While it boasts an amazing (and amazingly photogenic cast), it’s difficult to imagine anyone releasing a Rebecca that tops Hitchcock’s original. However, Netflix’s Rebecca certainly looks fantastic, visually speaking that is. Directed by Ben Wheatley from a screenplay by Jane Goldman and Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse, the film tells the Daphne du Maurier story of a young woman (Lily James) swept off her feet by the wealthy and handsome Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer) who owns an enormous English estate, Manderley. The juiciest role in the story belongs to Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers, the imposing and admittedly terrifying housekeeper. Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) is perfectly cast as a nosy American tourist.
Here are a few recently released stills for Rebecca which will premiere October 21 on Netflix.
The question posed by any remake is what new approach to reviving the material justifies the remake? Right off the bat, Lily James’s mundane prettiness in the lead role rivals Joan Fontaine’s in the original. So what new contribution will this version make? I don’t know if that character is supposed to be that pretty. Not to deny it worked in Hitchcock’s version, but why repeat it?
Call Me By Your Dead Wife’s Name