DVD: Rebecca (1997)


“Stop asking silly questions and eat your egg”


If I’d known more about Rebecca before I watched the 1997 television adaptation as part of my Lucy Cohu marathon, I might not have bothered. Not having seen it before or read it, I assumed that her part – the titular role no less – might have had a little more to do in the story but as the story is about the second Mrs De Winter, this wasn’t the case. At all. The first half, 90 minutes in total, featured one brief shot of her eyebrows and one of her hands. The second not much better with tantalising glimpses of parts of her face and a few snatched lines of dialogue (although Wikipedia informs me I’m lucky to even get this!)

Based on Daphne Du Maurier’s 1938 novel, Arthur Hopcraft’s adaption directed here by Jim O’Brien stretches over 3 hours and had to deal with the weight of a much-watched (although not by me) version by Hitchcock but I have to say I rather enjoyed watching it. The story focuses on the marital relations of Maxim De Winter as he marries a young gamine he meets whilst spending the summer in Monte Carlo less than a year after the mysterious death of his first wife Rebecca, much beloved by simply everyone around. Thrust into an entirely new and unfamiliar social milieu, the new Mrs De Winter has much to deal with, not least the terrifying housekeeper Mrs Danvers, but it soon becomes apparent that there’s more at stake here than class difficulties.


Whether intentional or not, this ends up being a rather fabulously camp thing. From Faye Dunaway’s Mrs Van Hopper, hunting for gossip and celebs on the Riviera, to Jonathan Cake’s scene-chewing Jack Favell, to the utter deliciousness of Diana Rigg’s ominously looming Mrs Danvers, it’s all rather gloriously over the top. The May-to-December romance of Charles Dance and Emilia Fox is played very straight and the increasing mystery of exactly what happened to her predecessor does take hold to create a rather compelling latter third which I was entirely gripped by (if not entirely convinced – the new Mrs De Winter is VERY understanding!)  


So whilst this may not be ideal fodder for Lucy Cohu fans, it makes for highly entertaining watching and has got me considering a Diana Rigg fest!

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