The film "My cousin Rachel", the reviews of which are given in this article, was released to the world in 2017. This is a melodrama based on the novel of the same name by the English writer Daphne Dumorier.
The plot of the work
The film and the book "My Cousin Rachel", the reviews of which are given in this article, are almost identical in plot. The book itself was published in 1951. Like Dumorier’s previous novel, Rebecca, it was written in the mysterious romance genre. Events in the work unfold in Cornwall.
One of the main characters is Philip Ashley. It is from his face that the narrative is being conducted. He is an orphan, raised on the estate of his cousin Embrose. When he was 24 years old, his cousin, suffering from a serious illness, began treatment in Italy. There he met Rachel, the poor widow of Count Sangaletti, who, after the death of her husband, was left almost without a livelihood. Embrose married his cousin, but their happiness was short-lived. A year later, the disease still prevailed over him and he died.
After that, Rachel arrived at the estate in which Ashley lived to stay. The protagonist-narrator admits to readers that he has conflicting feelings for her. She attracts him, like a girl, having fallen in love with her, she practically loses her head, but at the same time, the thought that his cousin died under mysterious and completely unclear circumstances does not give him rest.
Fascinated by Rachel, he seeks various excuses for her. As a result, the author invites the reader to decide for himself how guilty the girl is, whether she managed to mislead Philip.
When Philip turns 25, the will of Embrose comes into force. Now the main character has the ability to dispose of property. He decides to transfer the entire fortune and estate of Rachel. Immediately after this, the relationship between them deteriorates sharply. And soon Philip begins to hurt. Symptoms of his malaise are very similar to the disease that Embrosis suffered from.
The novel ends very unexpectedly, Rachel falls from the bridge and gets fatal wounds. The girl spends the last minutes of her life in the arms of the protagonist, stubbornly calling him Embrose.
Book Reviews
Judging by the reviews, the book "My cousin Rachel" was liked by many readers of that time. And now it remains very popular.
Many who have read this novel admit that this is a charming and lovely book that tastefully describes English landscapes, traditional tea parties, dogs waiting for their owners by the fireplaces, and classic old English estates.
It is worth noting that this is the second famous novel by Dumorier. “Rebecca” at one time, she conquered both readers and critics. Therefore, many feared that her second work would be much worse.
For most, these concerns have not been confirmed. The book conquered literally from the first words. After reading Dumorier’s novel “My cousin Rachel,” reviews about him are collected in this article, readers are divided into two camps. Some were convinced of the guilt of the main character, others believed that the girl had nothing to do with it.
Those who were sure that she was a criminal claimed that the girl did not at all sound like a positive heroine. To do this, she is too cunning and prudent. At the same time, he knows how to please people around, making any circumstance advantageous for himself. It was for the sake of money, as many readers believe, that she first married an old and seriously ill bachelor, and then flirted with his young and naive cousin.
But most of all in the novel “My cousin Rachel” by Daphne du Maurier, the reviews confirm this, everyone is struck by an unexpected, shocking ending to many.
Adaptations of the novel
It is noteworthy that the film, released in 2017, was not the first attempt to film this work of English literature.
Back in 1952, the American film Henry Koster made the same film. The main roles in it were played by seven-time Oscar nominee Richard Burton and two Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland.
In 1983, the television version of the famous novel was released. In it, the leading roles were British actors Geraldine Chaplin and Christopher Guard.
In 2017, the third attempt was made to transfer this work to the screen. According to reviews, the movie "My Cousin Rachel" of 2017 is the most successful of them.
Movie premiere
British film director Roger Mitchell worked on the 2017 film. On his account several dozen paintings. The fame thriller "In a Strange Alien", the drama "Test of Love", and the biographical comedy "Hyde Park on the Hudson" brought him fame.
It is worth noting that this is also a very titled director. For his work, he received the BAFTA Award, the British Academy of Independent Film Award, the European Film Academy Award and many others.
In his work on synopsis, Mitchell tried to stick to the original text of the novel. He wrote an adapted script. The picture was the result of a joint work of English and American producers. As a result, the movie "My cousin Rachel" has grossed more than $ 9 million worldwide.
The plot of the picture
As much as Michell did not seek to minimize deviations from the plot of the novel, he got a slightly different story.
In the movie "My Cousin Rachel" (2017), the reviews of which are in this article, Ambrose is the adoptive father of the main character Philip. With his distant relative, he meets while traveling in Italy. But then, as in the novel, he marries, and soon dies.
Philip immediately begins to suspect the insidious beauty of the fact that she took the life of his guardian in order to get the whole fortune of her husband. He concocts a plan of brutal revenge, but is so carried away that he does not notice how he loses his head from a charming woman.
Rachel Weiss
The main female role in this picture was played by the Englishwoman Rachel Weisz. In her big movie, she made her debut in 1995, playing in the fantastic thriller Stephen Norrington's "Death Machine".
Her fame came after working with the cult Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci. She played in his melodrama "Escaping Beauty."
Many viewers can also remember her from the adventure film by Stephen Sommers "The Mummy", the dramatic thriller Francis Lawrence "Constantine: Lord of Darkness."
In 2006, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in the detective thriller Fernando Meirelles, The Faithful Gardener. She played Tess, who marries diplomatic worker Justin. She had a short but passionate affair with him. Interestingly, she herself began to propose herself as a wife, as soon as she found out that Justin would soon be sent to Africa. The fact is that Tess is a journalist. Her investigation focuses on the suspicion that pharmaceutical companies are conducting illegal trials of new drugs in Africa. As a result, many of them turn out to be terrible diseases and side effects for the subjects.
Sam Cloughlin
The role of Philip in the film "My Cousin Rachel", the reviews of which are collected in this article, was performed by the Englishman Sam Claflin. This is a very popular actor who played in Rob Marshall’s adventure film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” Francis Lawrence’s fantastic thriller “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” Christian Ditter’s comedy “With Love, Rosie,” Thea Sherrock’s drama “Before” meeting you. "
The role in the film "My cousin Rachel", reviews of which were received mainly positive, was his last work at the moment.
Andrew Knott
In the image of Joshua Ambrose, the English actor Andrew Nott appears. Fans of British cinema know him well from Agnieszka Holland's family drama The Mysterious Garden. For the role of Deacon Southbury, he received the award as Best Young Actor.
Also played in the melodrama Caroline Thompson "Black Beauty", the television series "Coronation Street", "Where the heart is", "Ghosts: Code 9".
He became famous for participating in the play of the English playwright Alan Bennett "History lovers." This is a classic dramatic work that tells about the students of a fictional school in Sheffield. They are preparing for entrance exams for teachers who have completely different approaches to upbringing and education.
Interestingly, in 2015, Andrew Nott played a cameo along with other actors in the play "History Fans" in the comedy drama "Lady in the Van" by Nicholas Heitner.
Movie Reviews
About the movie "My cousin Rachel" critics received diametrically opposed reviews.
Some praised this tape for the mystery that the creators of the picture managed to keep on the screen until the very end. The film has a lot of excellent houses and landscapes - this is its indisputable plus. Moreover, the characters themselves are poorly spelled out. In this, many critics and viewers saw a significant flaw.
But at the same time, the powerful ending deserves praise. Many admit that they simply clutched their heads when they found out how the director decided to finish the picture. Immediately after that, I had to start reading or re-reading the book to find out how the events of the novel were presented by the author himself.
At the same time, there were enough negative reviews. To some, the main character seemed to be unconvincing, who is trying to wrap around the finger of young Philip only with her beauty, while the heroine of the novel used a whole arsenal, accessible only to true schemers. Therefore, the novel looked much more convincing.