An Eclectic Analysis of RebeccaBlake Allen

Rebecca (1940)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Composer: Franz Waxman

Preview: An Open Viewing of the Film in Its Entirety

You thought you could be Mrs. de Winter, live in her house, walk
in her steps, take the things that were hers! But shes too strong for
you. You cant fight her no one ever got the better of her. Never,
never. She was beaten in the end, but it wasnt a man, it wasnt a
woman. It was the sea!
--Mrs. Danvers to I

Rebecca is a film with multiple climaxes whether it be dramatically, emotionally
or musically based. One of the most intense moments, other than the infamous After The
Ball scene, is when I makes the decision to traipse into the West Wing and discover
Rebeccas room where Mrs. Danvers, who is the constant mourner and apparent alter
ego of the dead woman,
1
corners her. In other words, I gets mixed up in a twisted,
psychotic obsession.

1
p. 127 Darby
This scene, Rebeccas Room not only displays the extreme vulnerability of the
character I, but garnishes I a new-found knowledge providing her strength to fight
the never-ending haunting of Rebecca and the wrath of Mrs. Danvers for the first time in
the film. This all happens in the segue scene entitled, The New Mrs. de Winter.

1 - Historical and Cultural Context
Rebecca is Alfred Hitchcocks Best Picture Oscar-winning, Hollywood directorial
debut. David O. Selznick, producer, won a consecutive Oscar following the 1939 epic
Gone With the Wind. There was a lot of tension between Selznick and Hitchcock during
shooting, which caused a lot of post-production decisions to be made. Though Hitchcock
is known to have been missing for most of the post-production process, due to filming of
Foreign Correspondent, Waxman still was able to create an ethereal, impressionistic
score, even under the sometimes-harsh thumb of Selznick. Selznick originally wanted
Max Steiner, but he was not available. Selznick also wanted Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
Rebecca is based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, and was a huge success in
sales. Because many people read the book, Selznick wanted to stick to the original story.
Hitchcock, as we all know, likes to take the story and make it his own, but unfortunately
for Hitchcock, Selznick did most of the executive decisions for the story telling in post-
production. However, though it isnt as Hitchcokian as other of his movies, it is still an
artistic triumph.



2- Music and Filmic Syntax
Example 1: Climbing the stairs
Rebeccas Room begins with a F# timpani roll, establishing F# as the bass of the
section from 1:05:15 1:06:02. As I walks up the stars, the strings, starting from
low to high, climb a scale with the instruments stopping on their place in an F#
minor 9
th
chord.
1:05:15 1:05:23 1:05:29 1:05:34

F# timpani roll Cellos Violas Violins
1:05:38

More violins

With all the strings holding on their notes, the F# minor 9
th
has been firmly
established. There is an addition of a flute playing a trill on the 9
th
scale degree. The
harp scales its way up as a Novachord holds out A.


1:05:47 1:05:50 1:05:53

Flute trill Harp scale Novachord on A

Example 2: Entering the Room
There is a click of a door, an F major chord accompanies and the flute plays the first
half of REBECCA.
1:06:02 1:06:05

Click of door/FM REBECCA-Flute

There is a harp glissando, and the Novachord continues where the flute left off in
REBECCA.

1:06:11

REBECCA-Novachord/I pushes through curtain

There is a swell in the strings. I opens the curtains. The harp, celesta and strings
play a descending D# pentatonic scale.
1:06:34


After the window is unlatched, REBECCA begins in the violins and continues until
the musical break at 1:07:06.
1:06:43 1:06:54 1:06:58

REBECCA-Violins Touches hairbrush Walks away

The music continues as it did before at 1:07:07 with the music pausing at 1:07:10.
1:07:06 1:07:07

Window slams I walks over to window
*Silence*
Example 3: Mrs. Danvers enters
This section begins with the words You wish anything Madam? The flute and then
flute and bassoon play MRS. DANVERS beginning at 1:07:11.
1:07:11 1:07:17

MRS. DANVERS-Flute MRS. DANVERS-Bassoon add

There is a big crescendo and a horn solo after MRS. DANVERS is played.
1:07:44

Horn

As Mrs. Danvers walks towards the cabinet, a descending, arpeggiated F
augmented triad in the harp/celesta is outlined.
1:07:56


Example 4: The Cabinet and Underwear Drawer
This section begins with a distorted LOVE in solo cello. Mrs. Danvers touches the
cloak to her face. An arpeggiated Db 7
th
, 2
nd
inversion chord in the celesta is heard.
1:08:03 1:08:14

Cabinet/distorted LOVE-Cello Touches face/D min 7 2
nd
inv

The distorted LOVE picks up in solo Violin.
1:08:14 1:08:18

LOVE-Violin Touches Is face

Mrs. Danvers opens the drawers. A distorted REBECCA is heard in the harp/celesta.
A G# minor 7
th
, 2
nd
inversion downward arpeggio is subsequently heard.
1:08:37 1:08:44

Underwear & REBECCA -Harp/Celesta Closes drawer/G#m 7
th
, 2
nd
inv arpeg.

Example 5: The Dresser and Neglige
This section starts with REBECCA heard in the strings.

1:08:49


There is an interjection of a minor 2
nd
heard in a solo string instrument.
1:09:18 1:09:20

Holds out hand Touches shoulder

At 1:09:24, Mrs. Danvers remarks Youve moved the brush and MRS. DANVERS
picks up again in the strings, with the interjections dispersed within.
1:09:24

MRS. DANVERS-Violins

There is a close-up of a picture at 1:09:42, and a miniature rendition of MAX is heard
in the Oboe with tremolo strings underneath.
1:09:42

MAX-Oboe

The strings take away the theme from the Oboe back to MRS. DANVERS in solo cello
and the rest of the strings.
1:09:47 1:09:52

MRS. DANVERS-Cello/strings I embroidered this case for her

When the neglige is pulled out, there is almost an entirely new theme, still with
solo cello.
1:09:58

Neglige

Example 6: Confrontational
This section begins with a low B in the orchestra that transfers to a borrowed
melody from On Borrowed Time called Pud Running Away found in the high
violins. There is also a timpani roll in m. 6.
1:10:22

Look, you can see my hand through it/Low B
1:10:28 1:10:44

Pud Running Away

At the door, there is a violin duet that turns into a cello solo.
1:10:49

Mrs. Danvers speaks

MRS. DANVERS plays again in the flute.
1:11:09


An incomplete version of SEA is heard in the muted horn.

1:11:25


A snippet of MRS. DANVERS is heard the last time in the scene beginning at 1:11:43,
but the segue into the next scene takes over with a crash of waves at 1:11:51.
1:11:43 1:11:51

MRS. DANVERS-Strings Listen *Crash*


3 Sound-In-Filmic-Time
Franz Waxman takes a rather dramatic scene and adds his own touch of mickey-
mousing, or dramatic imitation, in a way that does not detract from the cohesive,
forward motion. Other than the one time when the window slams shut, there is no
interruption in the musical score in this 6:36 scene.
* 1:05:15 [I decides to go to Rebeccas room]
-1:05:23 [I climbs first set of stairs]
-1:05:50 [I climbs second set of stairs]
* 1:06:02 [I opens door to Rebeccas room. REBECCA plays]
-1:06:34 [I opens curtain. Descending D# pentatonic scale]
-1:06:43 [I unlatches and opens window]
-1:06:49 [I touches hairbrush and notices a picture on dresser]
-1:07:06 [Window slams shut]
* 1:07:11 [A voice is heard revealing Mrs. Danvers. MRS. DANVERS plays]
-1:07:17 [Mrs. Danvers walks towards I.]
-1:07:44 [Mrs. Danvers opens curtains. The room floods with light.]
* 1:08:03 [Mrs. Danvers opens mirrored closet. Distorted LOVE in cello solo.]
-1:08:14 [Mrs. Danvers touches fur cloak to her face. Db minor 7
th
triad]
-1:08:20 [Mrs. Danvers touches Is face with fur. Distorted LOVE in violin solo]
-1:08:37 [Mrs. Danvers opens underwear drawer. REBECCA in harp and celesta]
-1:08:44 [Mrs. Danvers closes underwear drawer. G# minor 7
th
inverted]
* 1:09:14 [Mrs. Danvers walks over to dresser. REBECCA in strings and interjections.]
-1:09:24 [I sits down and Mrs. Danvers realizes hair brush has been moved.
MRS. DANVERS in violins]
-1:09:42 [Camera zoom on photograph. MAX on oboe.]
-1:09:47 [Mrs. Danvers and I walk over to the bed]
-1:09:58 [Mrs. Danvers lies down an embroidered cloth with an R on it. MRS.
DANVERS in solo cello and strings.]
-1:10:22 [Mrs. Danvers reveals her hand through the sheer neglige]
* 1:10:44 [I walks away from Mrs. Danvers towards the door. Pud Running Away.]
-1:10:44 [I walks through the curtain]
-1:10:49 [Mrs. Danvers walks through the curtain]
-1:11:09 [Do you think the dead come back and watch the living. MRS.
DANVERS in flute and SEA in muted horn]
-1:11:43 [I opens door and leaves. Mrs. Danvers walks towards curtain. MRS.
DANVERS in strings]

4 Music and Filmic Codes
As stated earlier, Hitchcock was not seen much during post-production, and it
seems as if he did not have that much say in the filmic score. However, Selznick had a
great deal of influence, and even wrote to Waxman, the Rebecca theme should not be
depressing. If anything, it ought to be on the sensuous side. Indeed Waxman gives us not
just a sensual theme, but also a theme that is extremely impressionistic in harmony.
Throughout the entire scene of Rebeccas Room, there is mystery, danger,
nervousness and passion heard. The scene opens with a timpani roll which not only tells
the listener most of the scene will be in either F# minor or F# Major, but it also gives an
aura of foreboding and awkwardly even seems to ever [Is] sense of dread.
Waxman uses the relatively new instrument the Novachord to embody the ghost-
like haunting Rebecca has over the entire film. To give an other-worldly quality,
Waxman uses harp and celesta during every transition, commentary on imitation and
mystical moments. In order to give the scene a more continuity, Waxman skillfully uses
solo instruments throughout. Also, the fact the ghost orchestra is used for most of the
scene, except for the Pud Running Away, gives this scene a more elusive feel.
Furthermore, Waxman even mutes the strings at 1:10:49 (Example 5).
From the gong when opening the door, the Novachord as I crosses through
sheer curtain, to the timpani roll as she finally leaves through the curtain, to harp
glissandi and celesta rolls, Waxmans acute sense of timing only reinforces the level of
intensity and visual action. Every time a curtain, closet or drawer is opened, there is some
sort of glimmer. When Mrs. Danvers opens the underwear drawer, the harp/celesta play
REBECCA ascends, and as Mrs. Danvers closes the drawer, the harp descends. One of
the most iconic moments of dramatic imitation occurs when Mrs. Danvers touches her
face with the sleeve of Rebeccas cloak at 1:08:14 (Example 4). A Db 7
th
is heard, which
is not in the key. It makes the creepy, obsessiveness apparent. On the other hand, when
Mrs. Danvers touches Is face, there is no musical commentary; the violin just
continues playing is distorted LOVE.
Some of the most fantastic moments of dramatic telling occur when melodies leap
an octave or reach their top note. At 1:06:54 (Example 2), during a string version of
REBECCA, I walks over to the dresser, touches the comb and takes a gasp of air as she
sees Maxs photograph. Another example is at 1:10:44, during the borrowed Pud
Running Away, the highest part of the melody (Example 6) occurs, simultaneously with
the previous mentioned timpani, as I breaks through the curtain.
Waxman is also a craftsman of connecting multiple uses of themes into a fluid
arch, creating climaxes and moments of less intensity where they need be. Throughout
the scene, Waxman uses REBECCA (5), MRS. DANVERS (5), LOVE (2), MAX (1),
SEA (1), Pud Running Away and even creates new, unnamed material.

5 Musical and Filmic Representation: Textural Analysis
Starting with the staircase, I is extremely nervous to enter Rebeccas room in
the West Wing, but the curiosity of living in Rebeccas shadow gets the best of I. Who
wouldnt want to know more about their spouses deceased wife who died at sea?
Waxman gives us a glimpse of this desperate curiosity. Ever a consummate craftsman,
Waxman used a chamber ghost orchestra to invoke a character no longer among the
living, one never shown in photograph or flashback[.] (Bracket in original)
2
Even
though the audience, and therefore implying I as well, never sees an image of Rebecca,
the scene in Rebeccas Room gives a lavish portrayal of how much Rebecca was loved

2
pp. 226 227 Leitch
and worshiped. Of course, during The Confessional scene, the audience finds out the
truth of how Max does not love Rebecca, but rather hates her. But up until that point,
Rebeccas room further pushes I to an almost obsessive realm of competition. I has
to be the new Mrs. de Winter, otherwise she will never survive in Manderley.
The scene opens with a symbolic shot of the stairs that lead up to [the room]a
familiar Hitchcock trademark exploited in Notorious, Vertigo (1958), and Frenzy (1972)
to imply desperate situations.
3
As I reaches the top of the first set of stairs, you see her
look around, put her hand to her mouth, as if contemplating giving up, and then she
decides to walk up the other small set of stairs leading to the West Wing. The camera
angle changes, and the hypnotic tracking shot [] delete all dialogue and nonmusical
sounds, creat[es] a huge space for Waxmans mesmerizing pedal point.
4
When the
Novachord enters, it gives off an eerie sound, especially since it is resting on the minor
third. It is the last voice added to the mix before the epic moment when Is hand opens
the door. Do not forget, however, that the trill in the flute is on a G#, the leading tone to
the minor third, and the 9
th
scale degree.
Hitchcocks magical work of camera angles is used once again as we see an
extreme close-up of Is hand as it reaches for the door. With the sound of a click, a
gong is heard, as if I has unlocked a secret chamber. The flute then plays REBECCA as
the room unfolds.
Once I enters Rebeccas room, most of the action takes place inside the sheer
curtain. When I pushes the sheer curtain out of her way, the Novachord takes over
REBECCA at 1:06:11 (Example 2). This alone is a commentary on Rebeccas haunting

3
p. 128 Darby
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pp. 226 227 Leitch
over I. What secrets does the room hold? What will I discover? Her trepidation is
depicted extremely well not only visually, but musically.
When Mrs. Danvers enters the room in Example 3, she must first cross the plane
of the sheer curtain. Inside this chamber, Mrs. Danvers has control over I. She
proceeds to take I on her own journey into the psychotic obsessive realm. It begins with
Youve always wanted to see this room, havent you, Madam? Why did you never ask
me to show it to you? I was ready to show it to you everyday. In the film, there have
been comments made by others about the way I dresses, and it is interesting to note,
most of the references Mrs. Danvers gives I are of Rebeccas clothing. Mrs. Danvers
also digs knives into I with remarks such as Everybody loved her. How is I
supposed to ever live up to Rebecca? With Mrs. Danvers in control, I will never win.
One extreme psychotic occurrence happens inside the sheer curtain chamber.
When Mrs. Danvers takes I over to the dresser, the first thing she says is Oh, youve
moved her brush havent you? There, thats better. Just as she always laid it down. How
disturbing to hear someone noticed you touched a brush!
Throughout the entire scene, I wears every emotion on her face. Once the
neglige is shown, I breaks down and runs through the sheer curtain. With the
semblance of the timpani roll and the highest part of Pud Running Away, she seems to
have broken free of the spell of the room. However, just as I reaches the door, Mrs.
Danvers lunges out from behind the curtain and comes intimidatingly close to Is face.
Mrs. Danvers talks about Rebecca as if she is actually a ghost haunting Manderley. Its
not only in this room, it is in all the rooms of the house. I can almost here her now. And
with the most intense visual stare of the movie up to this point, almost as if Mrs. Danvers
has snapped, she whips her head to the side and remarks, Do you think the dead ever
come back and watch the living? Is eyes well up with tears signifying she has had
enough. Is mental stability is beginning to crack. Then, Mrs. Danvers goes off into her
own gaze and releases I to run out of the room. The scene ends with Mrs. Danvers
looking at the sheer curtain.
This scene segues into I standing firm and proud and declaring she is the new
Mrs. de Winter.

6 The Filmic World
The filmic world of Rebecca is a lush, gigantic mansion with secrets at every
corner. The fact I is so vulnerable makes the story. With such an enormous space, one
can only envision a haunting or poltergeist of some kind. The creative aspect of the story
is the ghost that walks the halls of Manderley is not an actual being, but the haunting of
who she was and her effect on all who lived there.
The film from the year before, Gone With the Wind, is very similar because it
takes place on an estate called Taraeveryone knows the musical theme. However, the
scores between the two are vastly different. As stated previously, Selznick originally
wanted to use Max Steiner for the score of Rebecca. One does not know what the score
would indeed sound like with Steiners touch, but Jack Sullivan commented, It is
fascinating to contemplate how [Steiners] broad sweeping style, so different from
Waxmans veiled impressionism, would have changed the tone of the picture. (Brackets
in original)
5
With this veiled impressionism comes a score that simultaneously evokes

5
p. 49 Neumeyer
the mood of the sea and compliments the extreme, lavish production design. The score
almost becomes a character in itself. Just as the idea of Rebecca haunts I, so does
Waxmans intriguing and uniquely orchestrated score, especially when I mischievously
and nervously wanders into Rebeccas room for the first time. Waxman gave a score to
Rebecca that not only evokes the desperation, the obsession, the turmoil, the passion and
the mysticism, he also gave a score of such depth and nuance that it is difficult to accept
that it comes from a time so early that the very concept of scoring a film was still a
relatively new one [...] It is also, at turns, ghostly and disembodied, haunting and
violently dramatic.
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Bibliography
Neumeyer, David, and Nathan Platte. Franz Waxman's Rebecca: A Film Score Guide.
Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2012.
William, Darby, and Jack Du Bois. American Film Music: Major Composers,
Techniques, Trends, 1915-1990. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland &
Company, Inc., 1990.
Leitch, Thomas, and Leland Poague, eds. A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock. Chichester,
West Sussex, UK.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.
Rebecca, dir. Alfred Hitchcock, music scored by Franz Waxman (1940; Turner Classic
Movies, 2005) DVD recorded from TV.
Rebecca, music dir. Joel McNeely, music scored by Franz Waxman (1940; Varease
Sarabande, 2002) CD.

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p. 2 McNeely