Probably one of the most famous book openings. It definitely is a personal favourite of mine. Netflix released a new Rebecca and thus my old obsession with Daphne du Maurier's gothic novel was brought back to life. I rewatched Hitchcock's version too and the 1997 mini-series and I also want to read the book, but I do not have it in Cluj with me. I told the entire funny story with the book and my family's history with it in my previous blog post, Rhododendrons (the plants I associate with Rebecca).
But today it's not about the book, it's about its adaptations.
Let's stat with the newest adaption: Netflix's Rebecca released this year, directed by Ben Wheatley, with Lily James as the new Mrs. de Winter, Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers (amazing!) and Armie Hammer as Maxim de Winter.
Let me start by saying that if you have not read the book or saw any other adaptation of Rebecca, then you will really enjoy this one. I actually enjoyed it and I read the book and saw the other films, but I enjoyed as a nice film to watch at the end of a hard word day, not as a great adaptation of du Maurier's Rebecca. Because if I compare with the book or the other films... the things will not be the same.
If you are not familiar with the story... well, long story short, the new Mrs. de Winter is a young shy woman who is trying to get used to her new life at her husband's grand family estate Manderley, but feels she is still living in the shadow of his previous wife, Rebecca, who died by drowning.
What I liked about this film a lot, aside from Mrs. Danvers, who is always amazing in all the adaptations (it is a really strong character), were the costumes. I liked the fashion a lot. The cinematography is also really good. And overall it is a nice film perfect to unwind.
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| Mrs. Danvers |
What I did not like... the list is quite long, but what I disliked most was Maxim! Do not get me wrong, I know Armie Hammer is a great actor (Call Me by Your Name), but he was miscast in this one. He was too young, there was basically no chemistry between him and Lily James and... HE WAS TOO YOUNG! How long was he married to Rebecca before she died? 6 months? Plus as much as I loved the costumes... his were a bit too joyful for a brooding British man and his muscles were basically exploding thorough his clothes.
Other notes on the film is that I did not find it very gothic. I did not feel Rebecca too much and it did not manage to make me feel the same suspense that the book made me feel. Maybe it was because I was familiar with the story, maybe I am wrong. But the idea of Rebecca is that Rebecca is dead, she never actually appears in the book, yet you can feel her presence in the air - and I am not talking about a ghost. I missed Rebecca in this adaptation, although to be fair, I do not feel like any of the adaptations managed to capture Rebecca's presence like the book did.
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| dude, look at those crazy superhero muscles! |
And the ending... although in 2020, there are no more rules getting in the way of this ending (I cannot tell you more without spoilers), I did not liked what followed after the big reveal and conclusion. I cannot say more without spoilers.
If you want to enjoy this film, do not try to compare with source material or the 1940 adaptation. But other than that, it's definitely not a memorable adaption and not one I will rewatch.
Hitchcock's Rebecca from 1940 won the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Cinematography, and it had a lot of other nominations, including Best Actress for both main actresses, Joan Fontaine as the new Mrs. de Winter and Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, and Best Actor for Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter. I definitely prefer this casting
Hitchcock was limited by Hollywood's guidelines in those times and the ending is a bit different, but the thrill and suspense is there and that's what I was looking for. The gothic atmosphere is present, Rebecca is present (although never actually physically there) and the acting is on point.
I do not have much to say about this film. It's a keeper. It captures the gothic romance from the book and Hitchcock is great when it comes to suspense. But even though it might be flawless, it is not my favourite adaptation...
The adaptation I loved the most (also my family's favourite) is the 1997 TV mini-series - which consists of only two episodes of 1.5h each, which basically makes it a longer film. Whenever it was on TV, it was always shown on two different days, usually on the weekend, at 3 pm (yes, I do remember that) and it was a reason for celebration in my family. There was popcorn, the curtains closed (this is why I remember the time) and we all sat on a bed, under the blanket, on a million of pillows and just block the world for 1.5h on a weekend afternoon. One of my favourite childhood memories.
The 1997 version stars Charles Dance as Maxim de Winter, Diana Rigg as Mrs. Danvers and Emilia Fox as the new Mrs. de Winter. Great casting and it features my favourite Mrs. de Winter from all three adaptations - I think she is the perfect balance between the 1940 shy (and a tad bit boring) Mrs. de Winter and the 2020 version, which goes a bit out of characters playing detective.
I probably like this version the most because I have enough time to get to know the characters and see things develop. Some scenes are almost exactly the same as 1940 version but it does this in such a subtle way that it did not bother me. There is a lot more chemistry between the leads and we get to see more of Max and Mrs. de Winter together and they are fun to watch. This version is definitely more romantic than the 1940 version and I actually liked that.
The fact that this is a dear childhood memory might influence me, sure, but I prefer this version - it is closer the book (because no old Hollywood guidelines to stop us), there is a lot more chemistry between the leads compared with either films, it has my favourite Maxim de Winter and I think Charles Dance was simply perfect.
Although my favourite, the thing I disliked the most is that Rebecca appears in memories - it is never fully shown, but we see her eyes or lips or we see her from behind. I do not find that necessary. Other than that, great clothes, great decor, great everything!
Now it's your turn - have you read the book? Watched the new Rebecca film? Watched any other adaptation and if so, which one is your favourite?