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I read Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca back when I was in high school, but I didn't remember too much of the plot. So I thought I'd review it quickly by watching the movie version instead. That led me to renting the 1940 film of the same name, produced by David O. Selznick one year after his Gone With the Wind took the world by storm.

Rebecca marks the Hollywood debut of famed English director Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock came to the project with an impressive resume of films in the mystery/thriller/suspense genre, including The Lady Vanishes, The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Sabotage. He therefore seemed like a perfect choice to direct du Maurier's psychological thriller.

Rebecca opens with one of the most famous lines in literature: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." It is spoken by the as-yet unnamed narrator, played by Joan Fontaine. The main plot then unfolds in a flashback, and we're taken to Monte Carlo where the narrator is the paid companion of a woman named Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates).

Mrs. Van Hopper is interested in hobnobbing with the rich and famous rather than actually enjoying any of the attractions that Monte Carlo has to offer, but she can't seem to find anyone worth talking to. Then she notices an old acquaintance named Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). Though Mrs. Van Hopper tries to get Maxim to commit to a social engagement, Maxim succeeds in brushing her off.

Later, Mrs. Van Hopper falls ill and must stay in bed for several days. During that time, the narrator becomes very friendly with Maxim. The two lunch together, then start taking long drives out by the coast. As it turns out, they fall in love and soon decide to get married.

The couple return to Manderley, a vast, sprawling estate that has been in the de Winter family for ages. When the new Mrs. de Winter arrives, she is greeted rather coldly by the servants. Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), the head of the household staff, is particularly unfriendly towards Mrs. de Winter, and it doesn't take long to figure out why. Mrs. Danvers was extremely fond of Maxim's first wife, the lovely, mysterious Rebecca de Winter. Rebecca died in a boating accident the year before, and Mrs. Danvers hasn't quite gotten over the death. Indeed, Rebecca's presence still fills Manderley. Rebecca's things are laid out exactly as they were on the day she died, no one is allowed to use the west wing (where Rebecca had her rooms), and the staff try to get the new Mrs. de Winter to behave as much like Rebecca as possible.

As the story progresses, it turns out that Rebecca's death might not have been an accident after all. There are a couple of twists to the plot, but nothing really substantial in my opinion.

Although I didn't remember all the details of Daphne du Maurier's novel before sitting down to watch this movie, I recalled that I liked the book very much. That's why I was surprised by my reaction to the movie. I felt it was rather boring and uninteresting, and I can't fathom why the film has gotten such good reviews (and a Best Picture Oscar to boot) over the decades.

Maybe the problem for me lies with the fact that the movie was directed by Hitchcock. Because of that, I expected the plot to be scarier or tenser than it actually was. Furthermore, I expected a knock-your-socks-off twist, which never did come. Instead, this was actually a pretty straightforward story. Yes, at the beginning I did wonder what it was about Rebecca that everyone loved so much, but that curiosity quickly diminished. By the end, I didn't really care what happened anymore.

In addition, I didn't find the characters likable at all. Maxim and Mrs. de Winter were too one-dimensional for my tastes. Mrs. Danvers was more interesting, but her evil disposition was so clear from the start that nothing she did was a surprise.

Overall, I don't think Rebecca would appeal to today's typical moviegoer. People throw around words like "psychological" and "atmospheric" to describe this film, but I'm not buying it. It was boring, plain and simple!