A Tale of Three Maxims

Ever fallen so in love with a book that you could literally see every moment? You smell the smell of each location, feel the temperature of the air, hear the specific pitch of every voice saying every line?

People like us should not watch book-to-movies.

I recently finished reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier to my husband J. I’d read it three times already. I love the story and have vivid pictures of settings and people in my head.

I got the idea that we need an updated film version of “Rebecca.” I don’t always like movie reboots, but reboots of books are okay, since I figure the source material (the book) will still feel relevant to people. Reboots of original films risk having the source material replaced by an updated version of the same medium. But I digress.

So I want this new version of Rebecca, right? And I have ideas of how it should be, specifically who should play Maxim de Winter, a character I have always semi-crushed on (more on my casting choice later). So I get this idea—this brilliant idea—to go back and see what other film-makers have done with the story. On IMDB, J and I found several movie versions, including the 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film, a 1979 TV mini-series, and a 1997 TV movie.

Each film is fun in its own way. The ’79 version stuck closest to the book in terms of exact dialogue and how the scenes play out. The Hitchcock film is still very faithful and the most “fun” to watch. The 1997 movie is just…well…I’ll explain in a minute.

I was most interested in how the character of Maxim was portrayed each time. So, what did I think of these 3 Maxim de Winters?

Spoilers imminent!

Jeremy Brett (1979)

I’ll begin with Brett because he’s the best. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find another actor who could match his ingenious tension between lover and brooding secret-keeper.

From the first, he fulfills a faithful reader’s expectation of the charming gentleman with a dark side, a side that sometimes climbs to the surface and breaks across his face. His wit, his matter-of-fact nature, his often sardonic view of the protagonists’ little emotional dramas—perfect! Through it all, you see hints of his temper and pain, and you believe his sister Beatrice when she implies his temper is a thing to behold.

Yet he also shows tenderness. I defy anyone to watch the breakfast proposal scene and not try to climb through the screen and hug him when he thinks the protagonist has rejected his offer. Keep tissues handy when Maxim and our heroine discuss how much time they have left before he’s taken to prison for Rebecca’s murder (see, I told you there be spoilers here).

Laurence Olivier (1940)

This Maxim elicits a reaction of—to use a highly technical term—“D’awww!”

He’s the Snuggle Maxim of the bunch. Much warmer, more fun, more romantic. His voice has a softer pitch, and he appears slightly younger than the 42-year-old Maxim in the book. When he expresses regret at not making a more romantic proposal and wedding, he really means it, whereas Maxim in the book (and Brett’s version) state it as an afterthought. He hardly has a temper, seeming more like a kicked puppy than a brooding killer of sociopathic wives. In fact, this Maxim didn’t even kill Rebecca on purpose! He has fewer shades of gray, possibly because this film was meant to appeal to 1940s romance connoisseurs.

To be honest, of the three choices, he’s the least like Book Maxim but the one you’d probably most want to date.

Charles Dance (1997)

So with this Maxim, the thing I want to focus—ohmygosh, holy flying turtles, is that Tyrion Lannister’s dad?!

The heck? The Lannisters kept their bloodline so pure that centuries later we’ve still got Tywin Lannister lookalikes puttering around Manderley? I guess the Targaryens were right; that brother-sister thing really works!

Ahem…anyway…

So I love Charles Dance. I’m a huge fan of his performance in Game of Thrones. But I just can’t get behind him as Maxim de Winter. It’s not a question of acting talent, because he’s very….but, I mean, it’s just…not to be rude…..

He’s old, is what I’m trying to say.

Charles Dance was a decade too old when they filmed this. He was 51, he looked 55, and Maxim is supposed to be 42.

During an early scene, when Dance delivers the line, “I’m twice your age,” my husband followed it up with, “Three times, really,” in his best Charles Dance voice, which opened the floodgates on nonstop riffing about age for the entire show.

I’m not kidding. For the entire movie, it was wretchedly, painfully impossible to ignore the awkwardly wrong age difference between the characters. It looked like someone’s grandpa suddenly wound up in the car with a college student. Maxim is supposed to be old enough to intimidate the main character, but young enough to retain a lot of sex appeal. Mrs. Danvers even draws attention to this in the book when she says, “No man denies himself on a honeymoon does he? Mr. de Winter’s not forty-six yet.” With Charles Dance, just one allusion to his bedroom activity had J and I racing for that anti-nausea liquid we bought last flu season.

I literally have nothing else to say about his performance as Maxim because this issue is the Mount Everest of Maxim movie problems and overshadows everything else. He probably could have done the whole film in David Bowie makeup with laser eyes and a honey badger attacking him and I wouldn’t have noticed, the age problem was so glaring.

???? (Modern)

On to the real fun. Who would I pick to play Maxim de Winter nowadays? Who could possibly approach the Jeremy Brett mecca of de Winter portrayal? Who would do such a good job that his competence alone would justify an entirely fresh remake?

Ladies and gentlemen. I give you…

Yeah, I know, I know. Benedict Cumberbatch is the Observational Ginger’s answer to everything. Who’s your current favorite actor? Benedict Cumberbatch. Who has the funniest memes about them on Tumblr? Oh, Benedict Cumberbatch! Which Hobbit movie was your favorite? The one with Benedict Cumberbatch in it. Who will probably cure cancer and finally discover the end of pi? Why, Benedict Cumberbatch!

But seriously. I’m not even kidding. Let’s run down Maxim de Winter’s personal qualities and check them against Cumberperfect, here.

Tall, dark, and handsome? Check. Brooding? Check. Charming? Check. Brusque, matter-of-fact, and sardonic when needed? Check. Not 51? Check. Not likely to cause vomiting if someone mentions his honeymoon in the film? Double check.

Has played Sherlock in another role, just like Jeremy Brett did? Triple and quadruple check!

Benedict Cumberbatch is this generation’s Maxim de Winter. Mr. and Mrs. Cumberbatch got together in the 70s, said to themselves, “Let’s create a person who could flawlessly portray Maxim de Winter in about 40 years” and had themselves a Benedict. In fact, if he does not play this character in a modern “Rebecca,” I will suffer serious emotional trauma from the sheer magnitude of the missed opportunity.

But never fear! According to IMDB, a new “Rebecca” could be in the works!

Benedict, if you’re listening, you must play that role! Filmmakers, if you’re listening, you must chase him down, tie him up, and make him sign a contract. In blood from his pricked finger. Under a full moon. Threaten him with honey badgers if you have to, the ones that could have been eating Charles Dance for all I know, because I was too busy looking at his wrinkles.

For the love of all things de Winter, don’t let Charles Dance have the last word in playing my favorite leading man. Our generation deserves a new Jeremy Brett!