ben wheatley

Too bad this revised adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel is so inferior to Alfred Hitchock’s Oscar-winning 1940 version (the only Hitchcock movie ever to win Best Picture), starring Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier and Judith Anderson. On the plus side, it’s beautifully photographed by Laurie Rose, who makes the most of the spectacular seaside scenery, stylish period costumes, and historic Hatfield House, former home to Queen Elizabeth I – the same mansion that director Yorgos Lanthimos featured in The Favorite.

Director Ben Wheatley’s new incarnation of Rebecca is a valiant reinterpretation that is truer to Daphne Du Maurier’s book than it is to the Hitchcock film. While some might argue that a new version of the story is unnecessary, it fills the holes in our imagination as to how the tale plays out, etching into our minds how the flawed romantic characters get out of a jam.

It took three scriptwriters — Jane Goldman, Joe Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse — to render Du Maurier’s gothic plot into cinematic Hamburger Helper. Here’s how: They retained the 1935 setting. They held the Depression but retained one depressed widower, a Mr. de Winter (note symbolic name á la Jung). He married a plain Jane (not her name — she’s too low-class for one).