But with every adaptation comes interpretation, andRebeccais no exception.
Here’s a rundown of the other major differences betweenRebeccathe book andRebeccathe movie.
But the film amps up Max’s sense of danger in new ways.
Credit: KERRY BROWN/NETFLIX; William Morrow Paperbacks
This is exacerbated by Maxim’s tendency to leave her to fend for herself.
But this movie takes the supernatural sense of Rebecca’s haunting a step further by making Max a sleepwalker.
But for expediency’s sake, the film condenses their meeting into one crucial moment nearly halfway through.
Beatrice quickly warms to her and regularly invites her out to their house or pops in for visits.
She’s accepting visitors that Max doesn’t want anywhere near Manderley.
In the book, she immediately dismisses him, clearly uncomfortable with his unannounced presence.
He’s less menacing in the film, conning us all like the charming cad he is.
He even accuses his wife of ordering lingerie to impress the man.
This causes our heroine to attempt to dismiss Danvers for allowing Favell on the property against Max’s wishes.
Even if she ultimately can’t hold her ground.
The two even seem to form a fragile detente that is not present in the book.
It plays an equal role in the film with a few tweaks.
She waits for Maxim to come to her, but he never does.
But there are some minor changes.
First off, the setting is differentin the novel, Max tells the story back at the house.
Here, the second Mrs. de Winter goes to find him drinking in Rebecca’s boathouse.
In this adaptation, Rebecca pays a much more direct role in provoking Max.
In the novel, he does it out of pure blind rage.
The Inquest
The film allows the second Mrs. de Winter a more direct role in the inquest.
Here, she is by Maxim’s side, squeezing his hand nearly throughout.
On breaks, she counsels him on his testimony.
The hunt and its accompanying suspense effectively convey the exhaustion and weariness of this experience.
She even drives the car herself!
She had terminal cancer, thus justifying the ruling of suicide.
This allows for their romantic reunion at the jail when he is freed.
Mrs. Danvers' Demise
The novel ends on a stark, ambiguous note.
And that’s it.
Additionally, we never learn of Danvers' fate on the page.
It simply ends with the sight of the burning Manderley.
The film chooses to return to this framing, situating the couple in a smoky boudoir in Cairo.
