Rebecca (1940) screen tests Loretta Young Margaret Sullavan Vivien Leigh Joan Fontaine Hitchcock

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4 жыл бұрын

Brief clips from some of the screen tests, to find a second Mrs De Winter, to star opposite Laurence Olivier.
Many women were considered for the part. Initially, Selznick was interested in Nova Pilbeam for the role. The book was written by English author, Daphne Du Maurier, who declined the opportunity to visit the States and be involved in the making of the movie.
For more material on Joan Fontaine, check out the new paperback book available on Amazon - THEY SHONE WITH THE WIND BOOK 2: BIOGRAPHIES OF OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND, HATTIE MCDANIEL, HATTIE NOEL AND CAMMIE KING.
There are more details about the other possible actresses for Rebecca, in THEY SHONE WITH THE WIND BOOK 1: BIOGRAPHIES OF VIVIEN LEIGH, GEORGE REEVES, FRED CRANE, OSCAR POLK, CARROLL NYE, ALICIA RHETT AND DAVID O. SELZNICK (ISBN: 9798653612251 from Amazon's Book Store.)
The latest book with a lot of new detail on the making of GWTW is "Clark Gable Hollywood's King" - available on Amazon. Similar in "Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen Hollywood Neighbours."
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Пікірлер: 38

@isabelavasco9321 4 жыл бұрын

all of these actresses are amazingly talented and it might be confirmation bias but Fontaine truly seems to be the best suited for the role

@shelovezcandy2852 4 жыл бұрын

Yes Fontaine fits the finished film so well, it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role. I think Anne Baxter might have worked out. She was around 16, when they tested her. Her youth might have contributed something, as it would have made sense that her new position was overwhelming..

@douglascohen9617 3 жыл бұрын

I think Margaret Sullavan could have also been excellent in the role. Vivian would have been miscast, although it would have been wonderful to see her make another film with Larry

@shelovezcandy2852 3 жыл бұрын

@@douglascohen9617 David Selznick recalled that he and Hitchcock, looked at the screen tests 20 times, and agreed that the role should be given to Margaret Sullvan or Joan Fontaine. They finally decided that Fontaine was the one, because Margaret would seem much too clever, and would be quicker to turn against the man. Vivien and Larry intended to make a movie of Macbeth, but they lost the promised funding when Mike Todd died in a plane accident.

@austriaco4132 3 жыл бұрын

@@douglascohen9617 Leigh would habe been so much better than Greer Garson in Pride and Prejudice

@lanaodierna7531 3 жыл бұрын

Joan was best! I loved her in Jane Eyre as well.

@wms72 3 жыл бұрын

I never knew she starred in Jane Eyre

@valkyriesardo278 3 жыл бұрын

Loretta and Vivien were far too lovely to be the second Mrs. De Winter. Fontaine was by no means ugly but she was able to look convincingly plain. Olivier wanted Vivien to have the role and so he was less than cordial to Fontaine throughout the filming. The resulting anxiety off camera only served to enhance her performance on film. Interestingly, it had the opposite effect for Olivier. He never succeeded in convincing me that Max had the least bit of love for his second wife.

@jamesa.romano8500 Жыл бұрын

He gave the same treatment to Greer Garson and Marilyn Monroe acting opposite them and they both walked off with their respective films while his performance suffered (although to be clear Greer is by no means the best Elizabeth Bennet but she was likable enough and certainly more than Olivier's Darcy). And this is all ironic given that he was known to have treated Vivien pretty poorly throughout their marriage and so his getting upset about her not getting cast in leads opposite him is pretty rich. Won't ever know for sure what he was really like, but the more I read about him the more I'm seeing he was a piece of work to put it politely... (and overrated as an actor to boot)

@youisastar3246 10 ай бұрын

@@jamesa.romano8500 Joan didn't bring much to the role in terms of complexity. That's why maybe the part seems so boring. I was really amazed at what Vivien made of the role in terms of interpretation. Her Mrs. de Winter was young, childish, clumsy and talkative. Some traits match the character from the book and since they are her dialogues, there could be a possibility that the character was running on a train when she talked. If she got the part, I'm sure we would see something altogether interesting.

@beverlysuttonlawrence3468 3 ай бұрын

@@youisastar3246 "Joan didn't bring much to the role in terms of complexity." IMHO, That lack of complexity, early on in the book and the film, was the center of the character, and the whole point of DeWinter taking any interest in her, at all. The young woman had none of the feminine wiles of Rebecca - Rebecca was able to wrap men around her little finger - the second Mrs. DeWinter was barely able to look directly at anyone.

@youisastar3246 3 ай бұрын

@@beverlysuttonlawrence3468 thanks. But it also made the character dull, one-dimensional and lacking any of her character traits. The character in the book was very individualistic and had her own personality with which she rebelled. Joan's performance was entertaining but she seemed to be running repeat on a loop. People who are shy are just the opposite with the ones they are comfortable with. This is what Vivien suggested in her test. It's as if they need to compensate for all the deprivation by overcompensating it in times when they can.

@jameslowther2720 3 жыл бұрын

Margaret Sullavan did a good screen test but she was a very good actress. Obviously, the right choice was landed at in the end. A lot of performances from that era are criticised for being melodramatic and hammy, but Joan Fontaine in Rebecca was really very understated, quite ahead of its time. If you see interviews with Joan Fontaine you'll see that she is completely different to the second Mrs de Winter, vivacious, funny and quite performative - making her performance here all the more praiseworthy.

@jaengen 11 ай бұрын

I think Margaret was a fine actress, but she looked a bit too old for the role. Joan was the most youthful of these women and seemed the most innocent as well, both qualities best fitting the role.

@cosmedearmas9516 2 жыл бұрын

Joan blew all competitors out of the water. Vivien was playing Scarlett again.

@duang3972 Жыл бұрын

Joan Fontaine only one to be Mis de Winter, she is perfect

@j.w.2391 Жыл бұрын

All great and beloved actresses. Where is Anne Baxter's text...? Love Maggie Sullavan but she hardly comes across as "shy" or "meek" or "English". We all agree Joan Fontaine Nailed it !

@yana1955 3 жыл бұрын

Vivien is acting too affected - too much Scarlett. Joan was perfection.

@lemorab1 3 ай бұрын

Vivien would be perfect for Rebecca de Winter, had that character been shown in the film. I could never buy her as the shy, initially wilting violet that is wife number two.

@avisjohnson6185 3 жыл бұрын

They say the moment Vivien Leigh finished Gone With the Wind she went to audition for this role

@chrishintz1077 Жыл бұрын

Yes, Joan was perfect. So too were Olivier, and let’s not forget jasper ;) and George sanders. Judith Anderson was chilling as the housekeeper, stealing scenes.

@arnepianocanada 3 жыл бұрын

Loretta and Vivien both would have suited the role of Rebecca if there had been such a role. Breeding, brains and *Beauty* indeed! Margaret seems superficial.Joan had exemplary control of moves that collapsed into her crushed self-esteem. The others couldn't touch her.

@shelovezcandy2852 3 жыл бұрын

I would have liked to have seen a flashback with Vivien playing the first Mrs de Winter.

@VONOBER 3 жыл бұрын

In the 1997 version there are flashbacks with Rebecca, but the actress wasn't as beautiful as I had imagined the first Mrs de Winter. Young and Leigh would've been perfect for the role!

@lemorab1 3 жыл бұрын

@@shelovezcandy2852 So would I, but it works better if we never see Rebecca. Her almost supernatural presence at Manderly is more powerful if we are left to imagine what she was like, unseen but felt everywhere.

@arnesahlen2704 2 ай бұрын

None of the others projected the deeply crushed self-image; and they all were too beautiful to be well de-glammed. Joan, not truly a 'knockout', could project mousiness or allure with success.

@arnesahlen2704 2 ай бұрын

I wonder if Joan, feeling an underdog to Olivia who had an already full career, might have channelled some of that low self-image into this part as underdog to a past stellar icon.

@josematheus5415 2 жыл бұрын

I’m not a Fontaine’s fan, but we have to agree this role was made for her, she looks much better than the others(just talking about this particular test, because all the others actress were much better than Fontaine)

@marialuizasaboiasaddi2160 9 ай бұрын

Joan Fontaine e Laurence Olivier.

@youisastar3246 Жыл бұрын

Vivien Leigh was the best! For the same reasons she was cast as Scarlett. She screamed of youth, vitality. Of course, it had to be honed differently for this film. While this part may be uninteresting, I only want to marvel at what level Vivien's genius would impact her interpretation. Joan was good but people had issues with her expressions. Couldn't tell whether she was crying or smiling.

@asheisadora 11 ай бұрын

I would have cast Andrea Leeds, the actress who played the doomed actress in Stage Door, and was on the short list to play Melanie in GWTW. She resembled Olivia de Havilland, but a bit more ordinary looking.