Film review: 'Rebecca' by Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley’s highly-anticipated remake of the critically-acclaimed 1940 Hitchcock classic, “Rebecca”, doesn’t quite hit the spot, in spite of a stellar performance by Kristin Scott Thomas.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Remaking an Alfred Hitchcock film, let alone one based on a Daphne de Maurier book, is a challenge in itself. But with Ben Wheatley’s infamous reputation for deranged films, hopes flew high when the Netflix remake of the gothic story, “Rebecca”, was announced. However surreptitious the pre-trailer stills looked, the film itself left much to be desired.
“Rebecca” is the story of a lady’s companion (Lily James) who falls in love with the attractive Mr de Winter (Armie Hammer) on a trip to Monte Carlo. He asks her to marry him, and takes her to his huge countryside home, Manderley, where she has to compete with the “ghost” of his dead wife Rebecca, and the housekeeper Mrs Danvers, who despises the new Mrs de Winter.
“The Netflix adaptation fails to bring out the tones of homoeroticism, or at least explore them more overtly. ”
The novel and the Hitchcock film are dripping with drama and suspense. Wheatley’s version, however, is superficial and dry. The film lacks theatricality, insofar as the viewer fails to feel the supposed vastness of Manderley, which is the setting for most of the film. There are some scenes that Wheatley tries to experiment with, or dramatise, but none leave you gripping onto the edge of your seat. The colour palette also seems to be lacking. In trying to capture a vintage effect, the film loses the drama that could have been gained from using bolder colours and a higher contrast.
Something that could have warranted a remake of Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” is an exploration of the underlying sapphic relationship between the housekeeper, Mrs Danvers and the late Mrs de Winter. In 1940, Hitchcock would have faced unimaginable criticism for representing a non-heterosexual relationship, or at least the idea of one. However, the Netflix adaptation fails to bring out the tones of homoeroticism, or at least explore them more overtly.
There is much to be said of Kristin Scott Thomas’ portrayal of Mrs Danvers. As one of the protagonists, she appears on screen for the majority of the film’s duration. Every word that she says to the new Mrs de Winter seems to ooze contempt at her efforts to replace Rebecca. In one of the more intimate scenes, Mrs Danvers thrusts the deceased Rebecca’s velveteen night robe into the unnamed Mrs de Winter’s face, and you can sense the intensity of the longing that Mrs Danvers feels towards her late mistress. Thomas’ ravishing performance places her in what seems to be in a completely different movie than the rest of the cast.
Armie Hammer and Lily James' chemistry brings their characters' romance to life during the courtship period in Monte Carlo, where everything is sunshine and rainbows. When they return to the Manderley estate, it’s almost as if their emotions switch off. Hammer seems vacant and James seems unfazed. The character of Mrs de Winter goes from being a naïve lady’s companion to entering a world of trauma and convoluted pasts, but James just seems ever-so-slightly confused at the transition. The horror element of the story is not the actual ghost of Rebecca, but rather Mrs de Winter’s fear that she will never be able to live up to her. This plot seems to hardly affect Mrs de Winter. She sheds a few tears every now and then. And Wheatley tries something new with the floor turning into poison ivy, but to a viewer who doesn’t know the story, the intensity of the emotion simply does not come through.
Nonetheless, “Rebecca” is an interesting watch for someone who hasn’t read the Maurier classic or watched Hitchcock’s rendition. The costumes and setting are nice to look at but almost a little too Pinterest board-like, which takes away from the plot itself. Perhaps Wheatley would have succeeded better by applying his traditional twists to the film and staying truer to the Gothicism of the story.