--- title: "Rebecca: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/rebecca/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/rebecca" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Rebecca (1940): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 17 reviews: 16 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Rebecca, with praise clustering around Hitchcock’s control of suspense, the oppressive atmosphere and the performances. Joan Fontaine’s expressive portrayal of the shy second wife draws particular attention, while Judith Anderson’s Mrs Danvers is repeatedly singled out for her menace. The reviews largely admire how the adaptation develops the novel’s gothic material through its visuals and psychological detail, finding room for romance, jealousy and repression within the polished production. Reservations concern both the storytelling and whose perspective it serves. Time Out finds the final act tonally uneven, while The Hollywood Reporter notes the slow pace and gloom despite praising the direction and cast. The spread of scores is wide, but the dissent is concentrated: sixteen of seventeen reviews are positive. Sight and Sound offers the sharpest objection, arguing that the film favours a masculine viewpoint despite its insight into obsession and repression. ## Radio Times — Tony Sloman Rating 5/5. The review hails the film as a sumptuous, suspenseful Best Picture winner with excellent performances, especially Joan Fontaine's, and clever handling of the source material's darker elements. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-mfspc5/rebecca/) ## Empire — Patrick Humphries Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls Rebecca a masterpiece of old-fashioned filmmaking and an undoubted essential from Hitchcock, praising the performances of Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine along with Judith Anderson's chilling Mrs. Danvers. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rebecca-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. The critic highlights the film's layers of neurosis intensified by its polish, its exploration of erotic suppression, and calls it a pivotal work in Hitchcock’s evolution as a master explorer of sexual neuroses. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/rebecca-2017/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 June 2006. Bradshaw calls the 1940 Hitchcock film a must-see re-release that delivers sheer swooning pleasure through its melodrama, romance and extravagant menace. He praises it as a masterclass in craftsmanship, expertly opening out the novel visually and dramatically with characters who satisfyingly change over the course of the story. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jun/30/alfredhitchcock.thriller) ## The New York Times — Frank S. Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 1940. The critic calls the film an altogether brilliant, haunting, suspenseful, and handsome adaptation that succeeds thanks to Hitchcock's firm grasp of the material and the strong ensemble cast. Fontaine's expressive performance as the shy second wife is singled out for particular delight. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1940/03/29/archives/the-screen-splendid-film-of-du-mauriers-rebecca-is-shown-at-the.html) ## The Times — James Christopher Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 2006. Christopher describes Hitchcock’s 1940 film as one of cinema’s great milestones and a dazzling thriller that blends gothic melodrama and psychological drama. He highlights the vertiginous plot reversals, the tension created by the cast (especially Judith Anderson as Mrs Danvers and Laurence Olivier), and calls it a vintage and superior joy. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/cornwall/rebecca-tvqdpw06w0w) ## Los Angeles Times — Philip K. Scheuer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 1940. The film is praised as a masterpiece of mood with exquisite production, faultless casting, and terrific Hitchcock suspense that sustains remarkably for over two hours. The dominating spirit of the dead Rebecca and the overall atmospheric recreation are highlighted as key strengths. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2022-09-21/from-the-archives-mood-magic-of-rebecca-re-created) ## The New Yorker — John C. Mosher Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 1940. Hitchcock has overcome the challenges of adapting a best-seller and working with an American studio to deliver a rich, ripe, and stirring film that captures every tragic or ominous nuance. The critic singles out the atmospheric use of Joan Fontaine's looks and the menacing performance of Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1940/03/30/1940-03-30-071-tny-cards-000003381) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2002. The review praises the film's smart extrapolation on gothic themes and Brontë novels, its psychological depth, and notes it kick-started Hitchcock's development despite not being a typical Hitchcock picture. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/rebecca-dvd-1798197126) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Rating 4/5. 27 June 2006. The critic commends Hitchcock's technical mastery and recurring motifs while noting the film's tonal inconsistency in its final act and the unnamed heroine's struggle for identity. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/rebecca) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 1940. The picture is an artistic success and one of the finest productional efforts of the year, noteworthy for its literal and somber translation of the novel with exceptional direction and portraiture. Joan Fontaine's emergence as a major screen personality and Hitchcock's assured handling of the psychological mood are singled out. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1940/film/reviews/rebecca-1200413156/) ## Little White Lies — Malcolm Ring Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2020. The review praises the film's depiction of three women transgressing traditional femininity, focusing on themes of jealousy, queer subtext, and the heroine's transformation amid Manderley's oppressive legacy. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/alfred-hitchcock-rebecca-transgressive-femininity) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2018. The critic calls it an artistic masterpiece with superb performances, especially from Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson, and effective direction by Hitchcock, but notes its gloom, slow pace, and foreign note may hurt box office. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/rebecca-review-1940-movie-1098095/) ## Sight and Sound — Alison Light Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2020. The piece examines tensions between Hitchcock and producer Selznick in adapting the novel, arguing the film leans toward a masculine viewpoint despite its Gothic trappings and psychological insight into obsession and repression. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/rebecca-alfred-hitchcock-1940-du-maurier-gothic-romance-feminine-angle) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating A. 31 October 2012. The piece describes Rebecca as a textbook classic psychological drama and Hitchcock's first US production. It praises the film's masterfully sinister and shadowy tone while noting the influence of producer David O. Selznick. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/retrospective-the-films-of-alfred-hitchcock-pt-2-1940-1976-the-hollywood-years-20121031/) ## Collider — Liam Gaughan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2025. The critic praises Hitchcock’s 1940 Rebecca as the best adaptation of the novel, noting how it develops a believable romance between the leads and devotes significant time to the character of Mrs. Danvers. It singles out the film’s atmospheric visuals and emotional depth as standout elements that later versions fail to match. [Read the review](https://collider.com/hitchcock-rebecca-movie/) ## Eye for Film — Davros Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 April 2006. The critic calls the film unmissable and a great entry point to Hitchcock's work as an auteur. They single out Judith Anderson's performance as Mrs. Danvers for particular praise, noting how it dominates the picture. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/rebecca-film-review-by-davros) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/rebecca.md