Movie Review: My Cousin Rachel (1952)

Synopsis: After being orphaned as a child, Philip Ashley was raised by his wealthy cousin, Ambrose. When Ambrose dies under mysterious circumstances while vacationing in Florence, a pair of letters make Philip suspicious of Rachel, the woman Ambrose married prior to his death. Philip invites Rachel to his newly inherited estate, determined to confront her and learn the truth. Only, Rachel turns out to be beautiful and charming, causing him to fall in love with her and sign over everything to her, believing she will marry him. However, when Rachel rejects his proposal, Philip once again grows suspicious of his cousin's widow.

Who's in it? The movie stars Olivia de Havilland, Richard Burton, Audrey Dalton, Ronald Squire and John Sutton.

Review: After scanning several possible choices, I decided to watch My Cousin Rachel this morning mostly because I'm an Olivia de Havilland fan. After I finished watching it, I was convinced I made the right choice.

The thing that impressed me most about this movie is how it's unclear, really until the end, if Rachel (de Havilland) is a black widow who killed not one, but two previous husbands, or if she really is as charming and kind as she appears to be. There is plenty of evidence to support the latter, including her making zero effort to make a claim on the fortune Ambrose (Sutton) left behind when he died. Yet, at the same time, the way she had Philip (Burton) wrapped around her finger made me wonder if maybe she was slipping something into the tea she liked to serve.

Adding to the movie was Philip's family history of madness (caused by brain tumors). It was very possible he was just imagining or at least misinterpreting the whole thing while the letters he received from Ambrose could have been telling him the truth about the abuse Rachel supposedly inflicted on her now-deceased husband or could have also just been the ravings of someone who was insane from a fever.

I also was a bit intrigued with the role his friend, Louise (Dalton) would eventually play in all of this. It was clear she was hoping Philip would propose to her instead and since she was the one trying to remind Philip he was supposed to be distrustful of Rachel, I did wonder how much of that "advice" was legitimate and how much of it was coming from a jealous woman. 

The ending to the movie was somewhat unexpected, with a couple interesting twists. It was one of those endings that leaves the viewer wondering what happens next, but in a good way. 

Final Opinion: This is a solid, classic romantic mystery that I enjoyed watching. I would recommend taking the time to see if you have the opportunity to.

My Grade: A