Catharina_Sweden It is no wonder this story has been so popular ever since it was written. It is the ultimate dream for lonely, shy and insecure girls! Who did not wish for something like this (minus Mrs Danvers of course!) to happen, when one was in the same age as the new Mrs de Winter..? That some handsome and attractive man, rich and powerful, and intensely more eligible than even the most popular boy in school who was off-limits to oneself, should come and whisk oneself off - far away from monotonous jobs, mean bosses, gossipy and slutty work-mates, bad living conditions..? To some more glamorous life as the châtelaine of an old, mysterious mansion...The thing which is the most alluring, is the fact that the second Mrs de Winter at first cannot believe that she can compete with the first Mrs de Winter, who - seemingly - had it all: beauty, courage, many accomplishments and talents - and first and foremost the ability to manipulate others, to make herself popular with everybody. Exactly as the popular girls at school.But then it turned out that some people in fact had began to see through the first Mrs de Winter, not least her own husband, and that he really loved the second Mrs de Winter - because of her inner qualities that he was able to see through her shyness and awkwardness... No wonder this story was such a success! Of course, in reality it can never happen. The Rebeccas of this world win every time...This movie is a very good rendering of the story, better than even the Hitchcock version. First of all the three hours are needed to be able to include all the events from the novel. Also, it follows the novel very faithfully - except for the fire scene in the end, in which the producers must have become temporarily insane..? In the novel Mr de Winter was not there in time to try to save Mrs Danvers, and even if he had been - why should he..? After all the evil that she had done..? To give the accident in the fire as an explanation to why Mr de Winter could not father children, is also very silly - and especially as it was not in the novel. There was no need for such an explanation. Maybe the couple did not want children - it is understandable if they did not want to bear the heir to the Manderley estate, as they could not themselves go back there. Maybe Mr the Winter wanted his line to end with him, after all the tragedies.I miss one thing in this version though: the eeriness, spookiness. The suggestion - which is also there in the novel - that the first Mrs de Winter is still in the house. Either as a ghost, or (this thought at least struck me when I read the novel) that she is not dead, but that she staged the accident and is keeping herself hidden somewhere in the house, to come out sometimes at night and make a disturbance in the house. Maybe to find out how fast Mr de Winter would remarry if she died..? There is no suggestion at all of anything like that in this version, and no ghostly atmosphere at all - the creepiness comes altogether from human beings.The interiors and exteriors are all quite right. Emilia Fox is good in the role as the second Mrs de Winter, although maybe a bit too cheeky towards Mrs van Hopper in the beginning, before she new that she would be able to quit her job. I had pictured the new Mrs de Winter as more insecure and nervous. Charles Dance is quite right as a mysterious, debonair lord of the manor, of course, but I find the age difference (which is about ten years larger than between the characters in the novel) a little off-putting. A 20 years older man when you are 20 is experienced and exciting - at least if he is handsome - but a 30 years older man in that age is a dirty old man...Diana Rigg is as scary as she should be as Mrs Danvers. The supporting staff is quite alright. The only actor I find entirely miscast is Faye Dunaway as Mrs van Hopper. She is still too youthful and beautiful there, for this role. The "thing" with Mrs van Hopper was that everybody should find her pathetic when she is laying herself out for Mr de Winter. Because it would be entirely impossible that he would want this fat old woman. But in this movie, at that point I thought that they would be quite well-matched - and that it was instead strange and wrong that he should start to form an attachment with a young and innocent girl...All in all, this is a very good production of "Rebecca"!

faith199 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.

lathabonthala I read the book by Daphne Du Maurier, and after loving it so much, I decided to watch this latest adaptation. All I can say is that this is better than what I expected! It can captivate every possible type of viewer with its rich tapestry of ideas and emotions in the underlying plot. Charles Dance as Maxim de Winter surpasses all expectations one might have (and isn't too bad to look at either!). In this version, he portrays Max as more romantic (perhaps more so than other adaptations), something which adds a touch of realism and allows for a different perspective of his character. Emilia Fox as the second Mrs. de Winter is refreshing and plays her character with the perfect amount of insecurity over the haunting presence of Max's first wife, Rebecca. Fox also presents her character as nothing but loving and dedicated towards her much older husband, with passion and romance that helps justify many a scene in this version, presented very aesthetically and with realism. The romance and chemistry between the two lead actors is incredibly convincing and is also very appealing. Dame Diana Rigg as Mrs. Danvers is superb, as she almost shows Mrs. Danvers to be in love with Rebecca, but not in a socially acceptable manner for that era, as well as being a tragic, lost individual who is clearly struggling to let go. Remaining supporting cast of Faye Dunaway as the pleasantly extrovert Mrs. Van Hopper and Jonathan Cake as the wild living, slightly devilish cousin of Rebecca, Jack Favell, are perfectly suited to their respective characters. 'Rebecca' also highlights many social taboos and difficulties experienced by the upper classes of the late 1920's, something which is executed faultlessly in this adaptation, and is also something which helps you to justify why Maxim did what he did (you'll have to see this to understand what I mean!). All in all, it has everything that makes for compelling viewing: murder, social taboo, romance, tears... it is truly awesome!

amcd49 I enjoyed this version very much, the actors in the main roles were very good. I especially liked the young Emilia Fox as the new Mrs DeWinter. She started out as the shy young girl and became the strong young wife fighting for her love. Charles Dance was very well cast as Maxim, not as stuffy as Olivier. I found Diana Rigg a bit over the top, but the supporting cast were very good, especially Faye Dunaway. The locations and overall look of the show was very pleasing to the eye. I liked this longer , more adult version as it covered the whole story and was very true to the novel. But, like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice I will always now and again go back and watch the original black and white versions.