Can We Talk 2

My Cousin Rachel, the Movie

         I saw the movie for the first time this weekend. My Cousin Rachel was released in 1952 in black and white. It was the first Hollywood endeavor for Richard Burton, who had only done British films until then. Olivia De Haviland played Rachel.

         What a great story. It was a little slow at first. It was about cousins, whom I thought were father and son at first. Rachel was not a blood cousin, but the wife of one. The houses were grand and eloquent. There were lots of servants. Wealth was all around and is the center of the story. There is plenty of money for spending, redecorating, sailing, and giving away.

         There are poisonous seeds falling from a tree over the fence which might poison the livestock. They make a big scene of showing the large seeds. The young man's mind is poisoned against his cousin, despite the fact that he is desperately in love with her. Medicine is dispensed to at least two people, so there is question as to whether that is poison. When Rachel serves a special tea to Phillip, he refuses to drink it, she refuses also, and she pours it out. So we never know if it is poisoned or not.

         There are so many unanswered questions. Rachel's death leaves them all unsettled. Phillip will never be free of the haunting questions or the fear that he may have contributed to her death by failing to warn her of the weakened condition of the foot bridge. There is always an eerie and dark atmosphere throughout the film.

         It was interesting to see the young, slim Richard. I had to keep staring to be sure it was really him. His lines were not overly dramatic. His role was intense. Not just anyone would have been able to carry it off the way he did. It's easy to see why America fell in love with him.