Rebecca

Ben Wheatley remakes Hitchcock's classic (or re-adapts Daphne du Maurier's book). I'm not a fan of Hitchcock and disliked his version of the story, but was willing to give Rebecca another chance as Wheatley is at least an interesting director. The result is a decent and necessary update of de Maurier's creation.

Maxim de Winter is a wealthy Brit who falls in love with a young secretary on a vacation in Monte Carlo. He's still mourning the death of his late wife Rebecca, but for the first time in months he finds a welcome distraction. Soon after they marry, and he takes her with him to his estate in England. Not all the staff is happy to see a new face and Rebecca's memories still loom in every corner of the old house.

The cinematography is quite beautiful and the sound design is subtle but notable. The performances are all-round solid too. The build-up is slow, deliberate but effective. Much like Hitchcock's version though, the final 30 minutes feels rushed and puts too big of a focus on the narrative, which isn't all that interesting. It's a shame, but at least Wheatley offers a more than welcome improvement over Hitchcock's film.