Wuthering Heights (1939)

Wuthering Heights is the love story of Cathy and Heathcliff who meet as young children and  as they grow up fall in love, but due to circumstance are not meant to be.  Cathy, who has grown materialistic over the years marries Edgar Linton who can provide her everything she may desire.  I always was so pissed at this because Edgar who is unconditionally devoted to her when she was such a self-centered witch.  Anyway, upon this union Heathcliff leaves for America to make something of himself and returns a wealthy man but still little can change in the lovers circumstances.

This 1939 film was amazingly directed by William Wyler. I thought Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon were very good as the doomed lovers Cathy and Heathcliff.  Although both seemed a little too nice for the part, not as self-absorbed as I had wished.  Through out the film I kept thinking how perfect Orson Welles  would have been in the role of Heathcliff since he tends to have a very aloof nature.  (sorry Laurence)  Lastly, as just a little trivia, Olivier originally wanted his wife Vivien Leigh to play the role of Cathy  but butted heads with the director having Merle Oberon playing the lead instead, with Leigh going off to do a little picture called Gone with the Wind.

Rebecca (1940)

You had me at Hitchcock.  And if that wasn't enough you can also throw in the great Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.  These three mainstays of Golden Hollywood are all involved with the mysterious Rebecca.

Rebecca is the story of an unnamed girl who marries the wealthy Maxim de Winter who was ruined after the death of his first wife Rebecca.  Upon entering the estate of Manderly the second Mrs. de Winter is constantly being compared to the first wife of that name and is petrified by her maid and still devotee of Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers.

Rebecca was filmed in an eerie light making the most mundane things creepy, such as the opening of a window, a portrait in the hall or an embroidered pillow case, goosebumps were sent up my spine.

 I've seen this movie many times and still manages to catch me off guard.  I think this is because there are gaps of questioning left in the conclusion, leaving this storyline as unfinished or unsolved, as somethings must stay unearthed.