A young newlywed arrives at her husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his first wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives on in the house long after her death.
Chuck says:
Is it a foolhardy endeavor to remake an Alfred Hitchcock classic? With his misguided redo of “Psycho,” director Gus Van Sant certainly proved it was a recipe for disaster, courting and receiving disapproval and disdain from the Gods of Cinema in 1998. Obviously, this misstep didn’t hinder Ben Wheatley from following in the director’s steps and accepting the task of bringing Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” to the screen once again. Thankfully, the results this time are much better as Wheatley and his trio of screenwriters Jane Goldman, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse bring a modern sensibility to this adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s novel, breathing new life into this gothic tale of one woman’s attempt to find her own identity while laboring under the specter of another.
The time is the mid-1940’s, the place the French Riviera. Reeling from the unexpected death of his wife Rebecca, British millionaire Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer) in on holiday, seeking respite from his grief. However, his reputation precedes him and being a suddenly eligible bachelor, he garners more than his fair share of attention from would-be new Mrs. de Winters, chief among them, the garish and insufferable Mrs. Van Hopper (Ann Dowd). However, the socialite could hardly expect that her withdrawn companion (Lily James) would catch de Winter’s eye and, after a whirlwind romance, the young woman finds herself married and swept away to her new husband’s rambling estate Manderly, where’s she’s expected to take over the running of the manor. However, this proves impossible thanks to the domineering head mistress Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Rebecca, who looms large in the memory of all who live and work there, her presence still felt in every room.
Hitchcock’s 1940 take on the tale is very much a product of its time, a lushly produced melodrama that rendered its characters in broad strokes, driven by overwrought performances by Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson as the dueling Mrs. de Winter and Mrs. Danvers. The film still works as a soap opera, while the production design remains worthy of admiration. Yet, it lacks emotional depth, narrative shorthand given to the background of the characters and the development of the relationship between de Winter and his new bride.
The new version addresses these issues, the central romance given time to develop as we see the broken widower gradually open up thanks to his new love’s attention, while James’ take on the character is much more layered, a rather lost but mature young woman who’s far more grounded than Fontaine’s version, who in many ways comes off as a lost teenager. In providing a more fully rounded interpretation, we understand why de Winter would fall for her, the relationship becoming more plausible and meaningful as a result.
The psychology surrounding the behavior of the characters is explored more deeply as well. Additional background is provided for the three principals, which proves vital in understanding why de Winter is haunted by his deceased wife, why his new bride is insecure and, most profoundly, just why Mrs. Danvers is so intent on keeping the spirit of Rebecca alive. This goes a long way in giving the film a sense of reality the original lacked, significantly increasing the dramatic stakes – in making this trio more real, our investment in them deepens and the emotional stakes rise.
Wheatley provides one visually arresting detail after another – the recurring motif of a drowned body, horrific dream sequences – which effectively underscore the sense of dread Manderly casts as well as the psychological torment the characters suffer. All of which makes for a new take on Rebecca that’s far better than expected, an effective modern approach resulting in a gothic tale with psychological underpinnings that ring true. 3 1/2 Stars.
