Movie, 2020

Sumptuous though rather flat adaptation of Du Maurier’s novel, which despite a few fresh touches here and there, never quite comes down as either a full-on romance nor creepy horror. It fails, too, to escape from the shadows of Hitchcock’s classic. Some nice moments, particularly the contrasts between the breezy early scenes on the Med and the claustrophobic atmosphere of Mandalay, although the most promising thread – a real look at the ‘downstairs’ world of the servants – is shown, though perhaps not explored or developed as well as it might have been. By no means a bad film, this is entertaining and well done; if just doesn’t lift and crackle as much as it could have done.