Review: ‘Rebecca’
As the most recent adaptation of a classic tale, Ben Wheatley’s Rebecca is naturally under a certain amount scrutiny. There is a likelihood that many will instinctively try to compare this version of Daphne du Maurier‘s Gothic story with Hitchcock‘s 1940 adaptation. Despite Wheatley’s assurances that the film is not a remake, the film does borrow an awful lot from its predecessor. However, there are enough differences to differentiate it and make it a thrilling, gripping, and picturesque film in its own right.
Armie Hammer gives an outstanding performance as the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter, who meets and falls in love with a young woman in Monte Carlo. The woman, unnamed and played by Lily James, agrees to marry him and return to his estate, Manderley. However, none of the house’s inhabitants, including head of household Mrs Danvers, can forget Maxim’s deceased wife Rebecca and her presence haunts the new Mrs de Winter. More intrigue follows as she searches for more information about Rebecca and the circumstances of her death.
It becomes obvious early in the film that Wheatley’s Rebecca focuses more on the romance at the heart of the story. Hammer and James have great chemistry and the building romance between their characters means that when things start to go wrong it is easy to feel sympathetic towards them both and see what a devastating affect the lingering presence of Rebecca has on their marriage. The heightened romance of the film is reflected in the stylish, picturesque visuals. There are stunning shots of Monte Carlo and the beach near Manderley, and the costumes also come across as being highly stylised. This is sometimes to the films detriment as there are moments where the film seems to prioritise style over subtance, being visually striking but not offering enough of a new perspective on a familiar story.
One way that the film does stand out is through Armie Hammer‘s Maxim. Despite his mustard suit, the actor gives an excellent performance of a character who is delightfully complex. Throughout the narrative he is able to show passion, anger, and grief as he finds love despite being tormented by his late wife. This is a version of Max that we have not seen before, who is clearly and openly in love with his new wife and is not defined purely by bouts of rage and talking down to her. Hammer’s character is only let down when he is forced to utter a line that is taken directly from the script of Hitchcock’s Rebecca, despite the fact that the two Maxim de Winters in these two films bear little resemblence to each other.
This, unfortunately, is a shortcoming of the film in general. There are occasional moments where lines are copied from Hitchcock’s script, and the film hits almost all of the narrative beats of the 1940 film, even when it comes to small, trivial events that could have easily been replaced with something similar. Fortunately among these moments are lot of other scenes and changes to characters that expand the story beyond what we have seen before. Aside from Maxim, the second Mrs de Winter is also considerably different. The character might be clumsy and over-apologetic, but she is also shown to be intelligent, well-read and independent, which is a welcome change to a character who has historically been portrayed as incredibly naïve.
The film suffers slightly because of the heavy-handed way that Rebecca’s lingering presence at Manderley is dealt with. At the start of the film, a character outright mentions Rebecca’s ‘ghost’, as though referring to a literal haunting, and the second Mrs. de Winter has a nightmare and hallucination as a result of worrying about Rebecca. These especially add to the lack of subtlety that the film suffers from, as it very melodramatic and seeks to give a physical form to the torment that the characters experience even though it is not necessary. The majority of the film is similarly dramatic, with every event building up to an exciting and thrilling climax.
Rebecca is an exciting take on Daphne du Maurier’s Gothic tale. While sometimes very similar to films that have come before it and lacking in subtlety, the film is thrilling with great cast performances, stunning visuals and enough tweaks to the characters and story to make it interesting. – Lauren Miles
Rating: 3.5/5
Rebecca debuts on Netflix on October 21.