I watched Hitchcock’s Rebecca at a friend’s place where they had some sort of marathon viewing Hitchcock movies. It revived my interest in reading Rebecca which though I had read , wasn’t very clear in my mind.
As to which one I liked better , I am still not able to come to a conclusion because the storyline has been faithfully maintained and executed with utmost perfection.
Book :
I have been a great fan of Daphne Du Maurier not only for Rebecca but also for Frenchman’s Creek.
With one of the most unforgettable opening lines , the book holds on to you. The timid new Mrs de Winter is in awe of most of the things at Manderley. She is always being compared to Rebecca , the late Mrs de Winter and made to feel she is not sophisticated enough for a mansion like Manderley. The root cause of troubles is the staunch silence her husband maintains in relation to Rebecca and the house keeping in charge Mrs Denver ( read evil personified, I just hated that lady)
She keeps falling in to the traps that Mrs Denvers sets for her. For our narrator it is as if people are trying to keep Rebecca alive even though she is no more. Does the narrator have her happily ever after ? I am not going to give you that. Grab the book read it.
I do have some problems with the characters though. Firstly , why is our new Mrs de Winters such a mouse ? I literally wanted her to open her mouth , speak up and take a stand. It’s her husband’s house for God’s sake.Mrs Denvers doesn’t own it. But all you get from her are whining.
Secondly , what kind of husband would leave his wife with no explanation about his previous wife when he knows what she is going through at the house. Constant mention of Rebecca does not seem to strike as odd to him.
Other than these two things , I had no problem with the book. It was an absorbing read .
Book Rating : 4.5 out of 5
Movie :
I have to say I was surprised that they stuck to the book for most part. Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine suited well for the roles of Maxim and Mrs de Winter . The pace of the story is fast as is any Hitchcock movie. Only difference is mode of Rebecca’s death which differs in the movie version. With a movie as good as this I would gladly over look that. Another problem was that Mrs Denvers wasn’t as malicious looking as she had to be ,though she tried hard and I felt she was little too young for that role.I had imagined someone older for that role.
Movie rating :5 out of 5 ( I can’t give anything lesser than this for a Alfred Hitchcock movie )