Creepy house and wicked lot, Rebecca has it all

What Daphne du Maurier saw in Menabilly was more than trivial, as this estate prompted her to pen "Rebecca" (1938). Located in the south coast of Cornwall, it had the air of privilege that the author was accustomed to. It also had a Gothic look, and when dusk set it, the shadows would play tricks. This was what the Londoner felt, a sense of place that many writers believed was her best trait.

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..."

The first page of the novel was the narrator's description of the humongous home where she once lived. This would be Gothic fiction at its finest. The narrator was a young lady, who was a companion to a wealthy American woman on a holiday in Monte Carlo. Then she met a brooding gentleman on the cliff. He was looking down. When their eyes met, she could tell he was contemplating suicide. He was Maximilian de Winter, a widower who was about twice as old as the narrator. Fate seemed to bring them together. A whirlwind romance followed, which Maxim made sure she couldn't refuse. She had no idea that he needed her more.

Secretive and silent as it had always been

The young woman, who was unnamed throughout the novel, became the second Mrs. de Winter. Manderlay intimidated her upon her arrival. Dread came when she met Mrs. Danvers, a housekeeper who was so devoted to Rebecca, Maxim's first wife. She kept her mistress' room intact. Du Maurier leaves to the readers to decide if Mrs. Danvers has sinister motives, but what is certain is she makes life difficult for Maxim's new wife. Eventually, she would learn about Manderlay's haunted past. Rebecca was anything but a virtuous wife. She had numerous affairs. This prompted him to kill her out of rage. There was more, all of which put our heroine in a crossroad. She could be a wallflower, which was how Maxim saw her during their first meeting in the French Riviera, or assertive.

The outcome took the couple by surprise. Manderlay was in flames, which freed Rebecca (or her memory at least).

To be or not to be (faithful)

David O. Selznick wanted to adapt "Rebecca" to the big screen, believing that this would be the perfect follow-up to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" (1936), which he produced. He thought of Alfred Hitchcock directing it, who shared du Maurier's penchant for mystery. This was the author's third book that he would direct. She was unhappy about how he made liberties with "Jamaica Inn" (1936), and the original plan was the screenplay for “Rebecca” would be a loose adaptation of the novel. Selznick won't have anything to do with it.

The head of Selznick International Pictures wanted a faithful adaptation, which Hitchcock relented. The filmmaker wasn't stoked with the result, which he thought was lacking in humor. But the melodrama, tension, and creepiness remained intact. Rebecca lived once more.