Movie Review - Rebecca

Director: Ben Wheatley
Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Mystery
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ann Dowd

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

Review: The gothic novel “Rebecca” by the British writer Daphne du Maurier was already brilliantly filmed in 1940 by none other than Alfred Hitchcock. At the time, the black and white classic won the Oscar for best film and best cinematography. In the year 2020 ‘the master of suspense’ is missed. This new version, made for Netflix, can’t be compared to the original, but fortunately it didn’t turn out to be a complete failure.
The story revolves around Maxim de Winder, a charming aristocrat who set his sight on a ‘companion lady’. Their romance is new, but that doesn’t stop the two lovebirds from exchanging the French coast for a large, chic and somewhat uncanny estate in England called Manderley. Here the woman of simple descent may finally count herself as Mrs. De Winter to the aristocracy.
Mrs. De Winter discovers some strange things once she arrives at Manderley. For example, her husband starts sleepwalking at night and stays in front of one room that is forbidden territory for her. Moreover, Maxim is very shady about his previous marriage to a lady named Rebecca, who died some time ago under rather mysterious circumstances. According to the caretaker and the servants, Rebecca’s ghost still roams the corridors of Manderley.
Visually this film is stunning. At the beginning, when the two character are starting to fall for each other, the shots are bathing in romantic sunlight and bright colors. But as the film takes a turn and gets darker, the color palette begins to fade. Scenes still fit with all kinds of wealth and opulence, such as porcelain figurines, satin bedding and paintings in gold frames, but the attention shifts more to sparsely lit rooms and corridors. And to the high cliffs on the coast, which consist of black, razor-sharp rocks.
Suddenly, unfortunately, the film is a bit weaker. As soon as Mixim and Mrs. De Winter move into their extravagant manor, the story begins to swell. Maybe this is due to the fact that Daphne du Maurier’s book has been adapted into a screenplay by no less than three different writers. Which way do they want to go with the story? Romance, drama and mystery are thrown together, but to be honest, it’s only the third act that they make some headway. Especially because the plot twists suddenly start to pile up like crazy.
Despite the messy story structure, “Rebecca” remains viewable. The protagonsts Armie Hammer and Lily James are both strong actors and have solid performances. And they work well together. But it’s Kristin Scott Thomas, as the icy caretaker Mrs. Danvers, that takes all the credit. Her role as a manipulator behind the scenes is much more interesting.
The film misses an edge. “Rebecca” is beautifully filmed, but lacks focus. Still a nice film to watch, but you can better watch the original from 1940.

Rating: 3 / 5