Spoilers for both book and movie!

Originally posted by Guinastasia
They changed the ending? HOW???

Who played Mrs. de Winter?

Guin-

In the movie, Rebecca's death is an accident; during the argument in the boathouse, she falls and hits her head. In the book, Maxim deliberately shoots her. They had to change it conform to the production codes of the day: A murderer could not be allowed to get away with his crime.

The 2nd Mrs. de Winter is played by Joan Fontaine.

The DVD, btw, has screen tests for other actresses in the role, including Vivien Leigh, whom Laurence Olivier (Maxim) wanted in the role. From her screen test with Olivier, I think she's far too perky and self-assured for the Nameless One.

[SpoilerVirgin]

Why is this disappointing?

I was surprised to see a thread called Hitchcock's Rebecca, since I never think of it as anything other than du Maurier's Rebecca. I wasn't even sure it was a Hitchcock film until I opened the thread.

It's one of my favorite books, and is full of those kind of small "directorial" touches. My personal favorite is the early scene in which she spills her water glass.

[Miss Mapp]

Originally posted by SpoilerVirgin
I was surprised to see a thread called Hitchcock's Rebecca, since I never think of it as anything other than du Maurier's Rebecca. I wasn't even sure it was a Hitchcock film until I opened the thread.

I usually think of this film version as David O. Selznick's Rebecca, since much of it is more in keeping with his vision than Hitchcock's. If I recall correctly, Selznick wanted to keep the details of the story--the heroine's character, for example--closer to duMaurier's novel; Hitchcock wanted to make changes that Selznick overrode.

[Dragonblink]

Kinda reminds me when I discovered that the brilliant series of deductions about the missing horse in the beginning of Eco's The Name of the Rose was lifted directly from Voltaire's Zadig.

[slackergirl]

Originally posted by Dragonblink
... the beginning of Eco's The Name of the Rose was lifted directly from Voltaire's Zadig.

That's what I love about The Name of the Rose. Go read the prologue and first twenty pages of Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (which is a spectacularly awful book) and then go back to the opening prologue of Rose. I nearly pissed myself laughing when I figured it out. And he leaves clues too - the first monk to die on the trash pile? His name was Otranto.

I go back and re-read The Name of the Rose every few years, just so I can find new pieces that he lifted from somewhere else. It would not surprise me in the least if there is no original story there at all, but I think it's great, because the pieces fit together beautifully.

[Freudian Slit]

They changed the ending?! They changed...the essence of the book!! Well just for that, I will never be able to watch the Hitchcock movie ever again. My god...This is so, so wrong.

But I'm glad DuMaurier came up with the cigarette thing. It's one of my favorite books, so for me it isn't a disapointment at all.

[masonite]

Hitchcock (or someone else involved in the movie) did come up with Mrs. Van Hopper's immortal line, on taking some cough syrup, "Wretched stuff! Get me a chocolate, quick!" On reading the book, I was disappointed not to find it there. The coldcream is a brilliant touch, though.

[Guinastasia]

I've read the book a few times-it was always one of my favorites. And I wasn't sure if it was Joan Fontaine or her sister, Olivia deHaviland.

They had a sequel, Mrs. deWinter, but um, I think they killed off Maxim or something, so I didn't want to finish it. It wouldn't be fair.

BTW, how did they refer to Mrs. de Winter in the movie?

I figured her name was Delphinia. No reason. Just thought it would make a good name.

[JohnT]

"The 2nd Mrs. de Winter is played by Joan Fontaine."

Who, I might add, is quite the dish in this movie.

[Miss Mapp]

Originally posted by Guinastasia
I've read the book a few times-it was always one of my favorites. And I wasn't sure if it was Joan Fontaine or her sister, Olivia deHaviland.

Olivia deHaviland does play Rachel in My Cousin Rachel, so it's kind of a matched set.

BTW, how did they refer to Mrs. de Winter in the movie?

As in the book, they dodge around it; Maxim calls her things like "my dear," and everyone else says "Mrs deWinter." In the DVD commentary, the guy says that they did consider giving her a name. The top contenders were Daphne (after the author) and Ivy (as a sort of play on "I").

[Zoe]

In the DVD commentary, the guy says that they did consider giving her a name. The top contenders were Daphne (after the author) and Ivy (as a sort of play on "I").

I think that would have been terrible! I think that Daphne DuMaurier knew exactly what she was doing when she did not give the heroine a name. Through the 2nd Mrs. DeWinter's eyes, everything was about her inferiority to Rebecca. Not having a name of her own -- except one that Rebecca shared -- emphasized that.

I think that a credible job was done on the movie. But nothing could be as spellbinding (no pun intended) as the novel. I think it's time for another good read!

BTW, when my students did book reports, usually someone chose REBECCA. I always interviewed my students about the books in addition to requiring written reports. Just to tease the students who selected REBECCA, I would ask what the main character's name was. There would be a stunned silence and then great protests of "Miss Zoe, I promise you, I really did read this book, but I just can't remember he name!"

(Manical teacher laughter...)

[Dr_Paprika]

Hmmm... what kind of name is C K Dexter Haven?

[Cliffy]

Originally posted by Zoe
Just to tease the students who selected REBECCA, I would ask what the main character's name was. There would be a stunned silence and then great protests of "Miss Zoe, I promise you, I really did read this book, but I just can't remember he name!"

Evil, evil, evil.

One of the great things about both the book and the film is that the reader/audience doesn't even realize that the 2d Mrs. de Winter is unnamed. The poor girl -- even the sympathetic audience cares more about Rebecca than her.

--Cliffy

[Zoe]

I remember in the movie that there was an "R' or "RdeW" monogram on a lot of Rebecca's belongings. I have always thought that "R's" are beautiful. I have been accused of marrying my husband just so that I could have that initial.

I ain't sayin'.

[Zoe]

I remember in the movie that there was an "R' or "RdeW" monogram on a lot of Rebecca's belongings. I have always thought that "R's" are beautiful. I have been accused of marrying my husband just so that I could have that initial.

I ain't sayin'.

Doesn't the name C K Dexter Haven sound familiar to any of you?

[tracer]

Originally posted by Zoe
Doesn't the name C K Dexter Haven sound familiar to any of you?

I have no _{The Philadelphia Story} idea what _{The Philadelphia Story} you're talking about.

[december]

Originally posted by Michele in SoCal
(My Two favorite DuMaurier novels are Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel )

She also wrote the short story which was the basis for Hitchcock's The Birds.

[Miss Mapp]

Originally posted by Zoe
BTW, when my students did book reports, usually someone chose REBECCA. I always interviewed my students about the books in addition to requiring written reports. Just to tease the students who selected REBECCA, I would ask what the main character's name was. There would be a stunned silence and then great protests of "Miss Zoe, I promise you, I really did read this book, but I just can't remember he name!"

I first read the book when I was 14 as a school assignment. I didn't realize that the poor girl had no name until I was nearly finished, and was talking to a friend about it.

Oh, and I love the monogram. It's all over Manderly, as if Rebecca is saying, "This is all still mine, you gauche little interloper." Maxim too, one presumes.

[Rayne Man]

The non Hitchcock film " Don't Look Now " is also based on a Daphne du Maurier story.

[SpoilerVirgin]

Originally posted by Cliffy
One of the great things about both the book and the film is that the reader/audience doesn't even realize that the 2d Mrs. de Winter is unnamed. The poor girl -- even the sympathetic audience cares more about Rebecca than her.

I have a totally different take on the two Mrs. De Winters. I think the reason that the second Mrs. De Winter has no name is because the reader is supposed to identify with her. I know I do. I love the book so much because when I read it, I am Mrs. De Winter. Her namelessness makes it easy to just put yourself in her place. I certainly never sympathized with Rebecca, who represents "Them" as opposed to "Us", the people who are always more beautiful and more popular.

[C K Dexter Haven]

Apparently, on the set, Hitchcock called the second Mrs de Winter "Daphne", and Dame Du Maurier later said (I think in her autobiography) that there was a lot of truth to it.

If my name seems familiar to you, it's probably because I'm a moderator of another forum, and I write a lot of Staff Reports. That's all. Any coincidence between my name and the name of any other C K Dexter Haven is purely coincidental.