🌒 Rebecca (2020) — Film Adaptation Review

A Beautiful Stranger in the Halls of Manderley by D.M. of Ivy & Ink

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…”
— Daphne du Maurier

The 2020 Netflix adaptation of Rebecca, directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Lily James and Armie Hammer, invites us once more into the shadows of Manderley — though this time, the shadows seem a little softer, the ghosts a bit more dressed for daylight.

Visually, the film is enchanting. The sunlit cliffs of Monte Carlo, the ivy-covered estate, the candlelit corridors — each frame is a painting. The atmosphere leans into opulence and dreamlike beauty. But where du Maurier’s novel is drenched in psychological tension and emotional erosion, the movie often feels more romantic than ruinous.

Lily James gives the second Mrs. de Winter a delicate vulnerability, though her transformation feels too polished, too sudden. Armie Hammer’s Maxim is handsome, yes — but he lacks the cold, haunted undercurrent that made the original character so unsettling. Kristin Scott Thomas, however, as Mrs. Danvers, is exquisite — elegant and cruel, like a silk ribbon drawn too tight.

And this is where the film falters: it softens what should cut. It sympathizes with what should disturb. The result is a story that’s still beautiful, still compelling, but missing that eerie depth that made the novel linger like perfume on old fabric.

I would suggest reading the book first. Rebecca — the novel — is haunting in a way the film never quite captures. It lingers. It destroys you, and somehow puts you back together. It transforms you — quietly, completely. The movie may charm, but the book? The book is unforgettable.

🕯️
In the hush between pages and scenes, I’ll always return to the written Manderley.
— D.M. of Ivy & Ink