M Night Shyamalan’s favourite Alfred Hitchcock movie: “Its own perfect little gem”
He may not always hit the mark, but it’s important to remember that when M Night Shyamalan is on form, there’s nobody quite like him. The Indian-born filmmaker has delivered some true gems to the movie world. Everybody remembers where they were when they first saw The Sixth Sense and its iconic twist, which led to a string of great films, including Unbreakable, The Village, and later Split. If you can look past The Last Airbender and After Earth, there’s plenty of good stuff in his catalogue.
By looking at his work, it should be very clear that a major influence on Shyamalan’s work is Alfred Hitchcock. The British icon was also fond of a good plot swerve every now and then and is still fondly remembered as ‘The Master of Suspense’, a feeling his admirer regularly attempts to replicate. In conversation with Rotten Tomatoes, Shyamalan put forward his favourite of his idol’s oeuvre – the 1940 romantic thriller,Rebecca.
“Coming from a super, super anal place as a filmmaker,” he explained. “The idea that the greatest hands-on auteur in cinema history made a movie with his hand buried in there perfectly – a lot of his movies, his hand is on top, and in this one, his hand was buried perfectly in there. Again, I’m not sure what genre it is and I love it because of that. Is it scary? I’m not sure it is. Is it a drama? For sure. Is it a romance? Yeah. And I love it, so elegantly done, I so fell in love with those characters, the performances were amazing. It was epic and haunting, and it was just its own perfect little gem that will never be re-created.”
Based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca follows the plight of a young, unnamed woman (Joan Fontaine) following her marriage to the wealthy Mr Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). Her life is dogged by the first Mrs de Winter, the titular character, who died prior to the events of the film. She lives constantly in her shadow as what started as a dream union quickly unravels.
Trivia lovers will know Rebecca as the only Hitchcock movie to win a ‘Best Picture’ Oscar. Clearly, the Academy were just as impressed with his work as Shyamalan was, giving it the nod over the likes of The Grapes of Wrath, The Philadelphia Story, and Foreign Correspondent, another movie helmed by the esteemed knight of the realm.
Elsewhere on the list, Shyamalan named four other films that had earned his seal of approval. Two of them were pretty obvious. The Godfather and The Exorcist usually rank amongst the greatest movies ever made, and given the director’s propensity for horror, it should come as no surprise that he enjoys William Friedkin’s terrifying masterpiece. Another pick came in the form of Jaws, which, again, given his previous praise for Steven Spielberg, isn’t a shock. His fifth choice, however, is a little unexpected, as he plumped for Hal Ashby’s class satire, Being There.
Though he might not be as critically revered as Hitchcock, the fact that Shyamalan is a fan proves his dedication to the craft of cinema. Rebecca is an excellent choice for a favourite, even if some might call it a little basic.
