Like the novel, the film chronicles the married life of rich widower Maxim de Winter (Hammer) and the young woman who becomes his second wife (James). The remnants of Maxim's first wife Rebecca, who died in a boating accident, loom large.
The film also stars Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers, Keeley Hawes as Beatrice Lacy, Ann Dowd as Mrs. Van Hopper, and Sam Riley as Jack Favell.
It was theatrically released on 16 October 2020 following a streaming release on Netflix five days later.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: Rebecca's death. Rebecca loaded the gun, put it in Maxim's hand, pushed the gun against her body and then taunted him into pulling the trigger.
- Adaptational Alternate Ending: The book ends on Manderley burning to the ground, leaving the characters' subsequent decisions ambiguous. This version goes a bit further by explaining that the de Winters are in hiding after the fire, but happy together.
- Adaptational Heroism: In every other version Favell tries to cash in on his suspicions of Maxim by blackmailing him. In this version, he takes Maxim's check to the police as proof that Maxim murdered Rebecca.
- Adaptational Karma: In the book, Mrs. Danvers escapes Manderly after she burns it to the ground. Here, after burning Manderly and the boathouse, she jumps from the cliff to drown in the same waters where Rebecca's body was found.
- Adaptational Wimp: In every other version, Maxim responds to Favell's blackmail by calling the police. Here, he caves and gives Favell the money. Unfortunately, this is the only version where Favell doesn't actually care about the money and Maxim ends up incriminating himself.
- Age Lift: In the source material, Maxim is a good few decades older than his new wife, which contributes to her initial naivete and helplessness. Here they're played by actors only about three years apart in age, which makes them seem more compatible early on.
- Book Ends: The film starts on the book's opening line — "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" — and chooses to end it with a few sentences beginning with that line. In the beginning, the narrator is thinking of Manderley, but in the end, she's choosing to leave Manderley behind and build a new life with Maxim.
- Secondary Character Title: Like the source material, the film's titular Rebecca is neither of the two main characters (in fact she's dead and is only glimpsed in visions), but manages to loom large over events.
- Sleepwalking: This version of Maxim is a sleepwalker who wanders around Manderley in underclothes, adding to the film's gothic air.
