Movie Review - Rebecca

If you haven't seen the new Rebecca but plan to, save this review to read later, for it is riddled with spoilers and you really should watch the movie before reading my extensive rant. 

Ok...here we go.

♦♢♦

I'm a big fan of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I read it years ago after seeing the 1940 movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. After watching the new adaptation that came out last month, I decided to reread the book*, watch the new movie again, (complain extensively) and then write up a review. 

I went into Ben Wheatley's Rebecca with low expectations. I was encouraged to hear he was explicitly doing a new adaptation of the book, instead of remaking the 1940 movie (or the 1997 British mini-series, which was dreadful). Better to not directly compete with such a classic. In an interview, it was mentioned the actors hadn't even seen the original, in order to keep their performances "their own."  This I didn't love, since a) it's wonderful and a classic, and b) you can appreciate what's come before you without copying it. 

Unfortunately I was very disappointed with the new Rebecca. Short version - the flow was very strange and choppy, they changed the storyline in odd ways (utterly nonsensical at times), and it definitely missed the spirit of the book. 

In case you've never read Du Maurier's gothic novel, it's a story written in the first person by a shy, unsophisticated 21 year old young woman. While in Monte Carlo working as a paid companion for a wealthy busybody, she meets Maxim de Winter, a rich, broody 42 year old widower. She's utterly smitten and enjoys the time she's able to spend with him and is shocked when he asks to marry her. After honeymooning across Europe, they return to his family's palatial estate - Manderley.  The new Mrs. de Winter tries to find her place as mistress of Manderley, while combatting the ever-present shadow of her predecessor - Rebecca. 

Interesting detail in the book and movies - we never learn the first name of the new Mrs. de Winter. In the book it's referenced in an early chapter, when she and Maxim are having breakfast and talking about her parents. Maxim mentions that she has a "lovely and unusual name," to which she replies her father was a "lovely and unusual person." But we never learn what it actually is. 🤔 

My biggest problem with the casting of Rebecca is the lack of age difference between Maxim** (Armie Hammer) and Mrs. de Winter (Lily James) - in real life it's only about 3 years. 

There's a power dynamic lost without the age difference. Maxim is supposed to be older and world-weary, which is what draws him to her youthful devotion and lack of experience. His sometimes condescending and patronizing manner (while unfortunate) is understandable, given he's already been married, run his estate for many years and is used to being in charge of his life, routine and staff. This is reinforced throughout the book, with people referring to her as "just a child" or calling her his "child-bride," which clearly doesn't work if they're about the same age. Since they cast someone in their early 30s who then marries someone also in their early 30s (while I like Lily James, no one would mistake her for a 21 year old), he just comes off as a jerk, acting superior and talking down to her, as opposed to someone treating his new bride like a child because comparatively - in age and experience - that's what she is in his eyes. 

In the book, a lot of their marital issues are based on misconceptions and lack of communication, with Mrs. de Winter assuming that Maxim is still in love with Rebecca. She thinks Maxim married her for companionship, not because he loves her, while she is absolutely in love with him. Her main concern is making him happy, so she changes the house as little as possible and tries to avoid anything that would upset him or remind him of Rebecca. In the new movie, she tries on a couple occasions to get him to open up and talk about Rebecca and he shuts her down every time, unwilling to engage her on anything Rebecca related. He's actively withholding and hurting their marriage, instead of it being a passive erosion based on a mutual lack of understanding. Pairing this with Maxim flying into a jealous rage when he finds out she spent the afternoon with Jack Favell (Sam Riley), a person she's never met before and literally had no way of knowing Maxim banned from the house (because he never tells her anything!), Armie Hammer's Maxim repeatedly comes off as a controlling, possessive bully. I give him a half a point for apologizing for his behavior later. 

Back to Lily James - God love her, but she doesn't know how to pull off shy and insecure. Her best attempts involve hunching up her shoulders and walking awkwardly...and one moment of melting into a puddle on the floor. I lay some of the blame on the director, since he spends so much time portraying her as a victim. Almost all the supporting characters are meaner to her than in the book. There's a scene in the movie where she overhears Mrs. Van Hopper (Ann Dowd) cruelly telling guests over for drinks about how she (Lily James) practically threw herself at Maxim, "reeking of cheap rose water" after grabbing something from their room that Mrs. Van Hopper wanted to show Maxim. Firth, the butler at Manderley, stares daggers at new Mrs. de Winter, barely managing to be civil. In the book, he's perfectly polite and appears to help her in kind, little ways when he can. Maxim's sister, Beatrice, is described as being very blunt and says what she thinks, which comes across as a bit passive-aggressive in the new movie ("what a nice plain frock") and mentions that Rebecca was one of those people everyone loved. In the book, Beatrice clearly likes new Mrs. de Winter and we find out near the end that eventually Beatrice figured out something was up with Rebecca and so was not a fan. 

In the book, the new Mrs. de Winter's youth and inexperience fed her insecurities, causing her to feel uncomfortable in almost every situation she finds herself. In Monte Carlo, she's constantly embarrassed by Mrs. Van Hopper lack of tact and obsessive need to inject herself into situations. She is confused and overwhelmed by Maxim's attentions, unsure why someone like him would want to spend time with someone like her. When she arrives at Manderley, she's adrift because she doesn't know what is expected of her - by her new husband, the staff and people of the district. In the 2020 movie, her behavior feels governed by outside forces, as opposed to an internal struggle. 

Another tone change was the level of affection between the new Mrs. de Winter and Maxim. In the book, it feels very 1930s British - ie. not very demonstrative. There's one scene where they're driving outside Monte Carlo and she asks Maxim why he's chosen to spend time with her, that he's very kind but she doesn't understand why "you choose me for your charity." He gets annoyed with her, rants a bit and ends up telling her it's because she has blotted out the past for him "far more effectively than all the bright lights of Monte Carlo," that he asked her because he wants her company and if she doesn't believe him, she can get out of the car and find her own way home. He's a bit rough about it, which nearly brings her to tears. As they're driving home, he kisses her hand and tosses his handkerchief in her lap. A couple bends in the road later he says "to hell with it," puts his arm around her shoulders and kisses the top of her head. That's the extent of physical affection between them prior to their marriage. Once they're at Manderley, she notes on several occasions that he treats her similarly to how she treats Jasper, their puppy...absentmindedly patting her cheek and kissing the top of her head. This fuels her belief that he doesn't love her in a passionate, wifely way. In the new movie, they can't keep their hands off each other, including strong implications they slept together before he proposed. I think "updating the sensibilities" vastly undermines her insecurities and makes Maxim more of a cad, since if he hadn't proposed he was just some rich dude using the help for his own amusement. In both versions she had no expectation he'd ask her to marry him, partly because they were from different social spheres, but they'd also only known each for about two weeks. 

"Please promise me to never wear black satin or pearls...or be thirty-six years old."

A sense of antagonism was added against Maxim in the new movie that wasn't in the book (or old movie). When in court, it's clear Inspector Welch (Mark Lewis Jones) had no respect for Maxim and was convinced from the first that he had murdered Rebecca. When Maxim is arrested, Welch gets in his face and says "no one is above the law." In the book, Inspector Welch has a high opinion of Maxim (as does everyone in the surrounding area). A reason they give in the new movie for Welch's attitude is Jack Favell blackmails Maxim, threatening to give the authorities a note Rebecca sent him on the day of her death unless Maxim gives him ten thousand pounds, which Mrs. de Winer convinces him to do. Maxim then proceeds to give him A CHECK for the amount, which Danvers and Favell turn over to Inspector Welch. (Being Blackmailed 101 - never put anything in writing, always pay in cash!) In the book (and 1940 movie), Maxim immediately informs Inspector Welch of the note and Favell's attempt at blackmail. 

Last, but certainly not least, we have Mrs. Danvers, played by Kristen Scott Thomas. While she was a good choice for the roll, I think the spirit of the character was lost in her performance. While somewhat off putting, she lacked the sinister nature of Mrs. Danvers in the book, who is described as "tall and gaunt, dressed in deep black, whose prominent cheekbones and great, hollow eyes gave her a skull's face, parchment-white, set on a skeleton's frame." Some of the weird and nonsensical scenes involve her, from Mrs. de Winter confronting her in front of the entire staff for inviting Favell to Manderley (huh) to later when they're "getting along" and are shown playing with paper puppets together (what?!). Another dumb addition was when Mrs. de Winter marches up to Danvers' room to fire her. Danvers plays the sympathy card, not only convincing Mrs. de Winter to let her stay, but has the gall to suggest one of the reasons they hadn't gotten along was because Mrs. de Winter never asked for her help and wanted everything her own way...which is literally the opposite of what happened. Her demise at the end is also rather anticlimactic. I will point out in the book they do not address what happens to her or even explicitly state that she's the one who set Manderley on fire, so it's hard not to compare the ending to that of the 1940s version, which was far superior. 

Speaking of superior - there's a reason Judith Anderson was nominated for an Oscar as best actress in a supporting role. Her Mrs. Danvers is terrifying. She embodies the frigid, wraith-like housekeeper who is appalled anyone would try to take Rebecca's place, let alone some nobody lady's companion. Her obsession with Rebecca is quite clear, as well as very creepy. 

Gah! 😳

Another comparison - I couldn't help but judge Sam Riley's Jack Favell by George Sanders' performance. This isn't fair for several reasons - the new movie wasn't a remake and there was no way Riley could match Sander's excellent portrayal of Favell. Sanders, while rather rakish, seems a somewhat likable chap...until he's not. He also has an amazing voice and presence. Riley's Favell is more brash and less charming. You get the sense he's rather scummy very quickly. 

In contrast, Joan Fontaine as Mrs. de Winter comes across as believably shy, anxious, a little gawky and vulnerable. You immediately sympathize with her feeling out of place and can't help but want to take care of her. When she meets Favell (Sanders), she's polite but intimidated, and can tell he's...let's say, not a gentleman. Laurence Olivier's Maxim is charismatic, intense, brooding, distant and impassioned. His proposal is closer to the book than Armie Hammer's, with him asking almost offhandedly (in the book it's over breakfast, in both movies it takes place in his hotel room). The scene in the boat house when we and Mrs. de Winter finally learn what actually happened to Rebecca are night and day, with the Hitchcock version winning hands down. Olivier's declaration of hating Rebecca is vehement, instead of the whispered acknowledgement from Hammer. The former doesn't stoop to dramatic theatrics, pseudo-attempting suicide by reenacting his confrontation with Rebecca, gun in hand. In the 2020 version, this is one of the clunkier scenes, which definitely affected my opinion of the movie as a whole. 

While I found Netflix Rebecca rather disappointing***, I will say I appreciated Lily James' wardrobe and the inclusion of the scene with Maxim's grandmother. A version of that is in the book, though it's just Beatrice and Mrs. de Winter visiting the grandmother in her own home. It's sad and upsetting for poor Mrs. de Winter, giving another reason for her to feel so out of place in her new home. 

If you've never read the book or seen the original movie, I would definitely recommend both. 

Assuming you watched Netflix's Rebecca before reading this, any thoughts, comments, questions, concerns?   

This is an late-early post...late for last weekend and early for this one. 😎 With Thanksgiving almost upon us, I doubt I'll be posting again this week, so have a happy and safe Thanksgiving! 🦃

~ Katie Q. 🐧

* I had a well loved paperback and decided to get myself a hardback. Thanks to a used bookstore in Lewisville, TX and a very nice bookseller named Pat, I am now the proud owner of a slightly worn edition from 1938.

** I started thinking about who I'd have considered casting for Maxim, someone more age appropriate. Here are some names that came to mind - Michael Fassbender (Mr. Rochester was basically an audition for this roll, lol), Tom Hiddleston (he played broody well in The Night Manager and Crimson Peak) , James Marsden, Christian Bale (we know he can do intense!), Matt Bomer, Tom Welling (Superman or Batman...I'm not picky!), Jon Hamm, James McAvoy, Oscar Isaac...maybe? I need more Brits on the list! 😄 Any additions to offer?

** I'd give it ⭐⭐: overall bleh, but some redeeming qualities