My Cousin Rachel (1952)

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Movie
German title My cousin Rachel
Original title My cousin Rachel
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1952
length 95 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Henry Koster
script Nunnally Johnson
production Nunnally Johnson
music Franz Waxman
camera Joseph LaShelle
cut Louis R. Loeffler
occupation

My cousin Rachel is a 1952 American melodrama directed by Henry Koster .

action

When Philip Ashley's parents die, the boy grows up with his cousin Ambrose, who is like a father to him. In late autumn, for health reasons, Ambrose moved from his property on the Cornish coast to the warmer Florence , where he wanted to spend the winter months with relatives. However, he never returns. In Florence he falls in love with his distant cousin Rachel and marries her. Philip learns of the marriage by mail. One day he receives a letter from Ambrose, which Ambrose wrote in trembling handwriting. He writes that he is sick and sure that his wife is out to kill him. Neighbor Nick points out that Ambrose's father once fell ill with a brain tumor and that this letter also gives the impression that Ambrose is no longer in his right mind. Philip doesn't believe him and leaves immediately for Florence. On his way there he received another, even more urgent letter from Ambrose. When he arrives in Florence after a long crossing, Ambrose has been dead for three weeks. He learns that Rachel left the day before. She had her husband's possessions gathered together. Philip goes to Guido Rainaldi, attorney who manages the estate and is Rachel's confidante. He learns from him that Ambrose died of a brain tumor. The cause of death was confirmed by two doctors. In addition, the lawyer reveals to him that Ambrose left nothing to his wife in his will. The property in England and all other possessions should pass into Philips' possession when he turns 25. Until then, Nick is the manager.

The will increases Philips' doubts about Rachel, if Ambrose would have left something for his wife if he had loved her and trusted her. He suspects that Ambrose was murdered by Rachel and swears on Ambrose's grave to avenge him. Some time later, Rachel comes to England to bring Ambrose's belongings back. Philip wants to avoid her at first, but at Nick's objection, invites her to his property, which after all once belonged to her husband. However, he does not receive her when she appears, but is demonstratively out of the house at this time. She gives him no cause for complaint, behaves cautiously and tactfully and finally surprises him with her youth and beauty. After a short time it becomes clear that Ambrose trusted his wife and entrusted much that is important to Philip as a personal memory. He falls for her more and more and questions his previous bad opinion of her. After dinner, he confesses to her that he wasn't being honest with her. He shows her the two letters from Ambrose and says that he originally only brought her to indict her. She collapses at the contents of the letter and Philip, ashamed, tears up both letters and burns them. Rachel forgives him and Philip begins to soften Ambrose's will. He sends her an annual grant of £ 5,000. He also gives her a valuable necklace that is part of the family jewelry. She wears the necklace for Christmas and Nick is outraged that Philip is only 24 and is not yet allowed to dispose of the inheritance. Rachel notices the subsequent dispute between Philip and Nick and hands Nick the necklace. She comforts Philip, who is embarrassed about the situation, and the two grow closer. He indicates that all the women in the family wore the necklace to their wedding and that he wanted to give it to her.

After Christmas, Guido Rainaldi appears in England and, at Rachel's invitation, settles on the Philips estate. He tells Philip that there was originally a second will in which Ambrose wanted to bequeath the property and possessions to his wife. However, his illness was too advanced when he was supposed to sign the will. In the end it was destroyed. Philip, who has now completely fallen for Rachel, will transfer the property and all family property to Rachel on the day before his 25th birthday. At midnight he went into her bedroom and showered her with the family jewelry. He shows her the document that makes her the owner of the property and confesses to her that in the past he always thought he only needed the property in life, but is now certain that there is something else that he needs more. She asks him if he is sure of it and they kiss. The next day, Philip announced his engagement to Rachel in front of Nick and his daughter Louise. She is offended and refuses to get engaged. She also never consented to a marriage that night. In a fit of anger, Philip tries to strangle her, but lets go of her in time. A little later he learns from Louise that Rachel has inquired about the exact clauses in Philips drawn up contract to own the property. He testifies that if Rachel remarries with another man, the property will go back to Philip. Philip knows from Nick that Rachel sends large sums of money to Italy. Louise points out that this would no longer be possible for Rachel if the property she had just received reverted to Philip when she married another man. Philip believes he has been betrayed and suspects that Guido Rainaldi is Rachel's secret lover.

Philip surprisingly falls ill with meningitis and delirious believes that he will marry Rachel. This nurses him back to health and after three weeks he wakes up from his delirium. During his first recovery walk, Philip learns that a wooden bridge that leads over a steep gorge on the property is rotten and threatened to collapse. Knowing that Rachel wants to create a garden behind the gorge, he promises the worker to tell her about the condition of the bridge. However, the first thing he learns from her is that both are not married and that she will travel back to Italy. In her locker room he sees a letter from Rainaldi that he will later take. However, he only finds one letter with laburnum seeds, which the gardener had just described as poisonous. He now believes Rachel is slowly poisoning him, just as she did with Ambrose. He now rejects her tea, which she has been preparing for him for a long time. As she takes a walk to her landscaped garden, Philip and Louise rush to their room, where Philip tries to find Rainaldi's letter and thus proof of Rachel's guilt. In fact, they find the letter in which Rainaldi is satisfied with the role of friend and offers Rachel to take her great love Philip to Italy so that she can nurse him back to health there. Philip realizes that he wronged Rachel. He rushes after her, knowing that she has to cross the dilapidated bridge on the way to the garden. He's too late, however: he finds her down in the ravine and she dies in his arms after asking him why he did it (“Why did you do it?”). He stays behind and knows that the question of whether Rachel was guilty or innocent will torment him for life.

production

My Cousin Rachel is based on Daphne du Maurier's novel My Cousin Rachel , published in 1951. Filming took place from July to September 1952 in Cornwall , among other places . The costumes were created by Dorothy Jeakins and Charles Le Maire , the film construction by John DeCuir , Walter M. Scott and Lyle R. Wheeler . The film premiered on December 25, 1952 in New York City and Los Angeles and was released in US theaters in January 1953. The film ran on July 24, 1953 in the Federal Republic and was shown for the first time on March 18, 1972 on ZDF.

The film marked Richard Burton's Hollywood debut. The young Philip is portrayed in the film by Nicholas Koster, the son of director Henry Koster.

criticism

The film service called My Cousin Rachel an "effectively filmed and at the time of the premiere enormously successful social drama based on Daphne du Maurier". For Variety , the film was a dark melodrama that tended towards tragedy. Richard Burton leaves a strong impression and Olivia de Havilland also impresses with impressive acting. Bosley Crowther of the New York Times praised the "excellent film adaptation", which was masterfully designed and implemented by "Nunnally Johnson, Henry Koster and 20th Century Fox".

Film plus criticism judged: “ My cousin Rachel is a dark melodrama of the highest order, the story twists of which make the attempts of modern Hollywood cinema look pretty bad. An incredibly atmospheric film in wonderful black and white shades, with excellent actors, a strong script ... "

Awards

My cousin Rachel received 1953 Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Richard Burton), Best Cinematography (Black & White) (Joseph LaShelle), Best Set Design (Black & White) (Lyle R. Wheeler, John DeCuir and Walter M. Scott), and Best Costume Design (Black & White) ) (Dorothy Jeakins and Charles Le Maire).

Richard Burton received a Golden Globe Award for Best Young Actor in 1953 ; Olivia de Havilland was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress - Drama .

Remake

Directed by Roger Michell , Meine Cousin Rachel was a reinterpretation of the literary model in 2017 . In the lead role is Rachel Weisz at the side of Sam Claflin to see.

DVD release

  • My Cousin Rachel , Pidax Film Media Ltd. (Alive), 2016.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ My cousin Rachel. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 27, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ "commanding histrionics" Cf. My Cousin Rachel . In: Variety 1952.
  3. ^ "Excellent screen translation", "masterfully mounted and staged by Producer Nunnally Johnson, Director Henry Koster and Twentieth Century-Fox". Bosley Crowther: 'My Cousin Rachel' Presented at the Rivoli . In: The New York Times , December 26, 1952.
  4. ↑ Filmothek: 25. "Meine Cousin Rachel" (1952) - review. In: Film plus criticism - online magazine for film & cinema. July 6, 2018, accessed July 21, 2019 .