Alfred Hitchcock’s first American movie, Rebecca made in 1940 cemented not only his reputation but that of stars Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, the movie was also Hitch’s only film to win best picture Oscar. Made for David O’Selznick the movie has a gorgeous feel, featuring as it does the classic Hollywood version of what England is like.

The plot sees Fontaine playing a mild mannered young woman who falls in love with the debonair Maxim De Winter (played by the always masterful Laurence Olivier), the pair get married and De Winter takes his new bride home to his Cornish estate Manderley, soon the new Mrs De Winter has discovered that Maxim’s “dead” first wife (the Rebecca of the title) holds a huge influence over the estate and especially over sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers (Judith Anderson radiates malevolence in the role of a lifetime.

Rebecca full of romance, mystery and suspense is perhaps the very definition of the golden age of Hollywood, stars, sumptuous set design, the bigshot Hollywood producer (in David Selznick) and the star director. The film is also full of great performances from the cream of British talent in Hollywood at the time from George Sanders as a former lover of Rebecca to Gladys Cooper as Maxim’s sister. Very essential.

EXTRAS: A 25 minute compilation of screen test material.