Rebecca

Authors: Tierney
Location: New Jersey

"Rebecca"

Produced by Kenneth Branagh
Written and Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Original Score by John Barry

Principal Cast:

Scarlett Johansson - The Second Mrs. de Winter (Un-named Heroine)
Rupert Everet - Maxim de Winter
Imelda Staunton - Mrs. Danvers
Stephen Fry - Frank Crawley
Kathy Bates - Mrs. Van Hopper
Annette Benning - Beatrice

Tagline: "The shadow of this woman darkened their love"

Christmas 2007

Synopsis: Rebecca creates a brooding atmosphere surrounding the tragic courtship, marriage and relationship of a naive, plain and innocent young woman (Scarlett Johansson) to a brooding and overburdened widower - an aristocratic, moody patriarch (Rupert Everett) who lives in an estate named Manderley. The pathetic, bewildered and shy bride experiences fear, pain and guilt when psychologically dominated by the 'presence' (and memories) of the deceased first wife (named Rebecca but never seen on screen), and she is tormented by Rebecca's blindly adoring, sinister and loyal housekeeper's (Imelda Staunton) recollections of the dead woman. Only by film's end, with the flaming destruction of the estate, do the real character and secrets of Rebecca's death become clear.

What the press would say:

Very rarely in film does a remake come near the quality of the original, more times than most we see them fail with the rare exceptions such as David Leans Great Expectations, Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, and now Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Rebecca. Branagh bravely creates an edgier, darker Rebecca; the version that author Daphne Du Maurier envisioned in her novel. Scarlett Johansson is the second Mrs. de Winter and plays the part of a naive young woman who marries a rich widower brilliantly. Scarlett makes her character's shyness charming, pulling the audience to her side from the very first scene with an elegant subtlety. Scarlett conveys the picture Du Maurier painted in the novel, as her character nearly goes mad in her effort to emulate her husband's former wife and in the process almost destroys her marriage. Look for Scarlett to receive her first and well deserved Oscar nomination.

Rupert Everett hasn’t been in a film in years and has been semi retired. It appears that good friend Kenneth Branagh’s script was just too irresistible to pass. Everett plays the lead male character, Maxim de Winter, a wealthy bachelor with many secrets. As the rich, aristocratic husband, still dominated by memories of his mysteriously deceased wife, Rupert gives his most dynamic performance of his career destroying all stereotypes surrounding his personal life. He is very committed to the role of Maxim and displays talents reminiscent to the last actor who played this role, Laurence Oliver. Everett’s greatest achievement is his emotional breakdown at the end of the film when he finally admits to his wife what truly happened to Rebecca, that she was evil and he killed her. Rupert Everett is not only going to receive a nomination for this performance, he has a very good chance at winning.

Imelda Staunton, a past Oscar nominee for Vera Drake gives an incredible portrayal of Mrs. Danvers, the devoted housekeeper to Rebecca. In a chilling performance, Staunton creates a monster who speaks barely over a whisper. Staunton is the sneering, contemptuous housekeeper whose devotion to her former mistress finally turns to madness in arguably the most talked about scene of the movie, when she almost convinces the second wife to kill herself. The young wife only breaks away from the old woman's spell when fireworks go off over the cove. Staunton creates a character that demands the attention of the audience. Come Oscar nomination time, the Academy will remember. The other note worthy performance is performed by Academy Award winner Kathy Bates as a nosy, gossipy, vulgar woman, Mrs. Van Hopper. Mrs. Van Hopper, a wealthy American whom brings the unnamed girl to Europe as her traveling companion. She brings humor to the film and executes her scenes with a force that only Kathy Bates could. There is some nomination talk about this performance, but many believe it will be overshadowed by Imelda Staunton’s showier role. Also listen for John Barry’s haunting score which adds an extra bit of magic to this film and he for sure will win the Oscar for Best Score.

For Your Consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director – Kenneth Branagh
Best Actor - Rupert Everett
Best Actress – Scarlett Johansson
Best Supporting Actress – Imelda Staunton
Best Supporting Actress – Kathy Bates
Best Adapted Screenplay – Kenneth Branagh
Best Original Score – John Barry