Rebecca (1997)

Based on the Gothic romance novel by Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca is a classic tale of love and hate. Maxim De Winter marries a woman half his age only a year after his first wife, the ... See full summary »

Director:

Jim O'Brien

Writers:

Daphne Du Maurier (novel), Arthur Hopcraft (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Dance, Diana Rigg, Geraldine James

Won 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Dance	...	Maxim de Winter
Diana Rigg	...	Mrs. Danvers
Geraldine James	...	Beatrice
Jean Anderson	...	Grandma
Emilia Fox	...	The Second Mrs. de Winter
Faye Dunaway	...	Mrs. Van Hopper
Jonathan Cake	...	Jack Favell
Tom Chadbon	...	Frank Crawley
Denis Lill	...	Giles
John Branwell	...	Ben
Lucy Cohu	...	Rebecca
John Horsley	...	Frith
Jonathan Stokes	...	Robert
Kelly Reilly	...	Clarice
Wendy MacAdam	...	Nurse

Storyline

Based on the Gothic romance novel by Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca is a classic tale of love and hate. Maxim De Winter marries a woman half his age only a year after his first wife, the beautiful and accomplished Rebecca, dies. She finds herself in an aristocratic social world her middle class upbringing did not prepare her for, and housekeeper Mrs Danvers despises her for taking her darling Rebecca's place. But these are not the only problems to face...

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Plot Keywords:

housekeeper | gothic | cornwall | husband wife relationship | master servant relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca

Filming Locations:

Charlestown, Cornwall, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carlton Television, Portman Productions, Independent Television (ITV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

190 min 190 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emilia Fox's mother, Joanna David played the same role (Mrs. De Winter) 19 years earlier, in the 1978 (TV) version.

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Goofs

Emilia Fox has both ears pierced, twice, in each ear lobe, and this was clearly visible while portraying the character of the second Mrs de Winter, even though she only had one pair of earrings in at a time. In the 1920s piercing the ear multiple times was unheard of, and did not come into fashion until the 1980s.

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Quotes

The Second Mrs. de Winter: I've just been to tea with the Vicar and his lady wife. Did I wear the right hat?
Frank Crawley: Absolutely the right hat.

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Connections

Version of Rebecca, la prima moglie (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Charleston"
(uncredited)
Music by James P. Johnson

User Reviews

more romantic, less scary, but very good

I enjoyed this version of Rebecca very much. This one is more focused on the romance than the excellent version from Hitchcock. It must be said that the romance in this version is more realistic than the one with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Do not get me wrong, I adore the film. But it was quite obvious that the late, great LO was much younger than his alter ego Maxim the Winter. I found the romance in this mini series more convincing because some scenes where added which are not in the book (the honeymoon for instance). It gives the character of Maxim De Winter more warmth and passion. Charles Dance has the advantage that he is about the same age as Maxim and therefore (in my honest opinion) more convincing than LO. Mr. Dance is an excellent actor and he gives a very good performance as Maxim. I was also quite pleased with the performance of Emillia Fox. I had never heard of her before, but I hope to see more of her work in the future. Her portrayal of a young insecure woman who tries to cope with the memory of her husband's first wife was quite impressive. Faye Dunaway made a very amusing Mrs. Van

Hopper. Diana Rigg portrays Mrs. Danvers rather as a tragic character than as a villain. I found this approach very refreshing.

I would also like to add something to a comment made earlier in another review of this mini-series. Someone mentioned that the second Mrs. De Winter first name is Caroline, because in the party scene she is announced as Lady Caroline De Winter. This is of course completely wrong. Lady Caroline is the name of the lady from the painting. It is not Mrs. De Winter's first name, which isn't mentioned at all. I hope that this clears this matter once and for all.