Review: Rebecca

After the recent onslaught of both good and bad Netflix Originals added to the streaming service, I was somewhat reluctant to watch the new adaptation of Rebecca after having loved Daphne du Maurier’s novel. However, I can confirm that the adaptation manages to succeed in both keeping the gothic elements and main storyline of the novel, whilst also giving the female characters more agency and being a cinematic goldmine.

This transition is marked by the colour changes in the scenes, from lively and vivid shades of yellows, blues and greens, to much darker and bleak ones.

Rebecca follows the story of a young woman (Lily James), working as a lady’s companion, who meets a wealthy and newly widowed man, being quickly whisked away to become his wife. They move from holidaying on the beautiful and bright French coast to Mr de Winter’s (Armie Hammer) estate on the gloomy English coast. This transition is marked by the colour changes in the scenes, from lively and vivid shades of yellows, blues and greens, to much darker and bleak ones. This use of lighting, colour and music all add to the gothic feel of the film and increase the tension the audience can sense between Lily James’ character and Mrs Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), the head of the household.

The main female character remains nameless throughout the film, apart from her title of Mrs de Winter, and this is contrasted so brilliantly with repeated images of the letter ‘R’ for Rebecca, Mr de Winter’s deceased wife. Rebecca haunts the film constantly, and the main character even sees her figure in a red dress walking through the house. Yet we are not shown her face or given much information about her. There is an ever-growing sense of mystery which surrounds Rebecca, and this turns into an obsession for Lily James’s character and the audience as we desperately seek to know more about her. The slow pace of the majority of the film only enhances this desperation, which then jars with the action of the last scenes.

What is most effective about the film is the changes it makes to the original text. Ben Wheatley gives more depth and complexity to the female characters, showing women who are not afraid to take matters into their own hands, despite the limitations placed upon them by the society in which they live. Lily James’ character even saves her husband from his fate in jail by proactively and independently seeking out the information needed to save him. Her actions, despite being marked by a distinct shyness and eagerness to prove herself as a good wife, become strong and decisive by the end of the film. Mrs Danvers is also a delightfully villainous character, with her stern and scolding countenance becoming unravelled as her plots to take vengeance for Rebecca seem to be destroyed.

The male characters fade in comparison to the women, and Mr de Winter remains a character that I cannot seem to root for

The male characters fade in comparison to the women, and Mr de Winter remains a character that I cannot seem to root for. Whether it is the fact that he is a rather neglectful husband who often does not tell his wife when he is leaving the property for days, or that he is a literal murderer, I could not say. Yet in the final scene when Mr and Mrs de Winter have victoriously escaped the doom of Manderley and the justice system, I cannot help but be happy for them.

Verdict

Whilst this film does have a slow pace and nothing of consequence seems to happen for at least half of the running time, this only adds to its intrigue and mystery. The fashion, cars, settings and characters provide a fascinating insight into a time when it seems it was apparently easy to get away with any crime. Wheatley has done a fantastic job of retelling this classic story.