Mrs De Winter Maxim De Winter Essay - 1,269 words

Rebecca, a classic suspense novel written by Daphne Du Maurier is considered one of the finest Gothic romance of the 20 th 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. Maxims 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 Manderley, 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 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 accidently 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 Maurier description, as it was clearly presented in the movie. In addition, the scene where Mrs. de W ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

...................You are reading a preview................... Visit our Blog and Unlock Full Access to this essay

Continue READING the FULL Essay by clicking HERE

Essay Tags: movie and the book, book and the movie, maxim de winter, mrs de winter, du maurier

This is an Essay sample / Research paper, you can use it for your research of: Mrs De Winter Maxim De Winter