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.