Rebecca

Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film follows a young woman who marries a wealthy widower and moves into his estate. Her name is never spoken. Traces of the first wife are everywhere. The film does not tie its fear to the supernatural; the narrative draws tension from the household hierarchy and the feeling of being compared. It is adapted from Daphne du Maurier's novel. It is the director's first American film. It won the Academy Award for best picture. Who it's for: those who like classic suspense. Who it's not for: viewers expecting the book's detail about the crime; censorship of the period forced a change.