Rebecca-2020
Director Ben Wheatley
Starring Lily James, Armie Hammer
Scott’s Review #1,430
Reviewed June 30, 2024
Grade: A-
Impossible to compare to the legendary 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film, I tried very hard to take the 2020 retelling of Rebecca based on its merits. After all, it’s been eighty years, and other attempts have been made, mostly forgotten or irrelevant.
Aware of lukewarm reviews by other critics, I desperately set those aside and settled in for a macabre, dark, ghostly British thriller.
The film is quite good! Feeling fresh and with a polished cinematic look, I’d describe it as a modern British offering, despite being set in a long-ago era.
For comparison, it reminds me of the British television series Downton Abbey (2010-2015) in terms of its look and feel—a grandiose estate, dutiful servants, and a cast of other wealthy and not-so-wealthy characters.
A young newlywed (character nameless) arrives at her husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his first wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives in the house long after her death.
The lead actress, Lily James, whom I initially couldn’t recall, is best known for Downton Abbey and the 2023 film The Iron Claw.
The character she plays, the insecure second Mrs. de Winter, is confused and haunted, requiring terrific acting. James hits it out of the park on that front.
Emotionally abused by her employer, wickedly played by Ann Dowd, she is instantly heroic and likable so we are happy when she graduates from servant to queen bee.
I cringed at first when I realized that the gorgeous and lovely Kristin Scott Thomas was playing the pivotal role of the villainous Mrs. Danvers. Known for the film The English Patient (1996), where she played the romantic Katharine Clifton, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to go so dark.
Boy, was I wrong? It took me a bit to channel out the dastardly performance by Judith Anderson from the original and accept Scott Thomas. She gets better with each scene and even forces the audience to sympathize with her.
Finally, Armie Hammer is good in the lead role of Maxim de Winter. Handsome, sophisticated, and wealthy, he peculiarly fancies a lady’s maid who inexplicably becomes his wife.
We wonder what he sees in her when his deceased wife, Rebecca, was gorgeous, affluent, and a perfectionist. Rebecca was presumed to have drowned in a terrible boating accident, but as events unfold, we wonder if there’s more to the story.
If only the characters communicated with each other, it would have eliminated confusion. Maxim refuses to talk about Rebecca. If his true feelings were revealed, he’d have a different kind of second marriage.
Besides the story and acting, other elements make Rebecca circa 2020 worth watching.
The cinematography captures crashing waves and high cliffs, which provide a haunting mood; the dining room and kitchen sequences brim with goodness and excellent meals.
The art direction and set design are overall flawless in the presentation.
The costume party that Mrs. de Winter eagerly plans and hopes will admonish the house of any thoughts of Rebecca going wrong, which, for viewers, is a delight because the scene is already rich. With help from Danvers, a regal red costume is designed and prepared to showcase Mrs. de Winter.
When she confidently descends the staircase, the startled crowd gasps with fright at the similarities between her and Rebecca. Maxim angrily dismisses her to change outfits while Danvers smirks in the background.
She’s won round one.
The Danvers/Mrs de Winter feud is my favorite aspect of Rebecca (both original and 2020 versions), so it’s delightful to see it work so well with Scott Thomas and James.
There is nothing quite as satisfying as watching a film with little expectations and finishing it feeling fulfilled, still thinking about it the next morning.
I’ll always watch 1940s Rebecca as a treasured friend, but Rebecca (2020) quite capably offers a modern spin with good acting and lavish production values.
