Preproduction

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In 1938, Hitchcock read the galley proofs of Rebecca whilst filming Jamaica Inn, an adaptation of another Daphne du Maurier novel. Hitchcock considered independently purchasing the film rights, but was unable to match the high amounts offered by major studios. The high projected sales figures for the novel made Rebecca a highly desirable property, and the rights ultimately went to Selznick International for $50,000 - the same price Selznick had paid for Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.^[1]^: 37–38 Selznick officially assigned Hitchcock to direct the adaptation in September 1938.^[1]^: 39

Hitchcock and David O. Selznick clashed over the adaptation of Rebecca, with Selznick favouring fidelity to the novel while Hitchcock wished to make changes, particularly hoping to add some dynamism to the character of the second Mrs. de Winter.^[1]^: 40–43^[2]

Selznick first offered the job of writing the screenplay to Daphne du Maurier, but she declined.^[1]^: 39 Selznick unsuccessfully pitched a number of writers to Hitchcock to script Rebecca including Clemence Dane, John Balderston, Ben Hecht, and Hugh Walpole.^[1]^: 40 By November 1938, Selznick eventually agreed to pay Hitchcock $5,000 to write an initial outline. Hitchcock worked with his wife, Alma Hitchcock, assistant Joan Harrison, and British writer Michael Hogan to produce a 45-page double-spaced "storyline" which he submitted to Selznick on 3 June 1939.^[1]^: 44–45 Selznick responded with a lengthy memo, describing himself as "shocked beyond words" and criticizing the ways in which the treatment diverged from the source material. Of the unnamed protagonist, Selznick wrote:

Every little thing that the girl does in the book, her reactions of running away from the guests, and the tiny things that indicate her nervousness and her self-consciousness and her gaucherie are all so brilliant in the book that every woman who has read it has adored the girl and has understood her psychology... We have removed all the subtleties and substituted big broad strokes.^[1]^: 46

In response to Selznick's notes, Hitchcock, with Joan Harrison and Scottish writer Philip MacDonald, began work on a new treatment which hewed closer to du Maurier's novel.^[1]^: 47 A first script was completed on 29 July 1939.^[1]^: 52 In the final weeks before shooting was to begin, Selznick hired Robert E. Sherwood to make some final revisions to the script and rework the story's climax, paying him $15,000.^[1]^: 52–53 A final shooting script was dated September 7.^[1]^: 54 Charles Bennett, who was in close contact with Hitchcock and Selznick at the time they were working on Rebecca, stated that the final script was "ninety percent the work of Michael Hogan, although some rewrites were done by Joan. Very little, at the end, was contributed by the one who is most famous and therefore most credited, Sherwood".^[3]^{: 213–214}

Although Selznick insisted that the film be faithful to the novel, Hitchcock did make some other changes, though not as many as he had made in a previously rejected screenplay, in which he altered virtually the entire story. In the novel, Mrs. Danvers is something of a jealous mother figure, and her past is mentioned in the book. In the film, Mrs. Danvers is a much younger character (Judith Anderson would have been about 42 at the time of shooting), and her past is not revealed at all. The only thing known about her in the film is that she came to Manderley when Rebecca was a bride.^{[citation needed]}

Casting

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The process of casting Rebecca occurred in parallel with the development of the screenplay over the course of several months leading up to the beginning of shooting in September 1939.

For the role of Maxim de Winter, Selznick and Hitchcock originally sought Ronald Colman, whom Selznick had under contract. Colman declined the role over concerns that the film would be a "woman-starring vehicle" and over the "murder angle".^[1]^: 49 Selznick subsequently pitched actors Melvyn Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Howard, and William Powell, before he and Hitchcock ultimately settled on English actor Laurence Olivier.^[1]^: 49

The casting of the second Mrs. de Winter was contentious and no fewer than 126 actresses, ranging from major stars to unknowns, were considered for the role.^[4] Relative newcomer Joan Fontaine was ultimately selected less than two weeks before the start of principal photography.^[1]^: 56–57 Selznick initially argued for English actress Nova Pilbeam, having been impressed by her performance in Hitchcock's Young and Innocent (1937). Hitchcock rejected her, arguing that while she was "correct casting according [to the] book", she was not appropriate for his vision of the character.^[1]^: 49–51 Laurence Olivier unsuccessfully advocated for the role to go to his lover (and later wife) Vivien Leigh.^[1]^: 51 Among the actresses Hitchcock tested for the role were Lucile Fairbanks, Marjorie Reynolds, and Jean Muir.^[1]^: 51–52 By August 19, the list of finalists for the role had been narrowed to Margaret Sullavan, Anne Baxter, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.^[3] Selznick ultimately offered the role to Fontaine, announcing her casting on 5 September 1939, just three days before filming was to begin.^[4]

Australian stage actress Judith Anderson was cast in the role of Mrs. Danvers at the suggestion of Kay Brown of Selznick International. As a condition of auditioning, Anderson insisted that Hitchcock personally direct her screen test.^[1]^: 48 Other actresses who had been considered for the role included Flora Robson, Elsa Lanchester, and Alla Nazimova.^[4]

Lucile Watson, Laura Hope Crews, Mary Boland, Alice Brady, and Cora Witherspoon were considered for the minor role of Mrs. van Hopper, the protagonist's social-climbing employer in the beginning of the story.^[3] Hitchcock ultimately selected Florence Bates for the role after seeing her in a theatrical production at the Pasadena Playhouse.^[3] Bates, a lawyer by training who had only appeared on camera once before, required an unusually large number of retakes for some of her scenes. Selznick was displeased with her line readings, stating "I think there is no line which she could not improve on".^[1]^: 72

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Production

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Principal photography on Rebecca began on 8 September 1939, having been postponed twice from 30 August and then 5 September.^[1]^: 57 The film was budgeted at $800,000 and 36 days of shooting,^[1]^: 58 but went significantly behind schedule, ultimately concluding after 63 days on 20 November 1939.^[1]^: 78 The start of production coincided with the beginning of World War II, Britain having declared war on Germany on 3 September. Hitchcock and the mostly British cast feared for their families in Britain, with fears circulating that London might soon experience German bombing.^[2]

Selznick initially assigned Harry Stradling as cinematographer, but he withdrew from the project after the distressing experience of being fired from Intermezzo by Selznick. Selznick sought Gregg Toland as a replacement, but, finding him unavailable, instead hired Toland's mentor, George Barnes.^[3]

Art director Lyle Wheeler designed 40 sets for Rebecca, 25 of them interiors, mostly of Manderley.^[3] Matte painting was used to fill out shots of the sets with hand-painted details such as upper walls, ceilings and chandeliers.^[3]

Two miniatures of Manderley were created. The larger miniature occupied most of a large stage. It was used for relatively close shots, such as the views of flames through the windows during the burning of Manderley. The size of this miniature made it impossible to position a camera to encompass the full house and grounds, so a smaller version was constructed for long shots. This half-size miniature was used for the opening of the film.^[3]

Hitchcock later said that Selznick wanted the smoke from the burning Manderley to spell out a huge "R", which Hitchcock thought lacked subtlety. While Selznick was preoccupied by Gone with the Wind (1939), Hitchcock was able to replace the smoky "R" with the burning of a monogrammed négligée case lying atop a bed pillow. Hitchcock edited the film "in camera" (shooting only what he wanted to see in the final film) to restrict the producer's power to re-edit the picture.^[4] But Selznick relished the post-production process; he personally edited the footage, laid in Franz Waxman's score, and supervised retakes and extensive re-recording of the dialogue of Sanders, Bates and Fontaine. Rewrites and reshooting were called for after a rough cut was previewed on December 26, 1939.^[5]^: 78–80

The Hollywood Reporter reported in 1944 that Edwina Levin MacDonald sued Selznick, Daphne du Maurier, United Artists and Doubleday for plagiarism. MacDonald claimed that the film Rebecca was stolen from her novel Blind Windows, and sought an undisclosed amount of accounting and damages.^[6] The complaint was dismissed on January 14, 1948^[7] and the judgment can be read online.^[8]

Production credits

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The production credits on the film were as follows:

Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Producer – David O. Selznick
Screenplay – Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison
Cinematography – George Barnes (photography)
Art direction – Lyle R. Wheeler (art direction), Joseph B. Platt (interiors designed), Howard Bristol (interior decoration)
Music – Franz Waxman (music), Lou Forbes (music associate)
Special effects – Jack Cosgrove
Film editor – Hal C. Kern (supervising film editor), James E. Newcom (associated film editor)
Scenario assistant – Barbara Keon
Sound – Jack Noyes (recorder)
Assistant director – Edmond Bernoudy

^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference HaS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference dark was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cite error: The named reference asc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Chandler, Charlotte (2005). It's Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock, A Personal Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 129.
^ Leff, Leonard J. (1987). Hitchcock and Selznick: The Rich and Strange Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and David O. Selznick in Hollywood. New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 1-55584-057-4. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
^ The Hollywood Reporter, January 13, 1944
^ The Fresno Bee Republican, January 17, 1948 – see e.g. here Archived August 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
^ "MacDONALD v. DU MAURIER". leagle.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2016.

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