REBECCA REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Remakes can be challenging films to make and fail to leave much of a lasting impression due to the original being the definitive version. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film, Rebecca, was an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. This is why it was a surprise when it was announced in 2018 that Ben Wheatley was going to make his own version of Rebecca as Hitchcock’s film is a classic and many people were doubtful that his film would live up to expectations.

A young, nameless newlywed (Lily James) arrives at her husband’s, Maxime (Armie Hammer), imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his late wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives on in the house long after her death. 

Since its recent release on the popular streaming site, Netflix, Rebecca has, unsurprisingly, received mixed reviews from critics who failed to see the purpose of Wheatley’s film. Despite its divisive response, I was still interested in giving it a watch as I am one of the few people who hasn’t seen Hitchcock’s Rebecca and therefore knew little about the film’s plot. This is probably why I enjoyed Rebecca, however, I can imagine my feelings towards it will change once I watch Hitchock’s film. 

Although Rebecca is not as great as it could have been, I still found it to be a well-made, strongly acted feature. For the majority of its 122 minute runtime, Rebecca is a twisted drama filled with interesting characters. The first half hour focuses on James’ nameless young maid who works for a rich woman, Mrs. Van Hopper (Ann Dowd), however, during a vacation, the young woman meets and falls in love with Maxim de Winter. The beginning offers viewers a whirlwind romance with James and Hammer sharing chemistry and delivering passionate performances. However, the tone of Rebecca drastically changes once the newly married couple arrive at his luxurious mansion. Upon her arrival, Mrs. de Winter is met with a cold reception from Maxim’s housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas). As the film progresses, Mrs. de Winter makes shocking discoveries about Rebecca and what really happened to her. 

The majority of Rebecca works as a compelling and mysterious drama. Because I was unfamiliar with the book and Hitchcock’s feature, I found Wheatley’s version to be a mostly unpredictable watch and I was surprised by many of the revelations towards the end. I do think that Rebecca will be enjoyed more by those who aren’t familiar with the original book and its many adaptations. The reason why a lot of critics have failed to be impressed by it is probably because they’re comparing it to Hitchcock’s classic version. While I mostly enjoyed what Wheatley had created with Rebecca, I can imagine that I’ll think less of it once I watch the 1940 film by Hitchcock. 

The aspect of Rebecca I was most impressed by was the performances delivered by its talented cast. The stand out is James who delivers a strong dramatic portrayal of the new Mrs. de Winter who finds herself obsessing over her husband’s late wife. Although I think that he has delivered better performances in previous films, including in Call Me By Your Name and The Social Network, Hammer was serviceable as Maxim who, clearly, is still grieving over Rebecca. Of the supporting performances, Thomas is the most memorable and delivered a stern portrayal of Mrs. Danvers who refuses to accept the new Mrs. de Winter. Sam Riley and Keeley Hawes are equally as impressive and both play crucial roles in the story.

Rebecca’s production design is worth mentioning. Maxim’s luxurious mansion, named Manderley, plays an important part and makes for an effective setting. The majority of the film takes place at Manderley mansion and the production design team have clearly put in a lot of hard work into making the place look extravagant and rich. While I can imagine anyone would love to live in a beautiful mansion like Manderley, Mrs. de Winter feels out of place and uncomfortable in her new home. The costume design is also worth praising. In the beginning, Mrs. de Winter is seen wearing casual clothes, however, after marrying Maxime and following her arrival at Manderley, she soon begins wearing Rebecca’s extravagant dresses, which leads to a brief falling out between the couple when she attends a ball wearing a red dress that was previously owned by Rebecca. 

I think that the negative reception towards Wheatley’s Rebecca is a bit harsh as I don’t think it’s that bad of a film. While it was never going to live up to the high quality of Hitchcock’s classic and definitive version, it’s still an effective and twisted drama with strong performances by its cast. I can imagine Wheatley was a fan of Hitchcock and wanted to create Rebecca in his own unique way. I think that many people were surprised by the filmmaker’s decision to remake Rebecca as he’s known more for creating films such as High Rise and Free Fire. Because I hadn’t seen any of Wheatley’s previous works prior to watching Rebecca, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like It, fortunately, it beat my expectations and I’m interesting in watching more of Wheatley’s films. 

Although Ben Wheatley’s Rebecca doesn’t live up to the high quality of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, it is still worth watching for the impressive dramatic performances by its cast and will, most likely, be appreciated more by those who are less familiar with the many adaptions of Daphne du Maurier’s novel.

7/10