And with one of the best Classic films unhinged characters, Mrs. Danvers!

She was one scary woman. Rebecca was pretty brave really.

@ausfem said:

Rebecca was pretty brave really.

Don't forget that actually Max's new wife (Joan Fontaine's character) has no indicated first name that we're ever made aware of.

I was proud of her, when she eventually stood up to Danvers. But why she (new wife) didn't outright fire her, when Danvers openly and unmistakably has just tried to entice her to jump out of Rebecca's window sure beats me!

Too nice? Too timid? She was quite young if I remember. Yeah I would haven gotten rid of her quite quickly. She was spooky.

Judith Anderson definitely nailed that role. One of the most memorable pieces of casting in all of cinema history, I think!

Definitely unforgettable. I can picture her in my minds eye as we speak.

Right about Miss Fontaine and Judith Anderson, who both really get into character here, but who would have thought about the possibility of Joan's firing Mrs. Danvers because she's not the one who hired her in the first place. That's one good suggestion now.

What an outstanding cast, which also includes the fantastic Gladys Cooper and Florence Bates.

In one of Hitchcock's great female pictures, even the male performers turn in memorable roles, like the ones portrayed by Nigel Bruce, Reginald Denny, Leo G. Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Melville Cooper, Addison DeWitt as Danny, and Laurence Olivier as the Husband.

I enjoyed the film when I watched it. It's definitely not a stinker from "The Master."

This was an amazing film. Just watched it earlier this week, and I was astounded! Probably one of my top favorite Hitchcock efforts. It certainly deserved its Best Picture win in 1940. Laurence Olivier was brilliant; I really ought to seek out more of his work. And Joan Fontaine was equally great, of course.

he is the one of the greatest people that i have seen in the movie industry and it is a shame his legacy has not been carried forward. by the way i prefer the lady vanishes, suspicion, lifeboat and above all shadow of a doubt over rebecca, sunlounger.

@genplant29 said: Don't forget that actually Max's new wife (Joan Fontaine's character) has no indicated first name that we're ever made aware of.

I was proud of her, when she eventually stood up to Danvers. But why she (new wife) didn't outright fire her, when Danvers openly and unmistakably has just tried to entice her to jump out of Rebecca's window sure beats me!

That's so cool, I didn't realize until after the movie that she didn't have a name! I think that may be a hint as to why she didn't fire Danvers. New wife enters the story as a non-entity, no identification or personality really, except that she tries to become what Max wants/needs. Doing something as brazen as standing up to Danvers, the personification of Manderlay structure and stability, would've been way over her head. A normal wife would've reprimanded Danvers on day 1 from the cold reception and mocking tone, but New Wife was literally a "nobody", her character is little more than an observer.

She wouldn't develop a spine until the end when Max told her the truth at the boat house. That's when she realized the ghost of Rebecca/Manderlay had no power over her. Notice how after that scene she is a completely changed person, confident, taking charge of Max's situation even when he himself is falling to pieces. She grew up really fast.

Once Danvers was defeated at the police inquest, she (Danvers) knew her days were over. The new Mrs De Winter wouldn't take her sh+, so Danvers went batty batty batty. We had 2 simultaneous character arcs flipping each other, both very unexpected. Brilliant movie!