Rebecca Movie Vs. The Novel Essay, Research Paper
Rebecca
Rebecca, a classic suspense novel written by Daphne Du Maurier is considered one
of the finest Gothic romance of the 20th century. It was first published in 1938, and
became immediate best seller. Alfred Hitchcock gave it a yet wider audience when he
made it into a memorable motion picture. Starring Laurence Oliver as Maxim de Winter
and Joan Fontaine as Mrs. de Winter, the black and white version of the movie, was based
on the book. The book and the movie are not very much alike, in fact, they are in several
ways different. Nonetheless, most of the movie followed the book closely, however, many
important scenes from the book were not presented in the movie version. Moreover, some
details that made the book very interesting to read, were absent in the movie. Therefore,
the book was more interesting and enjoyable due to its detailed Gothic settings and the
suspense that made reader part of it.
The book is about a young, shy girl who worked as a ?paid companion? for a
wealthy woman, Mrs. Van Hopper. On their trip to Monte Carlo the narrator met Maxim
de Winter, one of the wealthiest people in England. Maxim?s late wife, Rebecca was said
to be drowned in the sea while sailing. Thus, he wanted to find a new wife who could make
the Manderely, Maxims huge and Gothic estate, lively again. Finally over a short period of
time they got married and left Monte. After their honeymoon in Venice they went to
Manderley where mystery and loneliness awaited the new Mrs. de Winter. Maxims
housekeeper, the evil Mrs. Danvers was adore of dead Rebecca and did not want anyone
taking the place of her. Consequently, she tried to get rid of the narrator. Rebecca?s
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presence was felt everywhere. Anything the narrator touched, anything she did she felt
dead Rebecca?s soul haunting her. One day divers found the capsized boat in which
Rebecca drowned. After investigation the evidence showed that she was killed and the
boat was intentionally sunk. Maxim and Rebecca were not happy living together, and
they always had tension between them, because Rebecca always had lovers other than
Max. Who could have done it? The evidence strongly pointed at Maxim. The only thing
that he and his new wife could do was to come up with a motive to show that Rebecca
committed suicide. They did, because Rebecca?s doctor had records that she was
diagnosed with cancer. At the end of the story Mrs. Danvers set Manderley on fire,
because she could not stand Maxim and his new wife living happily together.
The book and the movie follow same story quite well. They have many similarities
in common. For example, they both start with the scene of the long twisted driveway
leading to the ruins of Manderley. Another similarity is the part where Mrs. Van Hopper,
the narrator and Maxim first meet and have coffee together. Their dialogue in this scene is
identical to the book, and also the setting described in the book is represented on the movie
quite well. The part where the narrator accidantely knocks of the vase during the
breakfast is clearly illustrated in the movie as well as in the book. The characters of
Maxim and Mrs. de Winter are well presented the way they are in the novel. For instance,
the narrator is shown as a shy young girl with low self esteem throughout the movie
exactly the way it is described in the book. Also in both the movie and the book Mrs.
Danvers is clearly portrayed as very evil and spooky character. Reading the book one can
clearly visualize her character through Du Maurie?s description, as it was clearly
presented in the movie. In addition, the scene where Mrs. de Winter prepares her
costume for the dance ball that she arranged, was identical to that of described in the
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book. Although, many instances in the movie are very similar to the book, the novel gives
the reader fuller understanding and better mental picture of the settings and characters.
Despite some similarities in the movie that closely followed the book, there are
also numerous differences between the two. Hitchcock mostly focuses on the main story,
and does not emphasize many important details that make the story a little different. For
instance the movie begins with Maxim standing on the cliff looking down, where as the
book begins from the hotel conversation between Maxim and Van Hopper. Another
difference is that duMaurier tells the reader about the apology note that the narrator
received from Maxim, but the movie does not even mention it. Furthermore, some scenes
happen in different order than in the novel. The part where the narrator mentions her
experience with the Manderley picture was a perfect example of this. In the book she tells
Maxim about the post-card of Manderley during their first lunch together, whereas, in the
movie she mentions it in the park. One of very important symbolic objects was not
mentioned in the movie at all. The book that the narrator received from Maxim which had
a poem written in it about Max?s miserable life, was well talked about in the book.
Skipping ahead in the book, she introduces the reader to Maxim?s old grandmother who
was also adore of Rebecca. However, in the movie this does not happen at all. Moreover, in
the book when Mrs. de Winter meets Jack Fawell, he shows his new sports car to the
narrator, but in the movie his car is not even mentioned. Several times throughout the
novel guests visit the Manderley, but in the movie no one is seen visiting the place but
Beatrice, Maxim?s sister. As compared to the book on which the movie was based, many
important details are ignored, and some important scenes are not shown in the movie.
Although, both the movie and the book are very good and interesting, the novel is
better in many ways. One of the reasons is because Du Maurier describes the settings so
well that even motion picture could do it hardly as good. The description of the Gothic style
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of Manderley is not well presented in the movie. Also the suspense of the book is more
tense than the movie. Hitchcock, on the other hand, changes the novel in some ways in
the movie. For example, he does not introduce some characters, and he rearranges some
events from the book and illeminats many important scenes. In addition, the movie does
not emphasize on Rebecca?s constant haunting presence within the dark walls of
Manderley. Leaving out important details makes the movie less preferable compared to
the book.
The novel Rebecca , by Daphne Du Maurier and the movie by Alfred Hitchcock
based on this novel, have many similarities as well as noticeable differences. The book
has many preferences over the movie. One reason is that Du Maurier describes everything
very clearly and detailed, whereas, the movie constantly ignores many details. Both the
movie and the book follow the same story very well. They both start of with the drive
through the twisted driveway to Manderley. Also dialogue in the movie was almost
identical to the book in many scenes. Despite the similarities in the story, the detailed
novel and comparably short movie, had many major differences. The movie does not
mention Maxim?s old grandmother as it is in the book. Furthermore, many details that
presented the Gothic feeling in the book were absent in the movie. Hence, the novel seemed
more interesting and preferable to read. Not always a movie comes out to be better than
the book.