Edythe Van Hopper

What a character! Van Hopper appears in 'Rebecca' (1940).

Even the name sounds big and ugly and vulgar and just the kind of
person who would extinguish their cigarette in a tub of cold cream!
She's played with such confidence and conviction by Florence Bates and
is an essential element of this film, which appears to track a naive
young woman undergoing an Electra complex .. or an Electra complex of
two (or three!).

Seriously though, not only is the name big and vulgar .. but even
written, it just seems to bounce hideously off the page (on the note
she wrote to Maxim).

And we're not a bit surprised with the way she treats the young woman
(Joan Fontaine). Especially when she finds out about what's been going
on behind her back, we totally expect and get that sneering and
condescending reaction. Bitch with a capital 'B'. (In fact, I think all
letters are capitalised!)

Fergal #.

"sawakatoome" <sawakatoome RemoveThis @yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
news:1138973302.558180.255960@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

> What a character! Van Hopper appears in 'Rebecca' (1940).
>
> Even the name sounds big and ugly and vulgar and just the kind of
> person who would extinguish their cigarette in a tub of cold cream!
> She's played with such confidence and conviction by Florence Bates and
> is an essential element of this film, which appears to track a naive
> young woman undergoing an Electra complex .. or an Electra complex of
> two (or three!).
>

I agree that the casting of Florance Bates was an excellent choice and that
the Van Hopper character is an essential element of the film. After all,
it is she who sets up for the audience how terribly unprepared the young
woman is for her role as the new Mrs. de Winter.