Rebecca, Hitchcock’s first American film, was theatrically released on April 12, 1940, to critical and commercial success.
The thriller received 11 nominations at the 13th Academy Awards, more than any other film that year.
It won two awards; Best Picture, and Best Cinematography, becoming the only film directed by Hitchcock to win the former award.
In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Critical Status
Variety called it “an artistic success” but warned it was “too tragic and deeply psychological to hit the fancy of wide audience appeal.” Film Daily wrote: “Here is a picture that has the mark of quality in every department – production, direction, acting, writing and photography – and should have special appeal to femme fans. It creates a new star in Joan Fontaine, who does fine work in a difficult role, while Laurence Olivier is splendid.”
Harrison’s Reports declared: “A powerful psychological drama for adults. David O. Selznick has given it a superb production, and Alfred Hitchcock has again displayed his directorial skill in building up situations that thrill and hold the spectator in tense suspense.”
John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote that Hitchcock “labored hard to capture every tragic or ominous nuance, and presents a romance which is, I think, even more stirring than the novel.”
Rebecca won the Film Daily year-end poll of 546 critics nationwide naming the best films of 1940.
Rebecca was the opening film at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival in 1951. The Guardian called it “one of Hitchcock’s creepiest, most oppressive films”.
In a poll held by the Empire magazine in 2008, it was voted 318th ‘Greatest Movie of All Time’ from a list of 500.
In 2016, Empire ranked the film at No. 23 on their list of “The 100 best British films.” Though it was an American production, the film was set in England and mainly starred English actors.
In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Box office Hit
The film earned $3 million in rentals from the U.S. and Canada, and $1 million in Britain on its initial release.
It was re-released in Britain in 1945, and made additionally $460,000.
Oscar Context
Rebecca won two Oscar Awards and was nominated for many more. It is the only film since 1936 (when awards for actors in supporting roles were first introduced) that, despite winning Best Picture, received no Academy Award for acting, directing or writing.
