James is a more than capable lead, quickly drawing audience sympathy as the shy woman desperate to please and failing. She’s engaging, though stuck playing one-note for most of the duration. It’s only near the end that she finally finds more assertive footing, and not always plausibly. Once at Manderley, Maxim is less present in the story for the middle act. His aloofness helps propel the mystery, but it’s also beneficial in that Hammer isn’t quite as convincing in his role. The whirlwind romance means that the new Mrs. de Winter doesn’t know her husband very well, but the lack of chemistry on Hammer’s end makes it difficult to understand why this character would endure as much as she does for him. The coldness at least works in Hammer’s favor later, but this is meant to be a haunting romance tale first and foremost.