Rebecca (2020)

Disappointing Remake - Rebecca review by GI

A new adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's classic gothic novel has much going for it but it's ultimately somewhat disappointing. This is possibly because one has come to expect something quite radical and unnerving from director Ben Wheatley but here he seems too restrained and of course there is always the temptation to compare this with Alfred Hitchcock's celebrated 1940 film. The two leads of Armie Hammer and Lily James are ok, although Hammer sort of lacks the icy English snobbery that the character demands but as two beautiful lovers they fit the bill well enough. He's Maxim De Winter, a rich country gent in 1930s England and who whilst on holiday in Monte Carlo meets and woos the naive young woman and proposes. But taking her back to his country estate in Cornwall soon brings dark memories for all concerned as the house is dominated by the memory of his first wife Rebecca who has recently drowned in a boating accident. Representing this is the scheming and malevolent housekeeper Mrs Danvers (Kristen Scott Thomas) who's devotion to the deceased Rebecca sets her on a plan to destroy the new marriage. The film has that balmy colour palette that sets it as a period piece and the mystery aspects of the story are well told especially if you are unfamiliar with it but it doesn't fully push the sheer darkness and gothic aspects of the tale. The unnamed new wife starts to find some resolve to fight back against Rebecca but all a little too flimsily and I'm not sure what the final scenes are trying to indicate. In any case this may find an appeal to a modern audience but the 1940 film is far, far better version of this great story.