Better Late Then Never

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Richard Burton and Olivia de Havilland scheme, doubt, and swoon in this Gothic thriller based on a Daphne du Maurier novel. It's a handsome looking production and adequately captures its 19th century setting. But despite the good actors, the whole thing never works up much steam, and what should be a juicy costume drama in the same vein as "The Little Foxes" instead remains fairly tepid.I think the problem is with the casting. Olivia de Havilland is a wonderful actress, but she doesn't have the kind of sex appeal that would make a horny twenty-something go bonkers over her. Without that, Burton's obsession with her doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Burton is good, and if his performance is a bit intensely one note, I attribute that more to the character than any flaw in his performance. He was absurdly nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this film, one of the most flagrant examples of category fraud in Oscar history. He is literally in nearly every scene."My Cousin Rachel"s attention to period production values paid off, as it was also nominated in the black and white categories for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design, though it went home empty handed.Grade: B

This is an excellent adaptation of the Daphne De Maurier novel and the casting is very well done. Olivia de Havilland is excellent in the role of Rachel. Rex Harrison in his first US film is a young vibrant Philip Ashley. Any confusion with another man Olivia was married to in GWTW should be discarded. As the film starts, Philip is getting mystery letters from Rachel husband, his brother, that Rachel is killing him. The letters are so strange he makes as quick a trip as possible to his Italian Villa. By the time he arrives, it is too late, his brother is dead. When he meets Rachel, the letters have already given him a negative view of her. Then her beauty and plotting wins him over. His brother has left Philip the entire estate.Then Rachel starts to seduce him and manages to take everything Philip has inherited from him. Philip takes ill, and begins to suspect Rachel has something to do with his problems. This film smartly leaves it to the viewer to decide if Rachel was playing him and trying to kill him or not and the film plays the viewer to a lot of wonder as to who is doing what.

My cousin Rachel is a black and white adaptation from the novel by Daphne du Maurier of the same title. Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton star in this excellent film from 1952."Death is the price for murder": The film begins with these words, as to warn us about the story that the movie tells.When Philip's wealthy cousin, Ambrose, dies under mysterious circumstances from a sudden illness, he suspects Rachel (Ambrose's wife). He thinks his cousin has been murdered and he seeks vengeance. But when he meets her, he falls for her charms and he's no longer sure of what to think.What I've liked the most about this film is the suspense: lies within lies so we can't uncover the truth until the main character does. Burton and de Havilland give great performances. The story is very well told.

It isn't surprising that this movie plays like Rebecca Lite since both were based on novels by Daphne Du Maurier, and both are about a spouse with mysterious intents who may or may not be a murderer. The comparison is unfortunate since not only is Rebecca the better story, Alfred Hitchcock was also a more brilliant director than Henry Koster, even if the latter had the aid of Joseph LaShelle, the cinematographer who did amazing work with shading in Laura. LaShelle does good work here too, though it's not as indelible as with Laura.It is amusing to compare Olivia de Havilland here with the lead actress of Rebecca, Joan Fontaine, since both are sisters who had a very public rivalry going. Fontaine's definitely better, but only because, again, Rebecca is the better movie. I thought de Havilland out-acted any performance of her sister's with The Heiress. Similarly, Richard Burton here pales in comparison to Laurence Olivier in Rebecca, though it is still interesting to watch Burton in this, his breakout role, and see how his strong personality was already evident even then.