Weisz’s brilliant performance highlights ‘My Cousin Rachel’

The 2017 film version of Daphne du Maurier’s gothic mystery novel “My Cousin Rachel” can’t help but invite comparison to the 1952 film starring Olivia de Havilland and, yes, Richard Burton.

The contemporary script attributed to director Robert Michell is an almost word-for-word adaptation of the earlier Nunnally Johnson script, so the distinctions between the two films rest primarily with the casts.

De Havilland was the headliner in the earlier film, but her performance as the youngish widow Rachel Ashley was only lukewarm compared with the powerful and enigmatic performance of Rachel Weisz, who clearly shines in this role. Unhappily, Sam Claflin’s version of the 24-year old Philip Ashley pales in comparison to the Oscar performance of Burton. Claflin comes across as manic and child-like compared with the more subtle adaptation by Burton.

Philip Ashley, orphaned as a child, was taken in as a ward of his cousin Ambrose who clearly adored and spoiled Philip. The two shared a rather isolated life together on the stormy coast of Cornwall in a dark and gloomy mansion. Their only regular companions, apart from their dogs and servants, seem to have been Philip’s godfather Nick Kendall (Iain Glen) and his daughter Louise (Holliday Grainger). When Ambrose’s health being to fail, at the advice of his physicians, he seeks the warmer climate of Florence, Italy. There he meets and marries Rachel, who insists on being called Cousin Rachel.

In the beginning, the letters Ambrose sends to Philip indicate total contentment with his new bride. In time, however, the letters grow much darker and Ambrose grows more and more suspicious of his wife Rachel who forces him to drink foul potions she brews herself. Only when she is out of the house does Ambrose dare to post a letter home. Although Philip becomes more and more concerned, it isn’t until he receives a final plea from Ambrose to come at once that he rushes to Florence to save his cousin.

Alas, Philip arrives too late and finds that Ambrose has already died. The death certificate reveals that Ambrose died of a brain tumor, though Philip is convinced that Ambrose died at the hand of Cousin Rachel. Philip plots revenge on the widow.

As it happens, Philip, and not Rachel, is the sole heir of the Ashley fortune, although it is possible that Rachel may make a case for receiving her fair share of the late Ambrose’s estate. When she shows up at the Ashley estate, making no claim on the property, she is nothing like Philip had imagined. She is charming, witty, and completely companionable, much to Philip’s surprise. She is so charming, in fact, that Philip falls madly and blindly in love with her. Philip is only a short time away from coming into his inheritance at the age of 25. Although both his godfather Kendall and Kendall’s daughter Louise try to warn Philip away from falling to the wiles of a possibly promiscuous and clearly mysterious Rachel, Philip is adamant that Rachel is an innocent. In fact, he leaves his entire fortune to Rachel with the proviso that if she ever marries the estate will revert to Philip.

No wonder that when Philip asks for Rachel’s hand in the company of a dinner gathering, Rachel is appalled. She refuses his offer. Louise has to explain to Philip that Rachel’s marriage, even to Philip, would cause the entire estate to fall back to Philip. Now we are wondering ourselves about the motivation of the enchanting Rachel.

There is a back and forth as Philip tries to wrestle with the idea of Rachel’s motivation. She sneaks off almost daily to rendezvous with her old Italian friend, played by Pierfrancesco Favino. In addition, she offers Philip bitter brews of herbs, and Philip falls quite ill. This causes us to question the real character of Cousin Rachel. Is she a charming killer, or killingly charming?

Unfortunately, the 2017 film leaves out the enigmatic ending that du Maurier provided in her book and that was the ending of the 1952 film.

If you are a true film buff, you will want to watch both movies to invite your own comparisons of the high points and low points of each. But either way the film is mostly true to the book, and the photography of a sunny and brilliant Cornwall is stunning. Weisz’s performance is brilliant and makes the movie worth seeing.

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Weisz’s brilliant performance highlights ‘My Cousin Rachel’."