O feminicídio de Rebecca, de Daphne du Maurier, em duas adaptações cinematográficas

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the representation of femicide in Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca (1938) and in two of its film adaptations: the film directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1940) and the version directed by Ben Wheatley (2020). The study is based on the premise that the death of the character Rebecca de Winter constitutes a femicide — a gender-motivated homicide — and examines how this crime is represented and transformed across the different versions of the narrative. The research combines Adaptation Studies, drawing on authors such as Linda Hutcheon and Robert Stam, with Feminist Theory applied to literature and film, and also studies on femicide by authors such as Jane Caputi, Diana Russell and Rita Segato. The methodology consists of a comparative analysis of the novel and the two film adaptations, taking into account their historical contexts as well as their narrative and visual strategies. The findings indicate that all three works construct biased representations of Rebecca, largely mediated by discourses that seek to justify or minimize her death. While the novel and the 1940 adaptation maintain some symbolic punishment for the male protagonist, represented by the destruction of Manderley, the 2020 adaptation removes this ambiguity and presents a romantic ending in which femicide is narratively absolves, reinforcing male impunity.