Revisiting Rebecca (Pt 2): Introducing Mrs. Danvers
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 4:00PM For its 75th Anniversary, we continue our baton-passing recap of Alfred Hitchcock's only Best Picture winner Rebecca.
Previously on Revisiting Rebecca: Nathaniel introduced us to our No Name heroine (Joan Fontaine). While travelling as a companion to a wealthy older chocaholic named Mrs. Van Hopper, she meets a mysterious stranger with a name that drips of money, Maximilian de Winter (Sir Laurence Olivier). When her employer falls ill, Maxim and No Name take the opportunity to get to know each other better. Until one day...
Part 2 by abstew
27:00 Despite Mrs. Van Hopper's skepticism over Maxim and um...Joan Fontaine's marriage (we can't officially refer to her as "The Second Mrs. de Winter" just yet since ol' Maxxie hasn't put a ring on it), the two are off for a quickie nuptial: Monte Carlo-style. Which apparently means wearing your travel clothes, almost forgetting the official papers (Freudian slip, Maxim?), and having the ceremony performed by a member of ZZ Top. More...
A wedding party walks by with a bride in traditional garb - white dress and veil. Maxim, feeling guilty about denying a proper ceremony for The Second Mrs. de Winter (we can finally call her that! Yay! She has a name...but still no real identity other than her relationship to a man. But what a mouthful the whole thing is. Let's refer to her as 2nd Mrs. de W), buys an entire container of carnations from a seller. (I'm sorry, but isn't he a millionaire? Won't even buy her a wedding dress and now purchasing the cheapest flowers there are...) But 2nd Mrs. de W is so thrilled she's somehow able to say her line, "perfectly lovely" without moving her mouth at all.
28:19 And suddenly we're in Manderley while being denied a travel montage. 2nd Mrs. de W keeps making twitchy faces thinking about what she's gotten herself into, but Maxim assures her that Mrs. Danvers runs the household and to leave it to her. If only she knew what that actually meant, she'd take that twitchy face and jump right out of that convertible right then.
It being England and all, the rain suddenly appears out of nowhere. Proving that convertibles are perhaps the most impractical vehicle ever. Through the watery windshield, 2nd Mrs. de W gets her first glimpse of her new home:
Cozy, isn't it?
30:08 Maxim and 2nd Mrs. de W are greeted by two footmen ready with umbrellas like a pair of J. Lo's assistants on the Red Carpet. And inside the home all of the servants are gathered in a chorus line ready to reenact "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" from Annie (the 1982 movie, not the 2014 remake - obviously). And making her grand entrance with an icy stare emerges the real star of our show. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you straight from the coffin she's been slumbering in, Mrs. Danvers:
If looks could kill.
Mrs. Danvers is not having any of 2nd Mrs. de W's childish fidgeting. And without saying a word sizes up this mouse instantly, waiting to unhinge her jaw and swallow her prey whole. I'm also pretty sure this is the exact same look that Judith Anderson threw towards the Academy for failing to recognize her greatness with the Best Supporting Actress statue that year.
31:09 2nd Mrs. de W makes herself quite at home very easily, dressing for diner in a dress that seems to have run out of the same fabric for the back panel...well, that is until Mrs. Danvers shows up to passively aggressively inquire about 2nd Mrs. de W's Lady's Maid (she doesn't have one) and if she likes the new decorations in the East Wing (what, you mean you didn't notice a change in a room that you've never been in until just a few minutes ago? So unobservant, 2nd Mrs. de W...).
(Side note: Do you think there was ever a Mr. Danvers?) When our gal Mrs. D is asked how long she's been at the house, she let's us know in a booming voice as close to shouting as she'll get:
I came here when the first Mrs. de Winter was a bride.
In this moment she is obviously picturing herself carrying the first Mrs. de Winter over the threshold.
As the the two women walk though Manderley to dinner, Mrs. Danvers makes a special point to note the door to the West Wing. It's the most beautiful room in the house and has a magical glowing rose the only view of the sea (dun dun duuuuun!!!) and is guarded by a fearsome beast warning our plucky heroine not to enter:
35:00 The next morning after a dinner that takes place at the same table at which Vicky Vale and Bruce Wayne have their first date, 2nd Mrs. de W meets the estate manager, Crawley. (Wait, when did we get to Downton Abbey? And why are there no scenes between Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess and Mrs. Danvers?) Maxim soon joins them and casually warns that his sister and her husband are coming for a visit. (Nothing like the in-laws just popping in.) After delivering this bit of news, both men go off and leave 2nd Mrs. de W alone to wander about the place.
For some reason every single doorknob in the home is at least four feet from the ground. Must be built-in child-proofing. (Although it's hard to imagine any child calling Manderlay home.) But my favorite part of her meandering is how she carries her pocketbook around with her like a tourist wearing a fanny pack. (In some ways our lead seems very clueless about how the world works, so I appreciate that she's not so trustful as to leave her purse just anywhere unattended. Although I would like to think it'd be safe in her own home. I guess those servants have sticky fingers...)
The butler tells her that the late Mrs. de W would write her letters in the Sun Room in the morning, gently hinting (the first of many) that it would be best if 2nd Mrs. de W, you know, did the exact same thing that a dead woman used to do. And she sits down to see the signature of the past, taunting her -- the first Mrs. de Winter actually had a first name.
Right on cue, Mrs. Danvers appear in the door frame, to scare the bejesus out of 2nd Mrs. de W. She's come with a very important request. It's life or death, people will literally die if 2nd Mrs. de W doesn't make a decision right now...What kind of sauce would she like for lunch? The first Mrs. de Winter was very particular about her sauce (is that a euphemism?). Left alone, 2nd Mrs. de W (ugh, even that is too much to type. Let's call her #2) knocks over a hideous knick-knack and makes such a big show about hiding it that you know it'll come back to bite her in the ass.
41:31 Maxim's sister Beatrice (played by 3 time Academy Award nominee Gladys Cooper. Who was 52 at the time and old enough to be Olivier's mother) shows up with her husband and has some straight talk with #2 about Mrs. Danvers. Naturally Mrs. D's bound to hate #2 because she simply adored Rebecca. I guess there's only room in her cold, lesbian heart for one Mrs. de Winter...
After a luncheon in which Beatrice professes her disdain for teeth ("terrible nuisances" - I think we found our Maggie Smith), inquiries about costume balls are made (foreshadowing, y'all) and Beatrice's husband sticks his foot in it by mentioning...sailing. (Did yu guys know that Rebecca was drowned in a boat accident? Let us remind you!) They leave Maxim and #2 to walk about the grounds of Manderley, until Jasper the dog runs toward the beach and Joan Fontaine runs in front of a backdrop.
Jasper starts barking at a cottage which is occupied by a crazy-eyed toothless man. So #2 does the only natural thing and lets herself into this crazy person's home. He starts babbling something about a woman in the sea and #2 picks that point to make her exit ("Thank you, got all the plot points I need for now. I'll just be on my way!"). But trades one crazy person for another as Maxim has a hissy fight and Olivier delivers possibly the most unrealistically theatrical meltdown this side of early Bette Davis. (Larry, that's a camera, not a stage. Maybe tone it down a smidge, old boy?) Maxim hands #2 a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and she notices something.
#2 wiping her tears with #1
Damn, did Rebecca monogram every single thing in all of Manderley? She must've been Pottery Barn's favorite customer.
51:26 #2 wants to get to the bottom of this whole Rebecca business so seeks out the one person in the entire movie so far that isn't a complete nutjob or needlessly spiteful, Crawley.
#2: Tell me, what was Rebecca really like?
Crawley: I suppose...I suppose she was the most beautiful creature I ever saw.
Um, thanks a lot. Way to make a girl feel even more insecure. #2 was asking about Rebecca's character, her personality, Crawley. Why is Rebecca being defined solely for the way that she looked? Men...
(Trivia: Vivien Leigh auditioned to play #2 just to work with her man Olivier, but from the way everyone describes her, Leigh would've made the perfect Rebecca. If we had ever actually seen her...)
That's all from me. Now it's up to Anne Marie to continue our tale of #2 and the obsessive help of Manderley (Oh, what wacky adventures are those gals gonna get into ???). How many more things will show up with an "R" on them? So many questions. To Be Continued.
Reader Comments (16)
Not feeling much Rebecca love from the recaps so far, I must say. ;-)
(I always referred to Fontaine's character as Not-Rebecca or Mrs. Maxim.)
I agree. The tone is kind of mocking - not a problem, but why all these anniversary posts for something you don't like?
"Rebecca" is slowly fascinating. I always feel so sorry for wife #2, because wife #1 seems so much more interesting. I love how Hitchcock sets up her presence as being over-powering. Not showing any flashbacks of wife #1, but just the after-effects on everyone else.
He let's our imaginations run away with themselves.
Naturally we all have to know the mystery behind the door...
Also, from what I read , Vivien Leigh didn't get the role because Hitch wanted someone who was exactly this mousey , insecure and scared by her own shadow - which you couldn't say of Miss Leigh. I dunno, maybe it would've turned out well but I think Joan Fontaine nails the character.
Ooops, sorry - I guess what abstew said was that she would have made a great Rebecca - my mistake.
adelutza & paul -- we're just trying to have fun with it. The five contributors doing this are the ones that wanted to talk about Rebecca so here we are.
Anne Marie is getting my favorite section, I believe: Rebecca'a undergarments and the costume ball.
No Mr Danvers, I would say. Housekeepers and cooks were always called 'Mrs' (as we all learned from Downton Abbey ;-))
Yes, how did you decide who got the undergarments scene? Drawing lots or fistycuffs? ;-)
Benji -- I volunteered to go first to kick things off and then I just randomly assigned people the rest after realizing that Mrs Danvers is in everyone's sections (but mine. *sniffle*)
I always wish I had Mrs. Danvers to fondle my undies. Sigh. Joan Fontaine, that lucky biatch.
Highly enjoyable look at the introduction of that warm and fuzzy Mrs. Danvers. Somewhere on Youtube are the screen tests for all the actresses considered for "I". They're all fascinating in different ways but it came down to Anne Baxter, Margaret Sullavan and Fontaine. It was decided that Maggie Sullavan exuded too much resourcefulness for the milksop "I" and Anne Baxter was just too young at 16 to be convincing with Olivier.
joel6 -- that's interesting because I could totally see Baxter pulling it off (but i'm thinking of the Baxter from 10 years later)
Nathaniel-Anne absolutely would have worked, her screen test is excellent but she's just a baby in it. The range of tests is fascinating, Vivien Leigh's is good of course but she's far too strong for the timorous "I". Loretta Young's is ghastly though.
I think with her versatility, Jennifer Jones would be terrific in the part.
Ann B. Davis would have been an interesting Mrs. Danvers.