It’s unsurprising that 2020 has brought another remake of an already created film. To further our un-surprise, the original film was better.
Though Ben Wheatley made his attempt at revitalizing Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film Rebecca based on the novel of the same name, there’s only one Hitchcock, and that adaptation can’t be replaced by anything. However, the attempt was not in vain. With a great cast and fantastic production value, Wheatley’s Rebecca is a decent film overall.
The first selling point is the opportunity to watch Armie Hammer playing a brooding, mysterious man in a period piece. His fantastic accent and character’s propriety is brilliantly done, especially while setting him up to be the villain throughout the film.
Lily James, on the other hand, doesn’t really bring a memorable performance to her character. It seems as if we’ve seen her play this damsel in distress and proper English woman so many times that they all tend to blend together. It should be noted, however, that this type of character is one that James plays incredibly well, so if it works for her, so be it.
It’s Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers that really brings the most appeal. Her performance leaves the audience on edge, wondering what she’ll do next and whose side she is really on. It’s brilliant to watch her strong but innocent character unfold.
Similar to Thomas’ performance, Ann Dowd’s plays the supporting role Mrs. Van Hopper. She has this demanding, evil energy that, when juxtaposed with Mrs. Danvers, shows the difference between comical evil and true evil.
The production value is absolutely fantastic. First, the music by Clint Mansell, which perfectly encapsulates the film’s meaning and feeling. When edited together with the exquisite cinematography from Laurie Rose, the audience can enjoy beautiful, emotional sights.
It’s only fair to give due props to Wheatley’s direction, as the film isn’t objectively bad by any means. He was already set up to fail by trying to recreate, or outdo, a Hitchcock film. It’s almost impossible to do. Hitchcock’s adaptation of this film has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Wheatley’s only hit 42%.
Though the film has its strong points, there is only one Hitchcock, and he already staked his claim on this adaptation. However, here’s an A for effort, Wheatley, cast and crew.
