A Late Night Review on Rebecca

 Hello Late Night Watchers! This Late Night Review is on a new film taken from an old tale, Rebecca (2020). Directed by Ben Wheatley, this film is a remake of the classic Hitchcock film made in 1940 which is a telling of Daphne du Maurier's novel but with a darker tone and the tone re-imagined. I had enjoyed Hitchcock's version but was curious what this new remake starring Armie Hammer and Lily James would be like so here we are. 

I must say as far as retelling's go this one stayed pretty true to the story...until the end. The film follows an unnamed young woman who meets and falls for the handsome and wealthy Maxim de Winter, a widower. They marry and move into his luxurious estate, Manderley where the now-named Mrs. de Winter struggles to move out of the shadow cast by Maxim's former wife, Rebecca. 

In the original story, Mrs. de Winter is aloof and sensitive. In this retelling she has a spine and is very outspoken and doesn't back down easily. I think it's a good character choice that she is able to stand up for herself and isn't as weakly portrayed. There is also a lot more passion in this film. In the other version, the romance between Maxim and Mrs. de Winter was almost non-existent, however, here they are more passionate and the film is more sexual. It changes the tone of the film from mysterious and solemn to more thrilling and intense. 

Throughout the film, Mrs. de Winter is constantly reminded of Rebecca and forced to live in her shadow. She constantly compares herself and feels like she is a terrible replacement whom Maxim could never love as much as her. She feels like she cannot compete. The evil housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, loved Rebecca and is constantly berating the new Mrs. de Winter and pushing her towards the edge as well as setting her up for failure. 

 Maxim as a character is a lot ruder and more aggressive in this telling. He yells quite often and his anger is very threatening, more so than the old version in which his anger is a mix of disappointment and anger versus just anger. This Maxim doesn't feel as haunted by Rebecca's ghost, just angry that she is intruding in his new life.

Perhaps the biggest change from the old telling to the new telling comes from the ending.

****SPOILER ALERT****

In the climax of the film, Rebecca's body is found in a shipwreck, revealing who they thought was her body previously was not. Maxim then reveals to Mrs. de Winter that he never loved Rebecca, much to her shock and surprise. In the original novel, Maxim kills Rebecca in the midst of a fight and hides her body. He then is able to get off because it's revealed that Rebecca was dying of cancer and the jury decides she committed suicide. However, due to the Hays code, Hitchcock had to change the ending in the 1940 adaptation as there can not be a murder without justice and having Maxim walk freely couldn't work. 

However, in the new adaptation, there are no restrictions. Maxim admits to shooting Rebecca after being poked by her to do it and then he hides her body. It's still revealed she was dying and Mrs. de Winter concludes that Rebecca wanting Maxim to kill her so that she could pin her death on him and ruin his life. She can see Maxim loves her and forgives him for his evil deeds and helps him get free. 

In the original telling, Mrs. Danvers, angry with Rebecca not receiving justice, sets fire to Manderley and dies in it. In this new telling, she still sets a fire, however, this time she escapes. She goes to a cliff and wishes Maxim and Mrs. de Winter a lifetime of misery before jumping off and killing herself. This new death is supposed to be more symbolic, however, I found her previous death, where you see her in the window surrounded by burning flames, more impactful. Here the film ends on a positive note of them searching for a new home while in the previous version it ended with a burning R. I personally felt like this ending didn't capture the essence of Rebecca and the meaning how of she remains present long after her death. 

****END SPOILERS****

This film was a very modern and unique telling of an old story. I was entertained and it wasn't a bad movie to watch, however, I still favor the Hitchcock version. If you're looking for a romantic thriller to watch one night, this is a good watch. However, if you're looking for a film that captures the true meaning of the story, stick to the classic. Happy movie watching!