I am usually a fan of romantic dramas set around the 1950’s
(assumption, because that was when the book was released). So as soon as I saw
the, admittedly confusing trailer, I was game.
My Cousin Rachel is a story about a young lad named Phillip who was adopted,
and brought up by his cousin Ambrose. Ambrose falls is and is sent to Florence
to try and recover, here he meets the first woman to ever catch his eye,
Rachel. He marries her and following this he passes away. Phillip is horrified
and sets out to discover who this woman is, and why nothing has been left in
her name by his cousin Ambrose. Upon meeting her he is instantly swoon, and she
captures him with her beauty and charm. He then becomes obsessed with making
sure she is comfortable and well off, so much so that he will ultimately be
left with nothing. Once she realises this Rachel attempts to do what is needed
to ensure she will not lose her late husband’s estate.
It seemed that director Roger Michell, having directed classics such as Notting Hill (1999), and Persuasion (1995), was in his comfort
zone/area of expertise when it came to My
Cousin Rachel. The screenplay although simple, did suit this type of film.
He did justice to the fact that not much other than the acting and the few
locations we had were enough.
I am not sure what role he played in helping select the cast, but although it
was clear that there was a much-needed connection between characters Phillip
(Sam Claflin), and Rachel (Rachel Weisz), in some parts it seemed that it
almost began to fade, and they were just acting together, and the amount that I
believed the true connection between these two characters decreased.
When casting, I think they selected Weisz well. From the position of a viewer, I
wasn’t understanding the charm and beauty that Rachel held when played by
Weisz. That is not me being horrible, I liked that. I like that she wasn’t
stupidly stunning (not saying that she isn’t), or made to look so, and wasn’t
awfully bubbly and outgoing. You got the idea that he loved her for his own
reasons, that we probably weren’t going to see. This emphasised the fact that
Rachel was their ‘torment’. The other members of the case complimented the
story and the other actors well, as this was noticed by other characters almost
the same as it was by me. I could see this in the reactions of the characters
played by those such as Holliday Grainger and Iain Glen. Who gave a variety to
the characters we had on screen, and suited their parts well.
The feeling that given off by this feel was largely set up
by the filming locations and minimal sets that were selected – as mentioned
above. But this meant that we got some beautiful shots of the places that were
supposedly important to the few main characters in this film, and did set a
tone for the film. Alongside the costumes, the makeup, the jewellery worn by
the characters, even the footwear, and in some cases the way actors held
themselves, they were had this period drama sorted!
However, the story although it looks like a juicy one, didn’t
do much. I was excited at the beginning as things were set out for us, very
well, as we started by hearing a chunk about Phillip and Ambrose and then that
kind of just faded away into nothingness, and ended with a few things not being
tied up, and finally finishing up similarly to how it all began. There were
parts when I believe it was going get dramatic, and we were finally getting to
the good bit, but in this area, My Cousin Rachel did lack.
Even though the story did lack in places it was okay, and it
wasn’t too badly paced, I didn’t feel too long, and it was a pleasant film to
watch. I don’t think it’s a film for someone who has never seen a period drama,
or dislikes them, as typically then can be quite straightforward films
especially one with a story like this – however, this is not a bad thing.
This wasn’t a bad film, but it also wasn’t a good one. It
was fine, but I may even consider buying it one day, though I can’t say I’m desperate
to see it again.
5.5/10.
CINEMATES - S
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