Rebecca (1940) directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Joan Fontaine

image: Joan Fontaine Wikimedia Commons {Public domain}

Perhaps you remember, dear reader, that actress Joan Fontaine is known for starring in the noir-ish film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the popular novel by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca.

Astro-Notes: Actress Joan Fontaine

View the Astro-Wiki bio of Joan Fontaine (nee, Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, Olivia's sister, on October 22, 1917 6:00 am Tokyo, Japan) at astro.com where you'll see her Air-Earth personality blend of Sun Libra-Moon Capricorn with Airy Libra rising. Sun Lib-Moon Cap denotes one who is tasteful, tactful, courteous, pragmatic, purposeful, shrewd, diplomatic, and skillful at managing other people. This blend can be the signature of a perfectionist and a snob! A love of Art, luxury, and comfort is typical with Venus-ruled Libra, sign of balance and fairness, yet the Saturn-ruled Capricorn Moon adds quite a bit of ambition to the mix and moderates what is usually Libra laziness. Her career ambition led notably to an Academy Award in 1940 for her role in Rebecca.

Asteroid of glamour and seduction, Lilith @8Virgo is embued with goddess imagery galore while Joan's natal Venus (in one guise, Aphrodite herself) is in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius showing an attraction to and from foreigners--a handy placement for those desiring worldwide popularity. Speaking of desire, her planet of desire, Mars, is in lusty Leo, sign of romance, drama, and acting. (Fontaine married British-American actor Brian Aherne.)

Astrologically speaking, another aid to Fontaine's rise to fame, recognition, and fortune (besides her icy beauty and talent) may be found on the Nodal Axis of public contact and destiny. For the North Node (of the publicity-seeking Moon) conjoins her natal Moon while the South Node conjoins powerful Pluto, planet of wealthy plutocrats. Together the Moon-Pluto pair indicates public relations and publicity but also a depth of feeling, a desire for passionate romance, and help from, or the influence of, powerful women (or a woman--mother is also implicated.) A Moon-Pluto opposition describes one who wants to remake others and whose aggression may cause quarrels with family members over inheritance and money issues in general.

Astro-Notes: Director Alfred Hitchcock

Genius film director Alfred Hitchcock's birth details are victims of 'Dirty Data' as well (conflicting/unverified) with multiple birth times suggested and chart rectification available. His 3:15 am GMT horoscope is often used and may be viewed at astro.com along with a brief bio. Isaac Starkman's rectified chart is also there with the primary differences being chart angles and house cusps and this, of course, shifts the natal planets into different houses (departments of life).

Yet correct birth time or not, Hitchcock remains a Sun Leo-Moon Scorpio fellow, a Fire-Water personality blend of steaminess which can cleanse or scald. Born August 13, 1899 in Leytonstone, England, his macabre side is well known and displayed by his brooding Scorpio Moon. Drama and showmanship are obvious with a shiny Leo Sun and in the Rodden version of his chart (8:15 am), 3Leo57 rises with his Career/Public Status Midheaven (MC) in Mars-ruled Aries (11:00.)

In the Starkman chart (8:01:30 pm GMT, same date/location), the Moon is later @12Sco52 with creative yet secretive Pisces rising and 23Sag at MC ruled by Jupiter the thespian. Saturn and North Node are snugged around the MC with the supernatural pair of Neptune and Pluto nestled around his IC (Home; Roots; Psychology) Therefore, Glamorous Neptune of the Silver Screen conjoins his South Node of the Moon (SN) which provided him with good intuition, an ability for avoiding the folly of the masses, and a tendency for those who intrigue to rob him of his work in some way. Bad timing and lack of popularity may have been factors in his life as well with Neptune-SN but Saturn-NN describes his long-term and successful (Saturn) contacts with the public (NN).

Alfred Hitchcock's Saturn-Neptune opposition favors artists and other creatives and is generational as is his secretive Saturn-Pluto opposition which tends to channel occult powers (the macabre! murder! mystery! noir!) into ideas that have had a long-lasting and transforming effect upon the world of film. This is, in fact, an aspect of the magician.

Astro-Notes: Author Daphne du Maurier

Now the natal horoscope of Rebecca author Daphne du Maurier is rated DD for Dirty Data (conflicting/unverified) as well yet you may wish to have a peek at her chart and bio; tap or click the 'natal chart' link to view her horoscope with its Earth-Air Sun Taurus-Moon Gemini blend with Gemini being the sign of the writer. Something of a recluse in Cornwall, England all her life, du Maurier was a very popular author in her day and most if not all her novels were adapted into film. Rebecca was published in 1938 and as you see, was transformed into a film and an Oscar win for Joan Fontaine by 1940!

Born on May 13, 1907 at 4:00 pm GMT London, England, her Sun Taurus-Moon Gemini personality blend identifies du Maurier as one who is charming, witty, persuasive, has a good head for business, and is an opportunist. Having a vivid talent for communication, her characters spring to life on the pages of her novels as well as on the Silver Screen and her far-reaching ideas continue to attract readers and viewers all these decades later.

Well, I don't know if you can take time to watch Rebecca but I hope you enjoyed my attempt to give you brief astro-portraits of three of the primary people who made the Oscar-winner a sparkling success way back in 1940!