Rebecca (1997)

This is a slow-moving, listless, overly romantic adaptation of a vivid, startling, suspenseful novel. It has a few good points but mostly just doesn't make sense. The pacing is off, there is romance squeezed into scenes where it has no business being there, and key segments of dialogue are either changed, missing, or inserted in all the wrong scenes. Not to mention those inexplicable moments where they just made it up altogether, taking nothing from the novel, and frankly adding nothing. Pacing-wise, for a stretch it will be agonizingly slow, lingering far too long over some unnecessary scene like the heroine wandering through Manderley or dancing with a guest at the ball while Maxim sulks in the background. Then, suddenly, it will jump to a crucial scene or piece of dialogue and proceed to rush through it, often while taking strenuous liberties. Why? Casting was a bit off, with Maxim appearing much older than he's supposed to be, blistered-looking skin and lips a distraction throughout. Unlike some, I did not mind that the lead actress was very pretty - in fact she matched my mental picture of the character almost exactly - but it was the actress's dullness which put me off. She shows so little emotion and just looks bored and spaced out through the whole thing. Furthermore, she doesn't for a moment come off as painfully shy, which is her character's defining trait. A word about the casting of Faye Dunaway as Mrs. Van Hopper. My goodness, but that woman can over-act. She struck such a discordant note, it's as if she'd wandered in from the set of some other movie - or stage production. The fact that her part was so small made the theatrics even worse.  There is more to critique, but overall the movie is all right as long as you are able to detach yourself from the book, and if you have a really long attention span. The music and costumes are lovely, so as a romantic period piece it succeeds, but not as a faithful adaptation of the novel.

If Charles Dance hadn't been the perfect, slightly crotchety, dashingly attractive and aristocratic Maxim de Winter, I wouldn't have even given this 2 stars. Well, okay, the period sets and costumes *were* wonderful, Manderley *was* luscious, and the cold, crashing sea around Manderley gorgeous and ominous! But beyond that ...I think my main problem is with the Emilia Fox as the second Mrs. de Winter. She seemed colorless, insipid and wimpy and lacked what I'd always believed was an essential sweetness which originally attracted Max. Occasionally the chemistry between Fox and Dance was good, especially the marriage bed scenes, but overall the direction and performance created a second Mrs. de Winter that made little sense to me.Also, Diana Rigg's much-touted performance left me cold; although, to be fair, in both her case and Fox's, I suspect that a large part of the problem was in the script and direction, which tended to be cadenced and lingering to the point where it seemed contrived to me.And, sigh, at a certain point Frith's villainy became a bit over the top, and he habitually hit the same note again and again, the same facial expressions, the same sneer, the same smarmy charm, all of which was very effective in his first scene, but didn't wear well with repetition.Essentially, I spent most of the movie, a retelling of a favorite story of mine, checking my watch to see how much longer I needed to endure it.

Absolutely terrible, I read this novel when I was very young and although I didn't fully understand it, I was as haunted by Rebecca as everyone else in the novel was. When I found the Alfred Hitchcock version, I didn't agree at first with how harsh Maxim always seemed, but the movie really did the book justice, the setting and lighting. This movie however, was much to mushy and didn't follow the characters attitudes at all. Mrs. Van Hopper was portrayed all wrong, and Maxim wasn't handsome and debonair at all. Over all I'd say watch the Alfred Hitchcock version if you want beautiful settings and handsome actors that get to the core of the characters.

I have not yet seen this movie, but my sister and I are reading through Rebecca right now, and I'd like to explain to those who misunderstood: Mrs. De Winter had herself announced as Caroline De Winter because she was dressed as that lady (the lady in the painting)and acting that part. I mean, it's a costume ball. She intended this to make everyone think, "Who?" and look to see. Caroline is not her name; the point is that you never even know what her name is.I have seen the old version of this movie, and in my opinion and that of my sister, as we read the book, Laurence Olivier is absolutely the definitive Maxim De Winter in every way.