A self-conscious bride is tormented by the memory of her husband's dead first wife. Rebecca's way too silly plot ruins of what could have been a terrific film but unfortunately reaches it's breaking point as it keeps going and going, the acting was good i'll give them that for sure but as a whole? it's not that good of a film i mean it's no 'Psycho' or even just a 'Rear Window' at least and that's sad cause Alfred Hitchcock is a pretty good director or was is the right word but this movie is without a doubt one of his worsts cause of that silly little plot and story. (4/10)

(Flash Review)Counter to the majority of suspense films out there today, Hitchcock derives great suspense from two things that are not literally characters on the set, which creates an eerie atmosphere and discomfort as the story plays out. One core suspense point I'll leave as a surprise and the other I'll say is the metaphorical character of the film, the massive mansion, accentuates the underlying tension. The story kicks off with a young woman, who is an assistant to a wealthy older lady staying in Monte Carlo, who catches the eye of a wealthy gentleman. She is enticed by his charm as well as his wealth. As their romance takes off, she is brought to his mansion complete with a full staff and is slow to warm herself to the icy head housekeeper who has a mysterious fondness for the wealthy man's former lady. Will she regret her new station in life in the lonely mansion? Will she gain the confidence needed to navigate the housekeeper's unusual emotions and trumpet herself as the new lady of the house? Nicely paced, well edited, communicative shot framing, smart and engrossing dialog and crisp black and whites make this a stellar and memorable Hitchcock suspense film.

I was so scared when I watched this film as a kid. Mrs. Danvers is scarier than any vampire, she appears and disappears almost like a ghost, so ominous it's clear something must be terribly wrong with this household. One almost expects her to announce, "This is Hell and I am the Devil." For the young woman that moves into this house (Joan Fontaine), she sure is. A new wife of the owner, Max de Winter, she feels small and insignificant, constantly unfavorably compared to Rebecca, the deceased first wife, by Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper. We see her roaming about the gigantic house, lost and confused. She doesn't even have a name and Rebecca does, still the lady of the manor, as ever. We never see a picture of Rebecca though, and our mind, just like the young Mrs. de Winter's, can't stop trying to imagine the greatest beauty to ever grace the earth. She was prettier than Joan Fontaine! Her husband Max, played by Laurence Olivier, doesn't help her much with his constant put-downs. Olivier was perhaps a better film actor than he had thought of himself. The film shifts from romcom, to psychological, to very real horror. Cynics would say, the natural stages of any marriage. But in the masterful hands of Alfred Hitchcock, it's art. The Selznick production - impeccable, as always. Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers will forever give me nightmares. Oh, the glory days when women were villains!

I guess the film left me with more of a "haunting" story in my memory banks than it really is. I watched this one as a teen and just watch it recently and I was disappointed with the film all these years later. I think the biggest let down was when the mystery was revealed about the 1st Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca. I also do not like the way they belittled the 2nd Mrs. de Winter -- we have no idea what her first name is. Sure the focus is on the dead Rebecca but that is no reason to treat the 2nd Mrs. de Winter by not giving her a first name in the story. I guess they just wanted us to focus on the "I'm Mrs. de Winter now!" aspect.It is a good film to watch but not nearly as thrilling, mysterious and "haunting" as my memory lead me to believe (remember). Sometimes movies are best left as a good memory, but then again maybe it's better to watch them years later to find out if it's really a good film or not, a young mind can think a lot of things are good when as an adult it isn't as good.6.5/10