trwroth,
I think you overestimate the importance of David O. Selznick’s commentary about Hitchcock, and underestimate just how well-established Hitchcock was as a director before he ever landed in “Hollywoodland.”
Anyone who has followed Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s career knows that Hitch usually based his films upon novels, but that he rarely followed them with any degree of accuracy. Instead of trying to make a film version of a successful novel, he instead made highly cinematic adaptations of those aspects of the novel in which he was most interested.
Alternately, David O. Selznick, was more interested in the faithful transfer of famous novels into “artistic” films.
Hitchcock was accustomed to controlling his own productions, and Selznick was accustomed to micro managing his productions through voluminous decrees in the form of memorandums fuelled by the inability to delegate, and by tossing back amphetamines like popcorn.
The two men were predestined to disagree upon how “Rebecca” should be filmed. Selznick had used five different directors and at least 12 different screenwriters to complete “Gone With the Wind,” so it is more of a tribute to Hitchcock that he — as an employee of Selznick, the producer — could survive the entire production of “Rebecca” and still manage to imbue “Rebecca” with so much of his own directorial voice.
If Selznick expressed bitterness about Hitchcock, either in his memorandums, or in his habit of lending out Hitchcock’s services to other studios, Hitchcock also made his dislike of Selznick clear.
Hitchcock had the bulky Raymond Burr dressed in round, steel rim glasses and short grey hair, looking remarkably like David O. Selznick, to play the part of the villainous murderer in “Rear Window.”
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rexshard93
16 years ago
David O. Selznick's decisions were very bad. But thanks to Hitchcock, Rebecca is a masterpiece.
According to the Book "Its only a Movie", David O. Selznick wanted the smoke from the burning Manderley to spell out a huge R. Alfred Hitchcock thought the touch lacked any subtlety. When Selznick was preoccupied by Gone With the Wind (1939), Hitchcock was able to replace the smoky R with the burning of a monogrammed lingerie case. Hitchcock also edited the picture in the camera, a method of filmmaking that didn't allow David O. Selznick to reedit the picture.
So pretty much, what we are watching is from Hitchcock's own vision.
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slokes
16 years ago
The one I noticed was at the end, when we see Erica (Nova Pilbeam) confronted in the hotel lobby by her old boyfriend, Dep. Inspector Kent (John Longden). She notices a commotion on stage, where the drummer seems to be indisposed. Kent tells her its none of her concern, but then we hear a sound of alarm, as the camera pans over to where the drummer is, some 30 yards away, surrounded by a throng of people, with Dep. Inspector Kent cradling his head.
Making matters worse is another cut to Erica off in the back, with Kent standing just behind her. She wedges her way into the throng, and right next to the teleporting policeman.
I swear that's John Longden holding the drummer man's head up. Am I wrong?
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dkrathbun
15 years ago
I am afraid you are mistaken: it's the bandleader. The previous shots show the bandleader going to help the drummer and supporting him. You can tell it's him because of his striped tie, which not only matches the tie he was wearing earlier, but also matches the drummer's (and the other band members: fancy bands dressed identically in those days, I imagine).
Compare that tie to Inspector Kent's, which can be seen a moment later: his is more of a wide plaid or check pattern.
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killservant
16 years ago
As well as mocking up Raymond Burr to look like Selznick, in 'North By Northwest', Roger Thornhill's cigarette case is entitled Roger O Thornhill - just like David O Selznick. In both cases, the owners of the names claim that it stands for nothing.
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