Only its complete obliteration, along with all of the memories of Rebecca within, could rid Maxim of her. Maxim is no longer under investigation, and the destruction of the place where they dwelt together acts like an exorcism. This spells a definitive end to Rebecca’s involvement in his life. As Maxim returns to Manderley, having cleared his name, he finds the estate burning. This makes Rebecca’s ending all the more important. Rebecca’s constant presence at Manderley shows that the memories of her are attached directly to the house and the events that occurred there. The setting of a manor house is often inherently Gothic in nature the ghosts of the past need somewhere to haunt.

Although Rebecca is dead, her memory cannot be escaped, as it is bound to Manderley. The haunted demeanor of the characters and the constant references to Rebecca in conversation ensure that the film is entirely focused on her. It is also notable that she is never even named during the course of the film, further allowing Rebecca to remain foregrounded in the viewer’s mind. de Winter stands in the large, looming shadow of the woman who came before her. The actress’ quiet but committed performance perfectly illustrates how Mrs. The polar opposite of Olivier and Anderson’s roles, Fontaine’s character is very meek and placid for the majority of the film. The strong presence of Rebecca within the house is emphasised by Fontaine’s performance as the new Mrs. Danvers remains so obsessed with Rebecca that she adamantly refuses to remove her possessions from the house and spends an inordinate amount of time in her bedroom, saying that she can even hear the footsteps of the deceased Mrs. Maxim is haunted by the memory of Rebecca taunting him before her death, so much so that he initially refuses to go near the beach house where she died. Even though the titular character is dead, her presence at Manderley is perpetually felt by everyone who enters the estate. This is, of course, one of Rebecca’s main themes. This sets the stage for either literal or figurative ghosts of the past to return and wreak havoc on the characters’ lives. One of the most notable is that the main characters often have a dark past that they actively try to repress, yet it never remains hidden for long. Gothic fiction is characterised by a few fundamental themes. So, what makes Rebecca such a Gothic masterpiece? To discern this, one must look at the way that the film presents Gothic themes on-screen. de Winter seeks more information on Rebecca and the circumstances of her death. As Maxim becomes increasingly emotionally distant and foul-tempered, the second Mrs. His previous wife, Rebecca, was well loved by everyone, including housekeeper Mrs. Rebecca tells the tale of a young woman (Joan Fontaine) who meets the rich widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier).

The film is considered to be one of the director’s best, and was highly influential in shaping the future of Hollywood cinema. Within five minutes, it’s clear that Hitchcock drew inspiration from Gothic literature for his Rebecca adaptation.

Gaslight 1944 essay