15 June 2017
My Cousin Rachel
A film by Roger Michell
reviewed by Adam McCormack.
Did she or didn’t she? When Ingrid Bergman was praised for her acting in Casablanca on the basis that reviewers were unable to work out whether she really loved Paul Henreid or Humphrey Bogart, she confessed that this was because she had no idea of the right answer herself. This is not the case with Rachel Weisz’s portrayal of Rachel in Daphne Du Maurier’s classic gothic novel. The difference here is that Weis has decided whether she really did poison the cousin, and former guardian, of Philip Ashley and is now trying to do the same to him, but she is refusing to tell anyone. It is this enigmatic performance that raises the level of an otherwise standard suspense story to a classier psychological thriller.
Philip (played with perfect puppy-like qualities by Sam Claflin) has been convinced by his cousin’s letters that Ambrose’s wife Rachel, seemingly in cahoots with the enigmatic Rainaldi, has been slowly poisoning him. When Rachel comes to visit her dead husband’s Cornish estate, Philip is prepared to confront her with her crime. However, when they finally meet, Philip and all around him (including the audience) melt under the charms of Rachel. Philip falls in love with Rachel, and on gaining access to his fortune on his twenty-fifth birthday pledges to give to all to her – hoping that she will marry him. It is only when we hear more about (and witness) details of Rachel’s sexual appetite and preoccupation with administering herbal teas that we start to re-question her motives. Femme fatale, modern woman or poisoning psychopath? These are questions that this film very skillfully presents.
If one goes beyond the performances, which include a subtle cameo from Simon Russell Beale as Philips’s solicitor, the film does not stand up quite so well. The settings, in Tuscany and Cornwall, are beautiful but needlessly enhanced by some less than convincing CGI – Florence in the distance and random sailing ships on the horizon. While on the face of it this is a gothic tale, and the strength of Du Maurier’s story still come to the fore, the presentation lacks depth and lacks the brooding depth of the book – but for the twists and denouement this would be bordering on a Mills and Boon tale. Nevertheless, if you don’t already know the story, Rachel Weisz alone makes this worth seeing.
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