Revisiting All Rebecca's Manderleys 1979-2020

[@DMovieman]

I never knew there were so many adaptations, besides the 1940 and 2020 versions. I love how you broke them down, especially with the bedroom as a focal point. Great job! 👌👌👌

[@CinemaCities1978]

There are a lot of adaptations but I think I'm most intrigued by the Italian version. I would love to find a subtitled version because I wasn't able to watch the entire miniseries.

[@58christiansful]

One of the best channels. A must for cinephiles and cineastes.

[@ferociousgumby]

May I say, your choice of music is brilliant. Hardly anyone knows how to do this. Generally I hate any music at all, but in your videos it's always a perfect fit, enhances the storytelling and never overpowers or clashes with the narration. The music at the end is so glorious I went back and listened to it three times.

[@CinemaCities1978]

Thank you so much for recognizing the music. I spend a lot of time (perhaps even too much time) selecting the music for these videos because I want it to enhance the feeling and mood of what you're watching. In fact, I had to go back and watch this video again because I had no idea which music I had used. You're absolutely right; that one was quite nice!

[@ferociousgumby]

@@CinemaCities1978 Beautiful. I look forward to all your videos, but I particularly loved the in-depth look at John Garfield. And I would LOVE a "special" on the brilliant film Humoresque with Joan Crawford, in which she's far more vulnerable than her usual screen self. Oscar Levant was in it as Garfield's sidekick. No one else did what Levant did for a picture - an eccentric character actor and an astounding pianist, whom I think deserves another look. Without him, An American in Paris would have fallen flat.

[@jonhinson5701]

I will have to purchase the 1940 version. I do like Judith Anderson ( Laura, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,) . I bought the version with Diana Rigg. I have always loved anything she did and I have had a platonic crush on her since the Avengers . Mrs Peel was like a female James Bond minus the promiscuity.

[@valeriea.larsson1687]

If you want to hear great music that fits the movie perfectly & contributes to leaving the viewer w/ chills, watch "Tomorrow is forever".

[@hillfield369]

Thank you for this thoughtful analysis! For me the best version will always be the 1940 one. Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers has never been surpassed. I so agree about the bedroom. The "loveliest room in the house" was the 1940's room. When Mrs. Danvers opens the drapes it's absolutely dazzling. Sparkling with feminine opulence and unabashed decadence, just like Rebecca. I also feel that the casting was the best. I love Joan Fontaine and Lawrence Olivier is stunning as de Winter. The good thing about the 1979 version for me is that it is 3 1/2 hours long and therefore includes much more dialogue from the book and I do like Jeremy Brett as Max. But I would watch any version any time. I just love the story. Daphne du Maurier was a genius.

[@clairenoon4070]

Completely disagree. The 'house' in that film was utterly wrong. All vulgarly American. And this narrator thinking 'glamour' is what it should be doesn't have a clue about the English country house, and what du Maurier was doing.

[@StephenSeabird]

I think the 1940s version is strong on atmosphere, whereas the cinematic remake doesn't have any to my mind; and I agree about Rebecca's room and the portrayal of Mrs Danvers in that first version. The 2020 remake doesn't work at all for me, and the ending a disaster.

[@58christiansful]

The mystery lies in not seeing Rebecca at all.

[@glw2088]

I have really enjoyed these Rebecca videos. Wonderful!!!

[@CinemaCities1978]

I’m really happy to hear that! Thanks for watching and subscribing!!!

[@MoreMovies4u]

Brilliant follow up CC! Totally agree with your points on Rebecca (2020). I was astonished to hear there was a Jeremy Brett version! He was great as Sherlock Holmes, playing the character for a great number of years on TV over here. The Italian version looks interesting too! Thanks very much, once again I am elevated and educated by your excellent content.

[@CinemaCities1978]

Jeremy Brett makes a pretty good Maxim. But, yeah, I kept thinking of Sherlock Holmes (his Holmes mysteries aired over here too) as I watched his Maxim. As much as I dislike the 2020 version, I have to give credit where credit is due and their Manderley was spectacular . .

[@MoreMovies4u]

@@CinemaCities1978 Yeah I agree! Ah, thanks. Great to know you guys got 80s/90s Jeremy Brett Holmes too! Now that was television. 👍

[@BoBo-ti6jh]

Your videos are great. Enjoy them very much. You forgot to mention that Faye Dunaway played the role of Mrs. Van Hopper in the 1997 version. She was the best thing in it.

[@MaryOliver-pq9ji]

As a huge fan of Jeremy Brett, I have to cast my vote for the 1979 remake. But there was nothing wrong with the Hitchcock version either.

[@mrgeeization]

Emilia Fox is Joanna David’s daughter. An overlooked interesting fact.

[@Jeremyracle-qb9mo]

And Anna Massey was Jeremy Brett's ex-wife !

[@bdarci]

The 1979 version is my favorite, but I have to admit that Manderley was short shrifted in that production. Manderley would have certainly had a ballroom, and forced their guests to dance in what looks to be a small entrance hall.

[@RK-fx4sv]

The one with Emilia Fox and Charles Dance is great. Can you do an analysis of White Mischief?

[@drordror3]

Epic research and a great video!!

[@CinemaCities1978]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@maureentuohy8672]

Jeremy Brett was just a brilliant actor! He was a wonderful. By the way…Anna Massey was Brett’s x-wife. Interesting!

[@lindsaycaress450]

Mrs Danvers's narrow attitude towards Mr De Winter. annoyed me as it was his ancestral home, not Rebeccas. She was the bride who entered the house and not the only one who added to the splendour on Manderley. Manderley was cherished by many generations of the DE Winter clan. Mrs Danvers s could only lay claim to Rebecca's very little influence also she was not a loyal bride to her husband.

[@Kjt853]

You are correct. When the 1979 TV version was first televised, Daphne Du Maurier claimed she thought it superior to the 1940 Hitchcock version. (Off topic, I know, but I’ve long believed that Hitchcock would have done better with “The Birds” had he retained Du Maurier’s actual story, filmed it in b&w, and used it on his TV series when it went to 60 minutes sometime in the early ‘60s.)

[@CinemaCities1978]

Du Maurier hated Hitchcock's version of Jamaica Inn for the same reason, he sort of just tossed to novel aside and did his own thing.

[@Gertyutz]

@@CinemaCities1978 I've seen only the 1940. Did any version keep the original ending in which Maxim had actually killed Rebecca?

[@Gertyutz]

@@CinemaCities1978 The one done in the '80's with Jane Seymour was faithful to the book.

[@pennyculliton378]

@@Gertyutz Jane Seymour was in a version of Rebecca?!

[@Gertyutz]

@@pennyculliton378 No, "Jamaica Inn," also written by duMaurier.

[@psnaris]

And Emilia Fox is Joanna David's daughter.

[@mariadelcarmenrouco8014]

Rebecca me facina todas sus versiones😊😊😊😊😊😊😂❤❤

[@andrewDaMack]

I wish someone would do an imaginary prequel. I feel myself wanting Rebecca come to life on the screen. I want to meet her and get to know this character first hand and not through other people's eyes.

[@sohara....]

There was a novel written from point of view of Rebecca, don't remember the name.

[@andrewDaMack]

@@sohara.... Really? I'll have to research this. Thanks.

[@Dparish24]

I prefer the 1997 adaptation, I know I'm in the minority. Emilia Fox is almost who I imagined in my head when I read the book. I thought the interiors look amazing and rich in detail. I wish they had a slightly better cinematographer to film and light it better, but I understand limitation for a miniseries in the 90's. I didn't mind sort of seeing Rebecca, as we get to see it from Maxim's point of view and it's a biased and bitter memory of her, very femme fatale.

[@PillayAllRounders]

Hi from South African vloggers 🇿🇦 😀 ❤️ 🌍 ...

[@CinemaCities1978]

Hello 😊South African Vloggers!

[@Jeremyracle-qb9mo]

Let's not ignore George Sanders !

[@ggaworowski]

I loved the Netflix version!

[@CinemaCities1978]

I think they did a wonderful job in giving the house a strong personality. Also, the production design was beautiful.

[@la_scrittice_vita]

​@CinemaCities1978 Agreed. Some people get too hung up on changes from the book or an actor they've decided to hate. One should be able to separate what works in a flawed production. It may inspire a better one in the future.

[@Mandibil]

I will only ever watch Hitchcock's version

[@la_scrittice_vita]

All BBC in the 70s had that stage set quality. It's a shame. I agree the bedroom in that production is a fail, almost masculine to the extent that it has a personality at all. But for me, personality preference, I would compare the morning rooms.

[@valeriea.larsson1687]

Nothing, no one, can top Hitchcock as director, Orson Wells & Joan Fontaine. Why, today isn't there anybody who can do his own thing rather than copy great msterpieces? The attempt always meets with failure. fontain

[@kimberlypatton205]

There’s no one like Orson or Joan Fontaine! Gayle Sondergaard is the quintessential Mrs. Danvers.. none can compare to her portrayal.. she scared me!

[@Kjt853]

I’m confused. In the Hitchcock 1940 version, Maxim was played by Laurence Olivier, not Orson Welles, and Judith Anderson played Mrs. Danvers. (Interesting you should mention Sondergaard, however. Sometime in the early ‘40s, Abbott and Costello made a movie, the title of which I’ve forgotten, in which Sondergaard plays a housekeeper. Toward the beginning of the movie, one of the female characters says to her, “Didn’t I see you in ‘Rebecca’?”)

[@alexanderduerrwilliams143]

To me, strict adherence to the text is not vital in an of itself. The book's perfect. The adaptations don't need to be. What I want is to believe the characters. To go through the emotional journey with the protagonist. The Hitchcock version has a great cast and stunning Manderley, but it suffers from the same ailments as so many studio films of the era; namely it's stuffy. It's almost entirely interiors (many outside scenes from the book are moved inside for the pleasure). There's incessant music that only occasionally strikes an emotional resonance. The actors' approach to the material is pretty theatrical (though with defter hands then the '79 version). The '97 adaptation has a naturalism that the other adaptations rush right past. So much of this version is slow and quiet. Awkward. Tense. The performances are directed splendidly. You really get the sense this people are experiencing these things for the first time rather than hamming up a well-known story. It's also shot beautifully. The pulpy romance presentation might make some wince at first, but stick with it. (Rebecca's eyes are a moot point at best.) '79 I'm no big fan of, less for the visual style, which is admittedly flat, but for the direction of the actors. For someone that knows the story, it's difficult to find much to enjoy in the performances. They rush from plot point to plot point, at times the over-anticipating the next emotional beat, spoiling the effect of verisimilitude. Everyone plays closely to type, all of which, to me, makes the whole feel wooden and hokey. The Mercury theater version is charming, especially for Welles performance and a brief, live shortwave interview with the Miss Du Maurier herself after the play. It's is notable for being the very first adaptation, the same year as the novel I believe. I find it so funny that Welles rewrote the opening line, not knowing at the time that it would become iconic. (His is something like "We can never go back to Manderley. But sometimes I visit in my dreams".) This version, as you might expect, suffers from time constraints, as I imagine all of the rarer, hour-long TV adaptations do. Haven't watched the Netflix Becky yet. Not sure I can stomach it. But I will sooner or later.

[@lorihogue5015]

Hitchcock's 1940 version of Rebecca was hands down the best. I'd place the Charles Dance version in second place with Lily James version in third. Would've score higher but I absolutely DETEST Armie Hammer ... ewwwww!

[@TheFiown]

I watched the 1940's one twenty times, read the book many times but the 2020 version was a total disaster WHY make it ?