Selznick International PicturesDirected by Alfred Hitchcock
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM/20th Century Fox)
Best Picture
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Nominated: Laurence Olivier, Best Actor
Nominated: Joan Fontaine, Best Actress
Nominated: Judith Anderson, Best Supporting Actress
Nominated: Alfred Hitchcock, Best Director
Nominated: Best Art Direction, Black & White
Nominated: Best Special Effects
Nominated: Best Editing
Nominated: Best Music, Original Score
Nominated: Best Screenplay
Hitchcock's first American film is a lushly photographed story of a young girl falling in love with a wealthy, older man, only to find herself struggling to emerge from the shadows of his former wife. They meet in Paris, and after a whirlwind romance get married and move back to England. They move into Manderley, a huge English mansion on the sea. The building becomes another character in the story, alive and breathing, echoing the memories of another unseen character, the dead wife whose initials are on everything, like fingerprints. Poor old Joan Fontaine is overwhelmed by it all, but especially by a psychotic maid played to perfection by Judith Anderson. The two have a battle of wills more formidable than a heavyweight boxing match. We slowly learn of the past, of the first wife, how she lived, her friends, how she died. The final stretch devolves into a mystery film, with a trial, some detective work, and a rather melodramatic ending.
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM/20th Century Fox)
Best Picture
Best Cinematography, Black & White
Nominated: Laurence Olivier, Best Actor
Nominated: Joan Fontaine, Best Actress
Nominated: Judith Anderson, Best Supporting Actress
Nominated: Alfred Hitchcock, Best Director
Nominated: Best Art Direction, Black & White
Nominated: Best Special Effects
Nominated: Best Editing
Nominated: Best Music, Original Score
Nominated: Best Screenplay
Hitchcock's first American film is a lushly photographed story of a young girl falling in love with a wealthy, older man, only to find herself struggling to emerge from the shadows of his former wife. They meet in Paris, and after a whirlwind romance get married and move back to England. They move into Manderley, a huge English mansion on the sea. The building becomes another character in the story, alive and breathing, echoing the memories of another unseen character, the dead wife whose initials are on everything, like fingerprints. Poor old Joan Fontaine is overwhelmed by it all, but especially by a psychotic maid played to perfection by Judith Anderson. The two have a battle of wills more formidable than a heavyweight boxing match. We slowly learn of the past, of the first wife, how she lived, her friends, how she died. The final stretch devolves into a mystery film, with a trial, some detective work, and a rather melodramatic ending.
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