tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post1197719389281126649..comments2024-02-05T21:23:49.249-08:00Comments on Lady Eve's Reel Life: A Chill in the Air - Part IThe Lady Evehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-6315096517163901922011-11-08T19:54:36.355-08:002011-11-08T19:54:36.355-08:00Yvette - "Rebecca" is one instance (of v...Yvette - "Rebecca" is one instance (of very few) in which the book and movie are equally well done. I love both and don't prefer one over the other - at all. It is apparently true that Olivier gave Joan Fontaine a hard time during filming - but Hitchcock felt it served the situation: he needed Fontaine to be intimidated and unsure of herself as the second Mrs. de Winter. She is excellent...<br /><br />'Gypsy - I hadn't read "Rebecca" for a long time either. It holds up and is a wonderful companion to the film. For me, "The Uninvited" (book and film) isn't on a par with "Rebecca" (what of the genre is?) but still very entertaining and enjoyable on an autumn night.<br /><br />Jill - Ahhh, Gladys Cooper. What a talent. I remember watching the old Dick Cavett interviews of the early '70s on TCM a while ago. Bette Davis was the guest and she talked about Gladys Cooper who had died the night before. Davis had so much respect for the older actress. Cooper worked until very late in life and I doubt ever gave less than a stellar performance.The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-70418934245408563372011-11-08T17:23:15.749-08:002011-11-08T17:23:15.749-08:00How could I forget Gladys Cooper! I love her.How could I forget Gladys Cooper! I love her.Jill (Kittenbiscuits)http://www.sittinonbackyardfence.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-59364991742555215742011-11-08T16:47:34.345-08:002011-11-08T16:47:34.345-08:00Eve, I’m simply enchanted by your evocative retell...Eve, I’m simply enchanted by your evocative retelling of Rebecca, the story in book form and on film. You have captured the appeal of the film as a suspenseful treat on a cool autumn evening. I haven’t read the Du Maurier romance since I was in my twenties, and I never knew a novel inspired The Univited’s tale of ghostly activity on the Cornwall coast. Thank you for your lovely insight into both the book and the film, your observation “Its persistent lure is dream-like imagery and a vulnerable narrator's voice throbbing with melancholy and hinting at dark secrets and heartbreak” is particular touching. It is often easy to forget, with the specter of Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers jealously protecting her mistress’s memory, that the young narrator is relating her story. I’m checking my library for both the books and the films, and I look forward to your second installment.whistlingypsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06126688373252306609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-17069533707106153642011-11-08T11:23:22.136-08:002011-11-08T11:23:22.136-08:00Loved reading this. A terrific book and a terrific...Loved reading this. A terrific book and a terrific film. What more could you want? I read somewhere that Laurence Olivier gave Joan Fontaine a hard time because he'd wanted Vivien Leigh in the part instead. <br /><br />Joan Fontaine is so perfect as the unnamed narrator that I can't imagiine anyone else in the part.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-44886632824610871822011-11-08T07:28:15.163-08:002011-11-08T07:28:15.163-08:00You bring up a good point, Jill. I'd mentioned...You bring up a good point, Jill. I'd mentioned the great Florence Bates (Mrs. Van Hopper) and George Sanders (Jack Favell) in my post - and, of course, Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers - but the supporting cast also included Bruce, wonderful Gladys Cooper as his wife, plus C. Aubrey Smith, Leo G. Carroll and other masterful character players, every one of them delivering a superb performance no matter the size of their role...The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-74608704506693324822011-11-08T05:43:03.796-08:002011-11-08T05:43:03.796-08:00I really hate to admit this, but I have not read R...I really hate to admit this, but I have not read <i>Rebecca</i>. It is now added to my list. <br /><br />As far as the film is concerned I am not interested in Olivier or Fontaine...it's all about Judith Anderson, George Sanders, and Nigel Bruce (although his role is very small, he steals every moment he is on camera). This might be the one Hitchcock film that, for me, is more about the supporting cast.<br /><br />Excellent post as always.Jill (Kittenbiscuits)http://www.sittinonbackyardfence.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-68686656602528952042011-11-07T20:45:45.914-08:002011-11-07T20:45:45.914-08:00Hi, SPEEDbit...Thank you. I didn't know Daphne...Hi, SPEEDbit...Thank you. I didn't know Daphne's older sister was a writer, but did know her father, Gerald du Maurier, was an actor as well as a close friend of J.M. Barrie, author of PETER PAN - and that GdM appeared in the original stage production of the play in the dual role of Capt. Hook AND Mr. Darling.The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-41005895438597232082011-11-07T13:10:25.429-08:002011-11-07T13:10:25.429-08:00Great post! Did you know that Daphne's eldest ...Great post! Did you know that Daphne's eldest sister was the writer Angela du Maurier and her dad was the actor Gerald du Maurier. Her grandfather was the writer George du Maurier. Very talented family. Keep blogging!SPEEDbithttp://blog.speedbit.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-89324529151336845422011-11-07T07:20:17.344-08:002011-11-07T07:20:17.344-08:00Page - Yes, the great halls, rooms and even stairc...Page - Yes, the great halls, rooms and even staircase of Manderley, though beautiful, give the sense of an ice-cold mausoleum; the abandoned cottage, the wild surf - all of it haunted by the spirit of Rebecca.<br /><br />John - I agree that Hitchcock's imprint could never be invisible. I have to think that even though it was a battle, both he and Selznick learned a lot working with each other. I suspect the only reason Hitchcock ever 'rejected' "Rebecca" was because it may not have seemed 'purely' his own work to him. I hope he came around in the end, because it is a fine, fine film. By the way, according to one of the director's granddaughters, he and Selznick were friends and remained so 'til the end of Selznick's life.The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-58465085946319151512011-11-06T19:39:30.202-08:002011-11-06T19:39:30.202-08:00Wonderful evocative essay. A perfect film for this...Wonderful evocative essay. A perfect film for this time of year as is THE UNINVITED which I just watched again a few days ago. Hitchcock always managed to leave his imprint on whatever film he made. He was just too much of a master storyteller not to do it. Looking forward to part two.<br /><br /><br />JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-25536962902497748322011-11-06T17:56:59.817-08:002011-11-06T17:56:59.817-08:00Eve,
Just seeing the first photo and recognizing M...Eve,<br />Just seeing the first photo and recognizing Mandalay I knew I would enjoy this post! Rebecca is my favorite film. With that aside I truly enjoyed your look back at Rebecca and especially choosing it as a fitting 'Ghost Story'. It was spooky with the over sized rooms, dark corridors and the crashing waves, cob web ridden cottage on the rocky beach.<br /><br />Really enjoyable.<br />PagePagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15063277863578004836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-69853881750185589492011-11-04T20:41:23.394-07:002011-11-04T20:41:23.394-07:00Kevin - When you read the book you may feel as tho...Kevin - When you read the book you may feel as though you are watching the film - they are very close, though not word for word identical - the mood is the same, and the tone, the perspective. And you are right, "Rebecca" is not a literal ghost story - yet it feels like one...The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-72121627265461659732011-11-04T13:36:54.124-07:002011-11-04T13:36:54.124-07:00Love the movie, but have never read the book. I re...Love the movie, but have never read the book. I really need to. Based on the movie, though, I always felt that "Rebecca" was the one of the greatest non-supernatural ghost stories of all time.Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-33200256038364562432011-11-04T13:14:39.715-07:002011-11-04T13:14:39.715-07:00Christian - "Rebecca" certainly can give...Christian - "Rebecca" certainly can give one the chills. Thinking about the film's atmosphere and visual style, I should mention that cinematographer George Barnes won the other Oscar "Rebecca" received that year. I've never been a very big fan of "Suspicion" because of its ending - a real letdown. Would so much have preferred it had the studio/Hitchcock allowed Cary Grant's character to be a killer.<br /><br />And a note to Gilby - I did see the Masterpiece Theatre version of "Rebecca" with Diana Rigg and Charles Dance and enjoyed it, thought it well done, well acted. But the '40 film is, for me, the gold standard.The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-37966488778485387002011-11-03T22:54:13.173-07:002011-11-03T22:54:13.173-07:00A beautiful, and chilling, review of this wonderfu...A beautiful, and chilling, review of this wonderfully dark movie. It was one of the two movies that endeared me to Joan Fontaine. Her defenselessness shown here worked to great effect in her next film with Hitchcock - Suspicion. Though she won an Oscar for that film it was partly a sympathy vote for not having received it for Rebecca. I'm feeling cold already.Christian Esquevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04442827724576856379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-86120604468020312952011-11-03T22:04:15.695-07:002011-11-03T22:04:15.695-07:00R.D. - I wonder if Mr. Hitchcock ever happened to ...R.D. - I wonder if Mr. Hitchcock ever happened to see a truncated version of "Rebecca" on television as you did as a child. I can an only imagine his horrified reaction. A nice memory, though, of a time and a movie shared with your mother. My mother also loved "Rebecca." It must have been an especially fascinating combination of mystery and fairytale to the young ladies of the generation who first saw/read it. "Rebecca" is actually one of my Hitchcock favorites, atypical as it is. <br /><br />I've never seen "Under Capricorn," but you remind me that I must soon. In Part II of "A Chill in the Air," I plan to look at "The Uninvited" (beyond "Stella by Starlight").<br /><br />Gilby - Ronald Colman and Wm. Powell were also considered for the role of Maxim de Winter, but I do like Olivier in the role. It's said that his displeasure with Fontaine as the second wife instead of his own choice, Vivien Leigh, actually enhanced the relationship Hitchcock sought for the pair in the film rather than detracted from it...<br /><br />FlickChick - Great time of year for gothic mysteries and an interesting line-up might be "Jane Eyre," "Rebecca," and "The Uninvited"...<br /><br />CW - I hope you do have a chance to watch "Rebecca" again soon - on a chilly night in a warm, cozy room...The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-16242350031028020532011-11-03T15:39:29.277-07:002011-11-03T15:39:29.277-07:00I re-read the novel recently, but you made me real...I re-read the novel recently, but you made me realize that it has been decades (decades!) since I last saw the movie. You are so right that this is the perfect to of year to correct that flaw in my viewing.Caftan Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05936895555808823221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-18286590638646471682011-11-03T12:59:59.351-07:002011-11-03T12:59:59.351-07:00Ah, time to snuggle under the covers and watch a g...Ah, time to snuggle under the covers and watch a good pre-winter mystery. Yum yum!FlickChickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17351624749230610755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-78915625574834313622011-11-03T12:21:13.304-07:002011-11-03T12:21:13.304-07:00Really interesting article. I have always loved Re...Really interesting article. I have always loved Rebecca -- I just wish Ronald Colman had played Max. I enjoyed the background on Daphne DuMaurier very much. By the way, have you seen the Masterpiece Thaeter version of Rebecca with Diana Rigg as Mrs. Danvers? It's good interpretation.Gilby37https://www.blogger.com/profile/12559239743969365425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8509825018139758536.post-20510322851747572992011-11-03T10:51:57.754-07:002011-11-03T10:51:57.754-07:00Eve, a lovely post on a film that I think just abo...Eve, a lovely post on a film that I think just about every classic movie enthusiast views with fondness. This was the first Hitchcock movie I recall seeing, on afternoon TV as a youngster, watching it with my mother. (It was her favorite movie.) In those days, movies were often edited for TV, and the version I saw eliminated the entire first section, where Fontaine and Olivier meet, which establishes Fontaine's introverted temperament and her hopeless situation, and began with Fontaine's first view of Manderly. What a delight to see the full version many years later and discover there was even more of this wonderful movie than I was aware of. It may not be a typical Hitchcock movie, but it's one of his best and most enjoyable. <br /><br />I saw the much maligned "Under Capricorn" recently (it wasn't great, but not as weak as some have claimed--Thomson ranks it among Hitch's best), and saw some resemblances to "Rebecca"--more in the way the story was presented than in the plot. Margaret Leighton bore a definite resemblance to Mrs. D, although it was her master she was in love with and not her mistress. Ingrid Bergman made me think of what Rebecca might have become if things hadn't been worked out. There's a scene where she comes down the staircase in a ball gown that upsets her husband (although for a different reason than in "Rebecca") that made it impossible for me not to think of "Rebecca." <br /><br />You also mention "The Uninvited." I rewatched it just a few days ago and saw clear resemblance to "Rebecca," which I'm sure you caught too. It's a very good movie in its own right and entirely appropriate to the autumn state of mind you describe so nicely at the beginning.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.com