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M. Night Shyamalan is well known for his elaborate narrative setups and twist-filled conclusions. The prolific filmmaker has made a successful career out of misdirection. Perhaps that’s not surprising, seeing as Shyamalan is quite fond of the works of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock was no stranger to misdirection and used it flawlessly to subvert viewer expectations in films like Psycho.
When Shyamalan sat down with Rotten Tomatoes to discuss his five favorite films, the Unbreakable director named a black-and-white Hitchcock classic among his all-time favorites. Shyamalan professed his undying love for Hitchcock’s Rebecca, in part, because it’s so hard to even classify the film as belonging to a single cinematic genre.
“I’m not sure what genre it is and I love it because of that,” Shyamalan told Rotten Tomatoes. “Is it scary? I’m not sure it is. Is it a drama? For sure. Is it a romance? Yeah. And I love it, so elegantly done, I so fell in love with those characters, the performances were amazing. It was epic and haunting, and it was just its own perfect little gem that will never be re-created.”
I think Shyamalan summed that up pretty well. The film is a classic with a fascinating legacy. It took almost twice as long as estimated for Hitchcock to shoot the picture. But you can’t rush art.
If you’re curious to seek out the film, we’ve got you covered. Although Rebecca isn’t available to stream for free via any of the more conventional options, the flick is currently available to watch in its entirety on YouTube. So what are you waiting for? If you are still on the fence, scope the trailer in the player below to get a better feel for what the film has in store.
The setup goes like this: Rebecca is the story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter (Laurence Olivier). She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.
That’s all we have for you at present. Stay tuned to the site for more recommendations from major players in the genre film space as we uncover them. Also, be sure to follow @DreadCentral on Twitter (now known as X) so you never miss an exciting update.
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