‘My Cousin Rachel’ Trailer: Rachel Weisz And Sam Claflin Navigate Romance, Revenge, Period Costumes
I’d be lying if I said I was familiar with the work ofDaphne du Maurier, the English author and playwright who wrote the book upon which directorRoger Michell’s new filmMy Cousin Rachelis based. However, I am familiar with several film adaptations of her work and it’s quite the track record – her novels and stories have been adapted by master filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock (the Best Picture-winningRebecca, the under-seenJamaica Inn, and the bonafide horror classicThe Birds) and Nicolas Roeg (the endlessly creepyDon’t Look Now). So as you watch theMy Cousin Racheltrailer, it’s easy to think “Hey, no pressure, guys.”
My Cousin Rachelwas previously adapted into a 1952 film starring Richard Burton as Philip Ashley, who believes that his wealthy cousin was murdered by his new wife. Olivia de Havilland played that new wife, who beguiles Philip with her charms, whichsurelymeans that she can’t be a murderer…right? This new film version findsSam ClaflinandRachel Weiszstepping into those roles and the trailer is appropriately moody, looking like a quaint chamber piece at first glance while supplying a steady trickle of unease (fueled by a moody cover of “Wicked Games”).
And because this is a movie where people speak in British accents, aGame of Thronesactor is present. Hi,Iain Glen.
Roger Michell has spent his career leaping between genres with mixed results, so it’s about time that he got around to “murder mystery suspense romance.” For me, he’ll always be the guy who somehow created the near-perfect late ’90s rom-com withNotting Hillbefore directing Peter O’Toole to one final Oscar nomination withVenus. He also made the ridiculousChanging Lanesand and the awfulHyde Park on Hudson, but no one’s perfect.
At the moment, it feels likeMy Cousin Rachelis getting quietly dumped into theaters during a period when dramas based on 1951 romantic mystery novels won’t have much breathing room (June 9, 2017in the U.K. andJuly 14, 2017in the U.S.), which isn’t a great sign. But that’s a promising cast and a promising premise and I know I’ll be finding the time to check it out.
A dark romance, MY COUSIN RACHEL tells the story of a young Englishman who plots revenge against his mysterious, beautiful cousin, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms.
