If you compare the 1940 version of Hitchcock's "Butterfly Dream", the biggest advantage of the new version is that it is visually beautiful, not only because of the change from black and white to color, but also the outdoor framing and indoor decoration are impeccable, exquisite and seductive, especially at the beginning. The Monte Carlo part, every scene is as beautiful as a postcard. Personally, I think if you like movies based on British classics or stories in mansions like "Downton Abbey", you will love the set, furnishings and costumes of this film.
The character creation is also more complete than the Hitchcock version, especially the transformation of the heroine. You can see that jealousy and eagerness to become a rich wife have made the young heroine played by Lily James change from a simple and gentle little girl. She became a neurotic and ambitious woman who began to know how to control her own destiny. And this is not obvious in the old version. Joan Fontaine's old version always made me think the heroine was silly and innocent, but Lily James definitely changed that. And the director added a special paragraph at the end of the film to show the thoughts and mentality of the heroine after the incident. The last scene, Lily James's eyes, my God, really shocked me, as if we had witnessed the perfect transformation of Cinderella into evil. queen.
However, the weakness of the new version is that it is no longer a suspense film. If you read this story for the first time, you may still feel that there are many twists and turns, but in terms of style, it lacks a sense of horror and becomes very romantic and beautiful, more like a love fairy tale.
From the surface of the story alone, it is indeed very similar to the story of Cinderella. What's interesting is that the heroine doesn't even have a name at all. From the moment she appeared, she was an anonymous person, so lowly that she didn't deserve a name. Since then, she has been fighting for the title of rich wife. So let's just call her "Cinderella".
"Cinderella" starred by Lily James came from a poor background, and when she was traveling with a wealthy wife, she became a rich, handsome and recently widowed Mr. Derwent. In just a few short days, "Cinderella" made Mr. Derwent fall in love and decided to marry her back home. "Cinderella" lived in the castle-like mansion and became the new hostess Mrs. Derwent here. But everyone, including the servants, looked down on her and felt that she was not worthy of this title. She was incomparable with Mrs. Derwent, Mrs. Rebecca, who had died before. In particular, Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper of the mansion, was very unfriendly to her. This made Cinderella very discouraged, and she kept comparing herself with Rebecca. At this time, she discovered that Rebecca's cause of death was not simple. . .
Some people say that "Butterfly Dream" is the best book for human beings to analyze the psychology of "jealousy". I still agree. "Cinderella" has always been tormented by her jealousy towards her husband's ex-wife. Although she lived in this mansion, she always felt that she could not replace her; while others around her were jealous that she was born in poverty, but she became a mansion so quickly. The new heroine thinks she doesn't deserve it all. Although the entire film is also about a murder case, most of the time it is actually showing the torture of "jealousy" on people and the possible consequences.
And Rebecca's death is also the reason why this work has always been unforgettable and will inevitably lead to controversy after watching it. Who is to blame for her death? What should be said of her husband, Mr. Derwent? Is Cinderella's stance on the matter wrong? I believe that after this new version, these will become the focus again. After so long, the moral issues and marriage issues discussed in the film are not out of date. However, the current methods of criminal investigation are more advanced. If this story happened now, the ending would definitely be different.
And it can be noticed that when comparing the two versions, this time the director has modified some details of the Rebecca case, so I won't say more in order to avoid spoilers, but it is recommended that you re-watch the 1940 version for comparison.
Casting, I personally think both Lily James and Armie Hammer are more suitable than the old version. It's just that Armie Hammer doesn't have a beard like Lawrence Oliver, so he looks younger, not too far behind Lily James. In the old version, it gave the impression that the heroine was a very young girl married to a middle-aged man.
The new version of the clothes is much better than the old version. The heroine no longer always wears ladylike skirts, but mainly trousers and berets, which are more capable. And Rebecca still didn't show up at all like the old version, not even a photo. That's why this story can't be changed to a modern version, otherwise it really doesn't make sense, and how can you find your Facebook account.
Mrs Danvers, the housekeeper, played by Kristen Scott Thomas is actually the most intriguing character in the story, but it's a pity that the new version doesn't look as scary as the old one. Because of the black and white film, the old version looked for an actress who was completely dead-faced and wore black clothes. Every time she appeared, she was as scary as a zombie. It was the kind that could give people nightmares, and even the ending at the end of the film was even more terrifying. But the new version is too mild in terms of shape and performance. The new version adds the "mother-daughter feeling" that Mrs. Danforth treats the former hostess Rebecca as her daughter, but the old version did not. The old version gives the impression that she has a kind of jealousy herself, envious of all the women who live here, and can't accept Cinderella from the same humble background to turn over and become the hostess. I think this treatment is more morbidly distorted, adding to the horror element of the film. The new version makes this character a lot duller, which is a pity.
In general, "Butterfly Dream" is worth remaking over the past so many years. The development of film technology has obviously made the new version visually stunning and can be viewed as a seductive romance, but the level of horror is not as good as the old version. It is estimated that you should watch it. What impressed me the most was the furnishings of the mansion.
Finally, after reading both versions, I still don't understand why the Chinese title of this film was translated into "Butterfly Dream". There isn't a single butterfly in the entire movie, and it's not a dream. If it proves anything, it's that when everything seems too good to be true, it's often because it's not as good as you think it is.
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