I enjoyed this movie, but the first and second half almost seem like two different movies. Once the investigation starts, the movie loses its sort of ethereal quality.
swoon
sane insanist
I agree, but I don't think it is a bad thing. I actually took a break halfway this film to hangout with some friends and finished it the next day. So I definitely noticed what you're talking about. While I'll agree that the first half that established the scene and characters was a little long, it helped set a tone and create Rebecca as an almost immortal figure, her presence still felt from beyond the grave. This helps the whole 'plot twist' (if you will) seem even more 'plot twisty' (if you will again) when we find out the truth from Max. I think the audience was supposed to want more during the first half, and then when Max reveals the truth, it seems to come out of nowhere and blindside the audience.
shareI actually liked the first part and the buildup better.
shareThe second half of the film was my favorite part. I agree that the first half set up the plot twist very well and yes, I was blindsided, in a good way. That's when the film kicked into high gear for me and made me more interested than ever in seeing how things turned out. Another plot twist for me was when Favell attempted to blackmail Max. I was pretty well convinced that Max would give into Favell's demands and I definitely did not want that. I was surprised and relieved that Max immediately exposed Favell's blackmail attempt.
it worked that the second half was faster and sharper, when the truth came out, the pace of life for them would have speeded up. no longer were they plodding along comfortably in their big house, it was meant to shake things up
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OCOE - obsessive compulsive olive eater
The OP is right. If one were to doze off after the great scene in which Mrs. Danvers is encouraging our heroine to jump to her death from the west wing, one might be forgiven for thinking that one had woken up and was viewing an entirely different movie. Not only has the emphasis shifted entirely from Manderley itself (we never see it again except when it is on fire), but the emphasis has also shifted from our heroine's struggle with the shadow cast by Rebecca. Rather, the movie is now a murder mystery and Maxim is suddenly fighting for his life. I suppose we are meant to believe that this tragedy brings Maxim and our heroine closer together and that they live happily ever after.
shareThe finding of Rebecca's boat was the most significant plot point, turning the story not only away from the second Mrs. de Winter's battles with Mrs. Danvers to the more direct "battle" between Rebecca's legacy (as opposed to mere memories) and the couple of Max and his second wife. As Magilune noted this put developments on a more accelerated pace, as is in keeping with the reality of such a development. This development was also critical to the character development of Max and particularly his second wife, but also I think quite interestingly in better understanding who Rebecca really was, and how much she was in effect attempting an overthrow of the de Winter's established order.
a film that turns on such a major plot point at roughly midway through may seem like it ties together two different stories. But the suggestion made by the OP cannot be taken as literally accurate. The first half of the film tells a story that is transformed by the plot development, but it does clearly lead up to it. So, I disagree with the observation.
It does become more of a thriller in the second half, which is fine with me.
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💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍
It's in 3 acts. The first act is a romance story set in sunlight against beautiful locales. The second is a mystery set in a dimly-lit palace full of foreboding and portent. The third is a thriller in which all is revealed.
Each has its own mood. All are appropriate.
This is my biggest problem with the film: Joan Fontaine's character virtually disappears for the final thirty minutes. Everything leading up to the scene at the cottage foregrounds her subjectivity, but once the inquest begins, we're displaced.
I'm sure there's some way to justify the second Mrs. de Winter's sinking into the background, but I think it disrupts the final act of the story.
Spoilers
bbp,
I have not timed the interval, but i am sure it is less than 30 minutes from the time that the second Mrs. deWinter enters the limo back to Manderlay and then when Maxim and Frank drive up, and Maxim finds her walking Jasper.
Essentially all that happens in between is the visit to Rebecca's doctor, and the post-visit interlude when Favell calls Danvers, meanwhile Maxim and Frank get in the car to drive back. I wouldn't think it takes more than ten minutes.
More generally in the last part of the film, from say the end of their encounter before the fireplace to the end, assuredly the percentage of her lines and screen time goes down. But she remains a strong presence in the film. And of course Joan Fontaine is on the screen at least ninety percent of the time from the cutaway from Maxim standing in the entrance hall as the party began until that encounter.
So I don;t agree with the premise.
I prefer to think of everything after the "shack confession" as the Fontaine character's fantasy -- the outlandish events that would need to occur for her husband to be proven innocent.
In that case, it's far less important for her character to be a participant in the events on screen -- for the final act, she's essentially a spectator in her own dream.
The suspense of the film is based on our experiencing its event from Joan Fontaine's POV. At first it seems downright haunted by Rebecca. But upon Joan's/our discovery that Rebecca was a monster, that Maxim didn't love her and in fact disposed of her body (in the novel he murdered her), Rebecca's spell is broken and the unearthly quality you refer to is dispelled.
Did you really need to have that explained, OP?