Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine live in the shadow of “Rebecca”

Rebecca (1940) is an American romantic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock—in his American directorial debut—and starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. The screenplay was written by Robert E. Sherwood and long-time Hitchcock associate, Joan Harrison. The film score was written by Franz Waxman and the cinematography was by George Barnes who won an Academy Award for his work on this film.

The film was producer and filmmaker David O. Selznick‘s follow up to Gone with the Wind (1939). It would be impossible for Selznick to match that success in his long career, but Rebecca won Best Picture and a Best Actress Academy Award for Joan Fontaine. It was a critical and commercial success and one of the biggest hits of the year.

Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century. Hitchcock directed over 50 feature films, many are classics that have been honored and studied for years. Some of Hitchcock’s classic films include The 39 Steps (1936), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Notorious (1946), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960). 

Laurence Olivier (1907 - 1989) was an English actor and director who was one of the most celebrated actors of the 20th century. Olivier attended drama school in London where he learned his craft. He made his West End debut in Noel Coward‘s Private Lives (1930). More successes followed and he eventually made his way to Hollywood. He had a huge success with his role as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1939) and Rebecca the next year. Olivier‘s career in films also includes lead roles in Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), Richard III (1955), and Spartacus (1960). 

Joan Fontaine (1917 – 2013) was a British-American actress who starred in more than 45 films during Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” After secondary roles in Gunga Din (1939) and The Women (1939), her fortunes turned with her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film, Rebecca (1940). She was nominated for Best Actress for her role in that film but lost to Ginger Rogers. The next year, she worked with Hitchcock again in Suspicion and this time won the Best Actress Oscar, beating out her older sister Olivia de Havilland. She received a third and final nomination for The Constant Nymph (1943). Other popular Fontaine films include This Above All (1942), From This Day Forward (1946), Ivy (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Emperor Waltz (1948), and Ivanhoe (1952). After the late-1950s, she appeared less in films and more on stage and television. Fontaine and her sister are the only siblings to have won major acting Academy Awards.

Others in the cast include Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers and George Sanders as Jack Favell.

Rebecca trivia:

• Loretta Young, Margaret Sullavan, Anne Baxter, and Vivien Leigh were among the over 20 actresses who screen-tested for the role of Mrs. de Winter.
• Hitchcock instructed Judith Anderson to rarely blink her eyes.
• This is the only film directed by Hitchcock to win Best Picture.
• Olivier wanted his then girl-friend, Vivien Leigh, to costar in the film which made him treat Fontaine very badly during filming.
• Hitchcock shot the film in black and white to keep with the dark atmosphere of the book.
• The director and cinematographer, George Barnes shot the film in deep focus, one year before Citizen Kane (1941).

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To Join the discussion on October 23, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time click here. Once you RSVP, you will get an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Questions for discussion:

1. What genre do you think best describes this film?
2. Joan Fontaine‘s character has no first name; what effect does it have on the film?
3. How does the relationship between Max and his bride change after they arrive at Manderley?
4. What role does Mrs. Danvers play in the film?
5. What are some of the clues to Rebecca‘s true nature?

Joseph Cotten searches for “The Third Man” in Postwar Vienna

The Third Man (1949) is a British film noir directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. The film’s screenplay was written by Graham Greene.

The film focuses on Holly Martins (Cotten) who travels to postwar Vienna to accept a job with his friend Harry Lime (Welles), learning that died just before his arrival. Thinking his death is suspicious, Holly stays in Vienna to investigate.

Did Harry really die in Vienna? And if he didn’t, who is buried in his grave?

 

Carol Reed (1906 – 1976) was an English film director. He directed several classic films including The Fallen Idol (1948), The Third Man (1949), and Oliver! (1968). Reed worked in a theatrical company in his teens. He eventually entered the film business in the UK where he worked his way up to the position of assistant director. He got his big break as a director with The Stars Look Down (1940) based on a novel by A. J. Cronin and starring Michael Redgrave. Other British films followed including Night Train to Munich (1940) starring Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison, Kipps (1941) with Redgrave again, and The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) starring Robert Donat.

Joseph Cotten (1905 - 1994) was an American film, stage, radio, and television actor. Cotten achieved fame on Broadway in the original stage productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair.  He became famous worldwide after appearing in Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). As one of the most popular leading men of the 1940s, Cotten starred in Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Gaslight (1943), Duel in the Sun (1946), and The Third Man (1949). Cotten alternated between work on stage and film into the late-1950s. Cotten also appeared on television guest-starring on The Name of the Game, Cimarron Strip, and Ironside. Cotten’s last film role was in 1981.

Alida Valli (1921 - 2006) was an Italian actress who made films in Europe and the United States. She came to America under contract to David O. Selznick who considered her another Ingrid Bergman. Introduced as “Valli” in Alfred Hitchcock’ The Paradine Case, she never lived up to the promise Selznick had for her. Her next two films The Miracle of the Bells (1948) co-starring Fred MacMurray and Frank Sinatra and Walk Softly Stranger (1950) co-starring Joseph Cotten were box office failures. The latter film was completed in 1948 but its release was held up for two years with the hope that it would capitalize on the popularity of The Third Man (1949). Valli had much greater success in Europe where she starred in films until 2002.

Trevor Howard (1913 – 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. He became a film star with his role in Brief Encounter (1945). This was followed by The Third Man (1949). The Clouded Yellow (1951), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), Ryan’s Daughter (1970), Superman (1978), and Gandhi (1982). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Sons and Lovers (1960).

 

The Third Man trivia

• Orson Welles worked on the film for one week.
• Martin Scorsese wrote his major thesis while in film school and received a B+. His professor said it was just a “thriller.”
• The Vienna Police have a special force that patrols the intricate sewer system. It makes a great hiding place for criminals and drug runners.
• Carol Reed wanted James Stewart for the role of Holly Martins but David O. Selznick insisted on Joseph Cotten who was under contract to Selznick.
• Cary Grant was considered for the part of Harry Lime.

To join the discussion on July 17, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on YouTube.

Discussion questions

1. This film is considered one of the top five in the mystery genre. Do you think this film earned that reputation in your eyes?
2. The camera work by Robert Krasker was considered somewhat revolutionary at the time. What is your perception of it and did it enhance the film in your estimation.
3. What did you think of the casting? Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, and Orson Welles?
4. Was there anyone in the film that you related to? Did the film have a hero?
5. How did the music contribute to the film’s success?
6. The ending is one of the most famous in film. What did you make of it? Did it surprise you?

Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” to screen January 13, 2015 at Daystar Center

When: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street

Spellbinding Suspense

Spellbound (1945) The Master’s first collaboration with star Ingrid Bergman is an intriguing look into the “secret recesses of the mind” as described in the New York Herald Tribune’s review. 

The Mysterious Dr. Edwardes

Bergman plays Dr. Constance Peterson, a dedicated psychiatrist who puts her career on the line when she falls in love with Dr. Edwardes (Gregory Peck). Is Dr. Edwardes an impostor, pretending to be someone he is not in order to avoid arrest for a cold-blooded murder? Or is he a victim of some horrible event from his past that threatens to destroy him? 

Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman

A David O.Selznick Production

Produced by David O. Selznick, Spellbound is a stylish and complex love story, featuring standout performances from Bergman and Peck. The dream sequences designed by artist Salvidor Dali are hauntingly beautiful, as is the film’s score by Miklos Rozsa (Ben-Hur).

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!
Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens $3. 

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion
Once a month we screen a classic film and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. To purchase your ticket in advance, click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Backstory: Spellbound was one of the first films to deal with psychoanalysis. Producer David O. Selznick had his own psychoanalyst on the set for accuracy. Selznick objected to the use of artist Salvador Dali because of the expense, but then decided that the publicity his work would bring to the project would be worth it.

Claudette Colbert film class starts next Wednesday at Facets Film School

"Down to Earth Sophistication: Claudette Colbert in Hollywood," one of the summer session offerings from Facets Film School, begins on Wednesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. The instructor for the six-week course is Steve Reginald, who most recently taught "Carole Lombard: The Divine Screwball" at Facets. For information on how to register, click here.

Highest Paid Actress in Hollywood

During the 1930s and 1940s, Colbert was one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood, making upwards of $150,000 per film. That was big money during America's Great Depression. In 1938 Colbert was the highest paid actress in Hollywood. While she was on top, she worked with some of the most talented directors in the business including, Ernst Lubitsch, Preston Sturges, John Ford, and Mitchell Leisen , to name a few. But her most famous role was as Ellie Andrews in Frank Capra's It Happened One Night for which she won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Actress.

Academy Award Winner

Specializing in romantic comedy, Colbert was successful in all film genres, including musicals. Producer David O. Selznick considered no other actress for the role of wartime wife Anne Hilton in his production of Since You Went Away. Selznick knew that in the hands of a less talented actress, the role wouldn't be believable. Not only was Colbert believable, receiving her third Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, (the film was nominated for a total of nine Oscars) Since You Went Away was also one of the biggest box office successes of 1944.

Class and Professionalism

In 1939, Colbert starred with Don Ameche in Midnight, directed by Mitchell Leisen. One of the many great films from that memorable movie year, it is too often overlooked by today's film historians. Although she was a great comic actress with impeccable timing, Colbert gave some memorable dramatic performances. Three Came Home, based on the memoir of American author Agnes Newton Keith gave the actress one of her best dramatic roles. Colbert was as true to her characterization as possible. Playing a prisoner in a Japanese prison camp during World War II, Colbert wore little makeup and allowed the right side of her face to be filmed. This may sound like nothing to the casual reader, but during her career, Colbert refused to be filmed from the right side, insisting it was unflattering. This often distracted directors because all the blocking and camera setups would have to be changed to accommodate Colbert's wishes.

The Claudette Colbert Brand

What may appear to be the eccentric demands of a movie star were really the actions of a shrewd businesswoman. Colbert knew that fame and popularity were fleeting. Most of her demands had to do with protecting the Claudette Colbert "brand." She knew she was a commodity and she worked hard polishing her investment.

Colbert made over 60 films during her long career, and most are still worth watching.