Rebecca (1940) - our March movie

Plus Joan Fontaine's very own Chicken Fontaine recipe

Do you feel a bit out of your depth? 

Have you suddenly found yourself the mistress of an enormous country pile called Manderley? 

With a housekeeper who constantly gives you the side-eye? 

Joan Fontaine is terrific in this film,

and when he stops being so stiff, so is Laurence Olivier.

If you weren’t born with a silver spoon in your mouth you might find his accent a bit difficult to get to grips with but do persevere. I watched it with my other half and he was fine with it because he said, “I speak toff.”

If you are a fan of Downton Abbey you might be fine too. 

Joan’s Signature Dish

Here’s how mine turned out, it was delicious!

I also tried Joan’s Snow-Whirl Chocolate Roll - recipe coming on Friday!

Beverages?

To drink with this movie? Coffee or tea with two lumps of sugar and some milk or a Hitchcocktail!

A video demo of this fine beverage will be going out to members of the Silver Screen Suppers Club (aka paid subscribers) on Friday. Along with three more of Joan’s very own recipes. A chocolate Swiss roll, a fluffy omelette and braised beef liver a la sherry. Oh yes!

Pop in your email to have free movie star recipes delivered to your inbox once a month. Extra goodies are available to members of the club, but everyone is welcome, I love you all.

Don’t fancy cooking? Some other movie-appropriate accompaniments

• Scrambled eggs

• French trimmed lamb chops with little paper frills on the end

• Chicken drumsticks (throw the bones out of the window)

A shopping list for the cocktail

Vodka

Brandy

Orange Juice

Ice

Community Watch Party

I’ll be settling down with a Hitchcocktail and the film at 7pm on Sunday 10^th March if you would care to join me. We will all gather in the Substack chat and I’ll count down to the time to press PLAY on our DVD players or streaming service. It’s FUN watching a film with lots of folks from all around the globe, do join if you fancy it. 

If you are not in the GMT timezone here’s a handy link to check what the time will be where you are - World Time Buddy.

If you’d like to join in with the online chat during the movie, here’s a link

If you can’t make it, here are some hints for throwing a watch party of your own. 

Watch Party Checklist

1 - Get your diary/calendar out and make a date with yourself.

2 - Decide if you will watch the movie solo or with others.

3 - If it’s the latter, here’s an invite you can email to your chosen ones, letting them know the time and date of your screening.

It’s your call what a “watch party” actually is. Just watching the film by yourself with some salty snacks is totally acceptable but why not “dress for dinner” as posh folks always do, even if you are on your lonesome.

If you owe someone a meal, this could be an excuse to get them over…

If you are having guests you could invite them to dress as if they are going to a country house weekend. Tweeds, fair-isle jumpers and jodhpurs would be appropriate as we are told there is nothing else to do when you are hanging around Manderley except ride.

Or if you are a real party animal, why not throw a costume party?

4 - Source the film on DVD or via a streaming service so you’ll have it to hand when the appointed time comes. Some streaming services offer watch party features, so you can even share the experience with friends or family who are miles away, discussing the good bits in a chat box. You could do this via a WhatsApp group or something similar too. The possibilities are endless!

You're overwrought, madam. I've opened a window for you. A little air will do you good.

In-Person Events

I’m going to be at the Hippfest Silent Cinema Festival in Bo’ness, Scotland later this month - I am SO EXCITED

I’ll be introducing a screening of some silent cinemagazine material and hosting a Joan Crawford cocktails and canapés workshop. It would be so lovely to meet some of you, the Hippodrome is my favourite cinema in the whole world. Skip over here for details

OUR NEXT MOVIE

Keep an eye on your inbox on Sunday, 7th April when our next movie will be announced. I hope this is the style in which you’ll be watching it.

Like movie stars? Curious about their favourite recipes?

My books are available worldwide via Amazon. Here’s a link to my UK author page, where you will find them all.

switch to your own country for the correct prices if you are elsewhere in the world.