The Omnipresence of Rebecca De Winter in Hitchcock's Film Rebecca

As Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film, Rebecca (1940) earned him is only best picture Oscar. This adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s chilling suspense novel of the same title compliments the story in a variety of ways. By adjusting this story to the fit the constraints of the cinematic screen, Hitchcock remained remarkably faithful to Du Maurier’s story. Although some divergences do occur, Hitchcock’s rendition of Daphne Du Maurier’s romantic suspense novel compliments her story in classic Hitchcockian style. Since this story lends greatly to Hitchcock’s love of disturbing characters, terrifying scenery and shocking plot twists it comes as no surprise that this film was such a success. In regards to Hitchcock’s adaptation, his faithfulness to and divergence from Du Maurier’s story can be illustrated in his portrayal of the four main characters in the book. Although each character’s outstanding attributes cross over from novel to film with ease, the way Hitchcock represents most of these characters to the viewer differs dramatically from the representation presented in the novel.