We were finally able to rent Rebecca. It was actually on tv a few times during the holidays, and I had to resist the temptation to watch it without the mister as we had agreed to watch it together...he had already raved about the Hitchcock version.
And I just adored it. It very fairly depicted the book...a few minor things that were different, but no deal breakers (well, except maybe the ending...but I won't give it away for you). Probably changes that just made more sense in a film sense than for the book. Most of all, the film very successfully makes Rebecca ever-present in a dark, ominous way. Everyone loved her, admired her, wanted to be her. And although she's gone, she's everywhere, from her raincoat, to her handkerchiefs, to her handwriting, to what sauces she would choose for lunches with guests. Without doing a thing, she keeps the second Mrs. de Winter constantly feeling inadequate and measuring herself against Rebecca. The book certainly did a better job of providing insight into Mrs. de Winter and why she was so terrified with shyness and almost paralyzed in her new position as Mrs. de Winter, but the suspense was expertly done. But I liked that that the movie wasn't SO Hitchcock. So many of his movies have such a distinct style to them, and even though this one fit that milieu, it was definitely more subtle. And Manderley...ahhh, Manderley. Lovely to see it translated from my imagination to the screen.
Overall, 2 thumbs way up. On the book and the movie. See it. Read it. Do it.
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