Rebecca (1979) (TV)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Simon Langton

Writers:

Daphne Du Maurier (novel)
Hugh Whitemore (writer)

Release Date:

11 March 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

A young English girl in Monte Carlo falls in love with a rude, handsome stranger who proposes to her...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jeremy Brett	...	Maxim de Winter
Joanna David	...	Mrs. de Winter
Elspeth March	...	Mrs. van Hopper
Anna Massey	...	Mrs. Danvers
Claude Le Saché	...	Hotel Waiter
Peter Carlisle	...	Mr. Dahlberg
Hugh Morton	...	Frith
Richard Willis	...	Robert
Terrence Hardiman	...	Frank Crawley
Vivian Pickles	...	Beatrice
Leon Sinden	...	Giles
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Ben
Julian Holloway	...	Jack Favell
Sylvia Coleridge	...	Grandmother
Virginia Denham	...	Nurse

Runtime:

USA:205 min | UK:55 min (4 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Caerhays Castle, Gorran, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Version of Naina (1973)

Superb

This film contains three superb performances, and it really is a shame that it is not available on video.

Anna Massey, Jeremy Brett, and Joanna David are a wonderful team of actors who bring a great deal of depth to their roles. David has the most difficult job; her character is so self effacing we never even know her name. She is meek without seeming stupid, and perfectly captures the body language of a very young girl.

Anna Massey is a terrifying Mrs. Danvers and is never more sinister than when she is smiling. She did 'everything' for her late mistress, and we get the impression that she was in fact in love with the title character. Massey's original take on this character has influenced all subsequent portrayals. She also resembles an Edward Gorey drawing in her bleak black costume.

Jeremy Brett is all burning eyes and barely-suppressed rage as Max. The character gradually progresses from a vaguely sinister, sardonic figure to a hunted man who finally appreciates his second wife's devotion. This is a fine portrayal by a wonderful actor and it is an excellent complement to his similarly superb portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.

This film has the usual high production values of a British adaptation, and has the sense to use the music of Claude Debussy on the soundtrack instead of some dated 'horror music' that often mars Seventies films.

All supporting cast members are excellent. My criticism is that the show is a trifle long; the Manderley ball and the visit to Max's grandmother do not really need to be portrayed at this length. The ending is, if anything, even more ambiguous than the ending of the novel It would be a wonderful thing to have this title back in print.