alr

Rebecca

O is for Olivier
Screening on Film
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
With Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders.
US, 1940, 35mm, black & white, 130 min.
Print source: HFA

Hitchcock’s first Hollywood film, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, is a gripping blend of detective story, gothic romance, and psychological drama. Joan Fontaine gives a distinguished performance as a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to discover she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. Laurence Olivier garnered a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of the handsome but cold husband, a Cornish landowner tortured by the memories of his dead wife as he tries to begin life anew.

Part of film series

Read more

Treasures from the Harvard Film Archive: Actors O–T

Other film series with this film

Read more

The Complete Alfred Hitchcock

Current and upcoming film series

Read more

Floating Clouds… The Cinema of Naruse Mikio

Read more

Karpo Godina – Frames for Living

Read more

The Seasons of Hong Sangsoo Part I, Summer & Fall

Read more

Small Axe by Steve McQueen 2025-2026 Norton Professor of Poetry

Read more

Gore Vidal Goes to the Movies

Read more

New Dog, New Tricks: Youth in Cinema