The dark shadows of Rebecca

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The Hitch is Back

"Known for his voyeuristic camera angles, startling imagery and issues with icy blondes, Alfred Hitchcock is considered one of the most influential filmmakers ever. See why when another round of films from the Master of Suspense returns to the Eureka Theater for August's Summer of Suspense.

The series gets underway with Rebecca (1940) on Friday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. Doors at 7:30 p.m. ($5). This moody psychological drama, winner of Best Picture and Best Cinematography, stars Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier in some fine gothic drama: dark shadows, the supernatural, romance, obsession, everything going up in flames."

Even if we'd wanted to attend, thanks to Google not getting the alert to me until today, we couldn't because the showing was 2 days ago. However, two things about the quoted portion of the article caught my eye and prompted me to still post about it:

1) "some fine gothic drama: dark shadows"

and

2) "everything going up in flames."

Why the first caught my eye is obvious - but can you believe how foolish I've been not to realize that the reason Collinwood goes up in flames at the end of the 1970PT storyline is more than likely because Manderley does the same at the end of Rebecca, on which 1970PT is closely based. How could I have been so dense not to realize that until today when I saw "everything going up in flames"?!    Though at least Hoffman is long dead before it happens so it's not a straight ripoff, er, homage to the end of Rebecca...

[Josette]

Very interesting take on the flames - I certainly never thought of it - can't tell if it was deliberate, but that certainly sounds like it might have been.

[Gothick]

I thought we'd discussed 1970 PT as a "version of" REBECCA a few times. There are a number of elements that were incorporated into that storyline from the du Maurier novel and the Hitch film.

My personal favorite version of Rebecca is the one done on the BBC in the late 70s with Jeremy Brett and Anna Massey. It ran over here on MYSTERY! I watched it again a year or two ago on youtube. Wonderful stuff. Vivian Pickles who I always love has a great role as a rather fruity county dowager type.

G.

[Uncle Roger]

For me, nothing can top the hilarious parody that Carol Burnett did called Rebecky. Carol is the beleaguered heroine and Vicki Lawrence as Mrs. Dampers. But nothing can  compete with Harvey Korman in the dual role of Max deWintry and his first wife Rebecky.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

We have discussed the many similarities between Rebecca and 1970PT, but I guess we never brought up how they end with Manderley/Collinwood going up in flames, albeit under different circumstances. If we did, I must have missed it. And as I said, I can't believe it took me so long to come to the realization on my own, especially when in each story the mansions are the enduring testaments to their mistresses' all-consuming legends, and once the truth comes out and the legends of those mistresses are destroyed, the mansions themselves are also destroyed.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

For me, nothing can top the hilarious parody that Carol Burnett did called Rebecky.

Yes - I LOVE Carol Burnett's Rebecky!! Mrs. Danvers/Vicki Lawrence coming out of the fireplace holding a candelabra is classic!! 

[Gerard]

OMG!  The Carol Burnett parody!  Right up there with Went With the Wind!   Hilarious! 

Gerard

[Philippe Cordier]

I also remember somewhere way back in time on this forum we discussed the parallels with "Rebecca," and I'd be willing to bet that mention of Collinwood burning was compared to "Rebecca."

MB, I've found as I get older that I sometimes make "discoveries" that I later find in older notes I had made before but had forgotten ...

[Midnite]

I also remember somewhere way back in time on this forum we discussed the parallels with "Rebecca," and I'd be willing to bet that mention of Collinwood burning was compared to "Rebecca."

Here's one mention from a discussion at the end of the storyline...

Re: Discuss - Ep #1060
FIRE.  Rebecca's not over after all.  Did we see the fire in the film?  In the book, they spotted smoke from a great distance, end.

and MB's answer follows it. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

and MB's answer follows it. 

How quickly I forgot that discussion - and it was only two years ago!! I would have felt a lot better if it had been in 2003 after Ep #1060 had been on Sci-Fi because at least then I would have had 15 years to have forgotten it.