Renowned for his mastery in the psychological interplay between romance, violence, and sex, Hitchcock’s legacy commenced with his first American film Rebecca (1940). An adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name, Rebecca (1940), is incredibly faithful to the original literary work and its controversial subtexts. A gothic love story dominated by suspense, moreover, delivers a failed heterosexual romance. One of the most memorable characters in the film—Mrs. Danvers— offers hidden messages to the queer spectators in the 40s. Queer theory is the study of sexual and gender identities that are different from the established ideas of sexuality or heterosexual norm. Challenging the censorship code, queer theory manifests in Rebecca through the film’s departure from heterosexuality and the conventional power relationship between males and females.
Bringing taboo topics into open conversations, Hitchcock stretches the limits of production code by addressing illicit behaviors with ambiguity. While the prohibition of homosexual relationships was never explicitly stated, the Hays Code does indicate its intolerance to “aberrant sexuality.” In the movie, Rebecca’s abnormal closeness with her cousin Favell suggests an incestuous nature in their relationship. “Favell used to visit her in this cottage. I found out about it, and I warned her,” Maxim, Rebecca’s husband, implies a disturbing and secretive relationship between the two without making direct accusations. To preserve the perversity in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca without violating the production code, Hitchcock achieves fidelity by orchestrating the actors and actresses in their languages and performance. Judith Anderson, who acted as Mrs. Danvers, was unaware of the lesbian undertone in her presentation because her movements were performed under Hitchcock’s instructions (Bernsmeier). Making Rebecca visually absent from the entire film, Hitchcock presents Rebecca’s character through anecdotes instead of the typical use of flashbacks. Rebecca’s absence makes the film possible to portray the forbidden context of homosexuality through the characters’ emotions. The actors/actresses were taught to use actions and expressions to convey certain emotions, which would be muted details that could only be interpreted through intentional queer reading. Taking the new Mrs. De Winter to an intimate tour of Rebecca’s room, Mrs. Danvers recalls how Rebecca used to tell her stories while undressing. When Mrs. Danvers talks about Rebecca, she tends to stare into the distance and changes her tone. To queer spectators, these small changes in behaviors could signify a strong emotional attachment between Mrs. Danvers and her mistress, while regular moviegoers would easily miss the cues to the underlying lesbianism.
In a scene that new Mrs. De Winter sneaks into Rebecca’s room, Mrs. Danvers shows up from behind in a ghostly manner. Giving a tour of the oddity preserved bedroom of Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers demonstrates Rebecca’s daily routine to the new Mrs. de Winter. Regardless of her subordinate position, Mrs. Danvers manipulates the new Mrs. De Winter out of her extreme obsession and loyalty towards her former mistress— Rebecca De Winter. Even years after Rebecca’s death, her initial is embroidered in items from the napkins to the pillows of Manderley. She shows a closet full of fur coats and rubs her face with one of them as if the deceased Rebecca was wearing it. “Did you ever see anything so delicate? Look, you can see my hand through it!” Emphasizing the see-through quality of Rebecca’s lace nightgown, Mrs. Danvers implies the intimacy of her relationship with Rebecca De Winter by suggesting her mesmerization with Rebecca’s naked body. Hitchcock’s choice of Rebecca’s presentation and his sensibility in performers’ expressions made it possible to translate the unspeakable queer subtext from the literature visually.
Failing to fulfill the gender roles imposed by the traditional patriarchal system, both the heroine and Maxim end up becoming hysterical and dishonest. Manderley shows the haunting presence of a failed patriarchal system that drives the characters towards insanity and hypocrisy. Before taking the new girl back to Manderley, Maxim tells her not to forget to put “two lumps of sugar and some milk” into his coffee. Maxim is controlling and demanding towards the second Mrs. De Winter. Adopting the job of a servile wife, the new girl tries to fit in the world of a wealthy family due to her fear of losing her husband. As she learns people’s impressions towards Maxim’s deceased first wife, the girl sees herself as an outsider to this family. The girl is a flawed replacement that could not live up to the name of the beloved Rebecca. The second Mrs. De Winter lacks the confidence in being the head of the estate, and her fear is most significantly apparent during her interactions with Mrs. Danvers. Hitchcock’s cinematic choices also highlight this power relationship by contracting the power between the two characters. On the new girl’s first night in Menderley, Mrs. Danvers follows her as she gives her a tour. Walking up straight with calm, Mrs. Danvers appears in an intimidating posture and follows the girl closely as if she is her prey.
During this sequence, the two characters’ shadows are shown on the walls. Mrs. Danvers’ silhouettes appear larger than the new girl’s, showing the servant’s power over the new mistress. As an embodiment of both the haunted estate and Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers shows an unconventional gender role that threatens not only the heroine but also Maxim. “She told me about herself, told me things I shall never repeat to a living soul,” Maxim suggests that he killed Rebecca due to her revelation of truth. While the audience would never know what Rebecca said to Maxim, queer viewers can imagine that the confession is sexual in nature. Does Rebecca’s inability to love her husband has to do with her lesbian desire or her complicated relationship with Mrs. Danvers? Avoiding blatant representations, Hitchcock made the film rather suggestive and ambiguous. The truth remains unknown, and that could be the reason why the censorship board did not prohibit the movie. Despite his attempt to restore masculinity and control by demanding his new wife, Maxim is emasculated by his fear towards Rebecca. In Manderley, Rebecca controls the household with her flawless image and the elaborated lies. Maxim loses his influences as a master to her wife, and further struggle to overcome the fear after he murdered Rebecca. The film features gender role reversal that further signal an irregular idea of sexuality.
In Rebecca, the character typology reveals the common perception of lesbianism at the time. Mrs. Danver’s ghostly appearances in the mansion contribute to her eerie spirituality in her character. Mrs. Danvers lost herself the day when Manderley lost the girl who enlivened it. Dressing in a black gown, Mrs. Danvers reminds one of a stereotypical witch. In the final scene, Mrs. Danvers sets the estate on fire and died with Manderley. The daunting secrets and the mythical stories of Rebecca are gone with the death of Mrs. Danvers and the haunted mansion. According to the production code, the representation of abnormal sexuality should be regulated and restricted as follows: “The sanctity of the institution of marriage and the home shall be upheld. Pictures shall not infer that low forms of sex relationship are the accepted or common thing” (Bernsmeier). Mrs. Danvers expresses her devotion and affection towards a woman of the same gender; therefore she must be punished in the end. Mrs. Danvers’ miserable death seems to resemble the execution of witches. In the Salem Witch Trial of the 1690s, heathens, atheists, and lesbians were put on a trial for their unpopular beliefs and practices. They were deemed as abnormal and even sinister. Many women were executed out of civilians’ fear of the unknown. Moreover, homosexuality was commonly associated with mental illnesses and insanity. The film mirrors America’s long history of discrimination against homosexuality though the portrayal of Mrs. Danvers’ character.
Contributing to the success of suspense in Rebecca, the visual absence of the central character and ambiguity in the character’s emotions convey an underlying lesbian desire. The performances of the actors and actresses encode the language with a subtle queer subtext that was free from the control of censorship. Highlighting the extreme obsessions of Mrs. Danvers through the actress’s expressions, Hitchcock builds a complex identity that embodies both Manderley and Rebecca. By watching the interactions between Mrs. Danvers, the new mistress, and Maxim, the spectators can see how the characters differ from the established ideas of gender roles and further derive the homosexual subtext from queer reading.
Work Cited
Bernsmeier, Jordan. “From Haunting the Code to Queer Ambiguity: Historical Shifts in Adapting Lesbian .” Dec. 2013.
Hitchcock, Alfred, director. Rebecca (Motion Picture).
Intermission Time 