Rebecca (1940) in Color — Starring Laurence Olivier & Joan Fontaine

Rebecca (1940) — Buy This Classic in Color

Discover Rebecca, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 Academy Award-winning mystery starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, now available as a professionally colorized version. The only Hitchcock film ever to win the Best Picture Oscar, this masterful adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s gothic novel remains one of the most psychologically rich and visually stunning films in cinema history. Own this classic movie in color as a DRM-free MP4 digital download for just €15.00.

Plot Summary

A shy, self-doubting young woman working as a paid companion to a wealthy American socialite in Monte Carlo meets Maxim de Winter, a wealthy, handsome, and deeply brooding English widower who has come to the Riviera to escape the memories that haunt him. Despite the vast gulf in their social positions and the disapproval of her employer, a whirlwind courtship follows, and Maxim proposes marriage. Overwhelmed and desperately in love, the young woman accepts, barely able to believe her good fortune.

But when the new Mrs. de Winter arrives at Manderley, Maxim’s magnificent ancestral estate perched on the dramatic Cornish coast, her fairy-tale romance begins to curdle into a waking nightmare. The shadow of Maxim’s first wife, the beautiful, accomplished, and universally admired Rebecca, looms over every room, every conversation, and every person in the house. Rebecca’s monogrammed stationery still sits on the desk. Her favorite flowers still fill the vases. Her bedroom suite remains exactly as she left it, a shrine maintained with obsessive devotion by Mrs. Danvers, the estate’s sinister head housekeeper.

Mrs. Danvers, played with terrifying intensity by Judith Anderson, remains fanatically devoted to Rebecca’s memory and regards the new Mrs. de Winter as an unworthy intruder who could never match her idolized former mistress. Through subtle cruelties, pointed comparisons, and psychological manipulation that escalates to genuinely dangerous territory, Danvers systematically undermines the new bride’s fragile confidence, driving her toward a breakdown. The young woman begins to believe she can never compete with a dead woman who seems to have been perfect in every way — the ideal wife, hostess, and beauty that everyone at Manderley still worships.

As the new Mrs. de Winter struggles to find her identity in Rebecca’s overwhelming shadow, she begins to uncover dark secrets about Rebecca’s true nature and the real circumstances of her death. What she discovers will shatter every assumption she has made about her husband, his first marriage, and the beautiful monster whose presence still haunts Manderley’s corridors. The truth, when it finally emerges, proves far more shocking and morally complex than anyone imagined.

Cast & Crew

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Stars: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Gladys Cooper

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

Rebecca was originally filmed in gorgeous black and white cinematography by George Barnes, who won the Academy Award for his atmospheric work that perfectly captured the story’s gothic mood. This professionally colorized restoration enhances every scene with frame-by-frame precision, from the sun-drenched Mediterranean blues and golds of the Monte Carlo sequences to the misty, rain-swept greens of the Cornish cliffs surrounding Manderley. The estate itself reveals its grandeur in color — dark wood paneling, rich tapestries, gleaming silverware, and the suffocating elegance of rooms filled with fresh flowers and the finest furnishings. Rebecca’s preserved bedroom suite takes on an eerie, museum-like quality, and the dramatic costume ball sequence explodes with color as guests arrive in elaborate period dress. Joan Fontaine’s wardrobe traces her character’s emotional journey from simple, modest outfits to the ill-advised gown that triggers one of the film’s most devastating scenes. The colorized version adds atmospheric depth to this restored classic film, making Manderley feel like a real place where beauty and menace exist in equal measure. Now also available in colour.

Buy Rebecca in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film, produced by David O. Selznick fresh off the triumph of Gone with the Wind, and it won the Academy Award for Best Picture — making it the only Hitchcock film ever to receive that honor, though he would be nominated for Best Director five times throughout his career. Based on Daphne du Maurier’s phenomenally bestselling 1938 novel, the adaptation was a famously contentious collaboration between Hitchcock, who wanted to take creative liberties, and Selznick, who insisted on fidelity to the source material. The result, forged in creative tension, produced a masterwork of gothic cinema. Joan Fontaine’s vulnerable, trembling performance established her as a major star and earned her a Best Actress nomination, while Judith Anderson’s Mrs. Danvers became cinema’s defining portrait of obsessive, destructive devotion. Laurence Olivier brought Shakespearean weight to the tormented Maxim, and George Sanders contributed his trademark silky menace as the suspicious cousin Jack Favell. Franz Waxman’s haunting score and the meticulous production design of Manderley created an atmosphere that has been imitated but never surpassed. Through modern colorization, this gothic masterpiece continues to captivate new generations of viewers.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 130 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Did this film win the Best Picture Oscar?
A: Yes, Rebecca won the 1941 Academy Award for Best Picture, along with Best Cinematography for George Barnes. It received eleven nominations total, making it one of the most honored films of its year.

Q: What is the heroine’s name?
A: Remarkably, the new Mrs. de Winter is never given a first name in either the novel or the film. This was a deliberate choice by Daphne du Maurier that powerfully underscores the character’s lack of identity and her struggle to exist in Rebecca’s overwhelming shadow.

Q: How does this compare to the 2020 Netflix version?
A: The 1940 original is widely considered the definitive adaptation, with Hitchcock’s masterful direction and the unforgettable performances of its cast setting a standard that subsequent versions have not matched in the eyes of most critics and audiences.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as an MP4 file compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: Is there DRM on the file?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free so you can watch it on any device without restrictions.

Q: How quickly can I watch after purchase?
A: Your download link is available instantly after payment, so you can start watching within minutes.

Related Colorized Classics

• Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
• Circle of Danger (1951)
• Fly By Night (1942)
• A Blueprint for Murder (1953)
• The Scarlet Clue (1945)