Hitchcock

3 Pages 703 Words

After distinguishing himself as one of the premiere directors in England, Hitchcock made the move to Hollywood. The first project he was to start on was meant to be based on the sinking of the Titanic and the second was on Daphne DuMaurier’s Novel, Rebecca. The Titanic project fell through and the DuMaurier novel became the basis of his first American Film.

Rebecca has become one of Hitchcock’s most recognizable works, and not simply because it was his most successful film come Oscar time. From start to finish, it represented his most polished, suspenseful and darkly foreboding film to date, far eclipsing anything he had ever done in Britain for sheer suspense and entertainment value. There were several key scenes stood, most especially the last view of Mrs. Danvers, engulfed by flames in the home which she cherished very deeply. It is the secondary characters that drive the film; both Judith Anderson (Danvers) and George Sanders (Jack Favell) steal almost every scene they are in. It should be noted by Laurence Olivier (de Winter) puts in a great performance, as well as Joan Fontaine (New Mrs. de Winter). The primary character in the film is Manerley itself, represented with just the right mixture of romance, mystery, and darkness.

In Hitch’s first film set in America, called “Shadow of a Doubt”, featured a setting that was as important as any character, in that the small town itself served to contrast the character and the distasteful past of Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) to a magnificent degree.

Hitchcock chose Santa Rosa, California as the movies location because it embodied the notion of a small, sleepy and old-fashioned town. The film is rich in motifs, mainly centered on contrasting Uncle Charlie from the innocence inherent in his surroundings, i.e. his train arriving bringing dark shadows that literally black out the train station. It also highlights the ties between him and his niece Charlie by their simila...