• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Display Search Bar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS

5 Minutes for Mom

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Snack
      • Lunch
      • Appetizer
      • Dinner
      • Dessert
    • Ingredient
      • Apple
      • Beef
      • Blueberry
      • Chicken
      • Chocolate
      • Cranberry
      • Peach
      • Pumpkin
      • Squash
      • Strawberry
      • Tomato
      • Vegetables
      • Zucchini
    • Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Baking
      • Grilling
      • Instant Pot
      • No Bake
      • One Dish
      • Slow Cooker
    • Type
      • Breads and Rolls
      • Cakes and Muffins
      • Condiments
      • Cookies and Bars
      • Drinks
      • Food for Kids
      • Gluten-Free
      • Main Dish
      • Pies and Crisps
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Wraps
      • Side Dishes
      • Smoothies
      • Soup
  • Crafts & DIY
    • Crafts
    • DIY
    • Kids Crafts
    • Printables
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing
  • Family Life
    • Giveaways
    • Lifestyle
    • Marriage
    • Motherhood
    • Parenting
    • Pet Care
    • Special Needs
    • Time Management
    • Travel
  • Holidays
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Mother’s Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas

Books on Screen: My Cousin Rachel

June 12, 2017 by Elizabeth

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

ShareTweetPinPocketMail

5M4B disclosure

In both the book and the film (released last Friday), My Cousin Rachel contains an unreliable narrator, a dark romance of sorts, and an enigmatic and ambiguous heroine who may or may not be poisoning two men. The narrator asks of Rachel, “Did she or didn’t she?” and both the actress Rachel Weisz, who plays the title role in the film, and the author of the book, Daphne du Maurier, refuse to answer.

Daphne du Maurier was famous for gothic dramas/romances, her best known probably being Rebecca and The Birds, both made into films by Alfred Hitchcock. I love her books, and have seen the movies, so I welcomed the chance to compare this latest cinematic version of a classic novel.

Philip Ashley is orphaned at a young age and raised by his cousin, Ambrose, in a male-only household. Ambrose is somewhat shy, and that has made him misogynistic. He travels to the warm climes of Italy for his health, and while there meets and falls for a distant cousin, Rachel. His first letters reveal a man head over heels, but soon turn darker. He rails against Rachel, claiming she watches him, calling her his “torment” and begging Philip to join him. Philip leaves immediately, but arrives too late–Ambrose is dead of a brain tumor (which could explain the paranoia), and Rachel has already departed.

Philip vows revenge on Rachel. But when she arrives to stay, he finds himself enchanted, at first against his will. He soon loves her at much as he had earlier hated her, and presses upon her all matters of wealth and comfort. His guardian cautions him against both extremes, but Philip is extremely passionate and headstrong. But towards the end, when he also falls ill of fever, he is convinced that Rachel is poisoning him. He never finds any proof, however, and both reader and viewer are left to sort through the evidence of actions, statements, and the viewpoint of an unreliable narrator.

My Cousin Rachel - Movie

The film follows the plot of the book closely. The setting of the novel isn’t pin-pointed exactly, and director Sam Michell also wanted to be deliberately vague; the film takes place in the 1840s somewhere in Wessex, where those moody grey and green sweeping vistas almost become another character, especially when contrasted with the sun-drenched Italian hills. In an introduction to the novel, he recognizes his limitations and states, “Any attempt to adapt a novel can only result in a version. And any such version is fated, however attentive the filmmakers, to bear a strong imprint of the era in which it is made, an imprint that becomes more obvious with the passing of the years.” Yet he manages to impart a sense of timelessness, though the moodiness of heavy rain or spring sunshine, candlelight and moonlight, secluded corners and quiet courtyards and busy streets.

Of necessity, the film is shorter than the book and skims or omits certain parts. However, it also adds something in, making the ending perhaps neater and tidier than it is in the book (I won’t give it away, but I do like the book better). I found the book every-so-slightly less ambiguous than the movie as to Rachel’s true purpose, but then again, since the author herself did not commit, I could be wrong in my interpretation.

Du Maurier is master of uncertainty and unease, and she lives up to her reputation with My Cousin Rachel. However, in the  book she spends a lot of time talking about roles of women and men. Since she has chosen to speak through the mouth of Phillip, raised motherless in a male-only household and obviously very uncomfortable around and unfamiliar with women, these statements are harsh even for their time. Women are definitely the Other–mystifying, unsettling.

Additionally, the half-Italian Rachel is definitely an outsider. “She’s not like us,” comments Philip several times, whether speaking of her views on sex, marriage, finance, or simply her large dark eyes. This sense of Rachel as a foreigner, forever consigned to be exotic, attractive, and not completely trusted, adds another layer to the ambiguity, and speaks to our own times and our own attitudes as well.

The book is better. How could it not be? It contains more ambiguity and more clarity both, and has more time to flesh out its characters and explain their motives. But the film is still really good. I’m glad I got to interact with both, and highly recommend them.

Click here to read more of my thoughts on the movie and my interview with Rachel Weisz.

 

ShareTweetPinPocketMail
Why You And Your Kids Need A Growth Mindset — And How To Get One
Easy Picnic Food

About Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a voracious reader with eclectic tastes who loves being part of the team at 5 Minutes for Books. She's lived in 7 countries and is currently in Oregon, where she spends most of her time with Iraqi refugees. She has 3 teens.

Reader Interactions


Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Bringing Moms Together

We are Janice and Susan, twin bloggers and work-at-home moms. We're here to inspire, encourage & empower you.

Meet Us…

Work With Us…

Subscribe via Email

to be first to read new posts

Trending Now

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

How To Use A Moka Pot – Discover The Secret To Making Amazing Coffee At Home

How To Use A Moka Pot – Discover The Secret To Making Amazing Coffee At Home

Get Outside and Play with Spray Chalk

Get Outside and Play with Spray Chalk

browse around

  • Posts by Susan
  • Posts by Janice
  • Favorite Recipes
  • Favorite Crafts
  • Giveaways
  • All Posts

Footer

Recipes

St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies with a Clever Decorating Trick

St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies with a Clever Decorating Trick

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe and History

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe and History

Easy Valentine Sugar Cookies

Easy Valentine Sugar Cookies

Crafts/DIY

Summer Word Search Puzzles For Kids

Summer Word Search Puzzles For Kids

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

“You Color My World” Free Printable Valentines

Buddy the Elf Hat Pattern – How to Make an Elf Hat out of Felt

Buddy the Elf Hat Pattern – How to Make an Elf Hat out of Felt

Giveaways

Holiday Gift Guides and Christmas Giveaway 2024

Holiday Gift Guides and Christmas Giveaway 2024

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Women

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Women

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 5 Minutes for MomTheme by Melissa Rose Design and Once Coupled