Rebecca

Oh I wish I were Emilia Fox. Charles Dance as Maxim De Winter captured my heart- I will dream of him as he romanced this young lady with love and romance. I adore his moments of sensitivity towards his blossom. The manner in which he glances at his bewildered beauty brings tears of joy to my wounded heart. As a mere example when Maxim states:''of course I love your hair.'' Mrs De Winter smiles as if a thousand bars of gold were placed into her hands. To find a romance with such wonder would be my dream- this wonderful portrayal of acting is solidified by wonderful acting from all the cast.The music is complements the darling movement of the film. An amazing cast with the wonderful Faye Dunaway of whom as usual acted with such high vivaciousness.

This is a terrific adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel. The period detail, costume and scenery are all spot-on, and the acting is good, especially among the principals. Generally, this television version is more faithful to the book, both in spirit and in plot, than the 1940 Hitchcock version with Laurence Oliver and Joan Fontaine. I found Charles Dance to be a much more believable Maxim de Winter, with some definite sex appeal that was lacking in Olivier's portrayal. Emilia Fox was perfectly charming as the 2nd Mrs. de Winter, managing to come across as shy and unsure of herself without appearing too passive or neurotic. As has been stated in other reviews, the romance between the two was far more believable and realistic in this version.

Diana Rigg gives quite a different portrayal of the creepy Mrs. Danvers than Judith Anderson did, and I found Rigg's more humane and pathetic (although still sinister) housekeeper more three-dimensional. The supporting characters are also good, and I even enjoyed Jonathan Cake's scenery-chewing portrayal of Jack Favell.

All in all, a great effort, well worth watching.

I enjoyed this version very much, the actors in the main roles were very good. I especially liked the young Emilia Fox as the new Mrs DeWinter. She started out as the shy young girl and became the strong young wife fighting for her love. Charles Dance was very well cast as Maxim, not as stuffy as Olivier. I found Diana Rigg a bit over the top, but the supporting cast were very good, especially Faye Dunaway. The locations and overall look of the show was very pleasing to the eye. I liked this longer , more adult version as it covered the whole story and was very true to the novel. But, like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice I will always now and again go back and watch the original black and white versions.

I thought this was marvellous, and that Charles Dance as Maxim, Emilia Fox as The Second Mrs De Winter, and Diana Rigg as Mrs Danvers, were note perfect - but that's before I saw the 1970s version with Jeremy Brett, Fox's mother Joanna David, and Anna Massey.

However, this 1990s version runs a close second. It isn't as involving to watch, and Dance has a certain dryness that perhaps does not work all through the piece - but the cast do well (including Faye Dunaway as Fox's chaperone). Set pieces are excellent, there's beautiful scenery, and a tight script, and all this is good.

You rarely see watchable literacy adaptations of this quality, and this version of 'Rebecca' does not really disappoint. It's just that it has already been done better before - and it is a shame that the 1997 version is the only one now widely available for viewing.

Watch it by all means - but try to seek out other versions as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this 1997 version of "Rebecca", which recently aired uncut on PBS. Charles Dance played Max DeWinter brilliantly. The character he portrays is a gentleman who seems above the fray but can explode with raw emotion on a moment's notice. Something is clearly eating away at him. Emilia Fox, the young woman he falls in love with and marries, is perfect - a bit shy but surprisingly mature. The background photography is superb in both locations: Monte Carlo, where they meet, and on the coast of Cornwall, the site of Max's magnificent estate. We are introduced to Mrs. Danvers, played by Diana Rigg, who makes the new Mrs. DeWinter as uncomfortable as she could possibly be. I didn't care much for the reinvention of Mrs. Danvers' character in this movie. She cannot let go of the memory of Maxim's first wife but in this movie, her preference has added motivation. Geraldine James, an excellent actor, is Max's sister. I remember her in The Jewel in the Crown, a Masterpiece Theatre show from the 1980's. (More recently she appeared in the Downton Abbey movie as Queen Mary.) Faye Dunaway, a Hollywood leading lady, has a role as the gossip-prone Mrs. Van Hopper, who employed Rebecca as a companion and has delusions of winning over Max. The character of the former Mrs. DeWinter and the movie mystery eventually converge and the pace picks up. We encounter some additional characters as the movie takes some interesting twists and turns that will entertain the viewer, even if you've seen previous versions of Daphne duMaurier's novel. All in all, a highly entertaining and beautiful movie.