My Cousin Rachel - All 4

[stumbledin]

I watched this as I have only heard about the book.

Film was lovely to look at, lots of Poldark landscape and very nice victorian clothes.

But ... I dont understand the ending. Or rather the plot.

Was she guilty.

(Still available for the next 6 days.)

sorry this is the linke www.channel4.com/programmes/my-cousin-rachel

I dont think we ever know for sure if she is guilty. I saw the recent touring theatre production with Helen George and that left the same impression.

Read the book,it's so much better!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor will have to wait in the hope Radio 4 extra do it as an audio book ...

There's a free audio book on you tube, I just checked.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor - Thanks! Will google.

Radio 4 / 4 extra not available at the moment.

Have found it! So excited - having to restrain myself from starting now. But something to look forward to tomorrow.

Will be exploring YouTube audio books again.

Many, many thanks!

The ending is meant to be ambiguous. I heard an interview with Rachel Weisz where she said she decided to play it a certain way (whether she had done it on purpose or not) but she wouldn’t share what she had decided. I liked the film although I thought the plot was a bit contrived.

Thank you for reminding me. I have read the book and my impression is that the ending is ambiguous to leave you guessing.

I read the book very recently (and loved it). The ending was ambiguous. If you like the audiobook I’d also highly recommended Rebecca and Frenchman’s Creek also by Daphne Du Maurier

I much prefer the 1952 version of the film, it's more how I had it pictured when I read the book as a teenager. (Bit of a du Maurier fan!)

The reader, not the author, decides.

There was an excellent television series in the 1980s where Rachel was played by Geraldine Chaplin.

I prefer the old black and white film too.

I'm going to listen to the YouTube book today too

Rebecca is one my favourite books so if that's on there it's well worth listening to and yes Frenchman's Creek too!

I haven't had time to listen yet - have seen 2 options on YouTube, one of 1.5 hours and another in 2 parts!

I did read both the King's General and Frenchman's Creek as a young teen and found them terrribly romantice. But later when I read Rebecca I struggled a bit (not quite the adult I thought I was).

In fact having looked at wikipedia didn't realise she had written so many novels, or that Dont Look Now the film was based on her short story. And forgotten about Jamaica Inn.

I think I need to adjust my mind to the fact that she is a bit darker in her tales than the 2 I thought of a historical romances.

And I think I got put off because I read somewhere that she thought of herself as male in terms of how she viewed the world. Not I think true but a reworking of growing up as the daughter of a man who would have prefered a son.

www.telegraph.co.uk/films/my-cousin-rachel/daphne-du-maurier-personal-life/

stumbledin, there was a big article on Daphne du Maurier a few years back that was very dark. It said in much later life she often spoke of a consensual incestuous relationship with her father saying she 'encouraged it' . It states it was an open secret in her Father's circle of friends, one of them commenting: 'he couldn't keep his hands off her' & that 'her father sobbed for days when she got married'.

CSIblonde I would somehow like to erase those words from my mind ....

Anyhow, found an actual audio book which I could have accessed as part of a month's free trial, but it is 12 hours long??!!

So in fact listened to the version the BBC did for radio a few years ago. So as this was only 2 hours long cant imagine what is lost.

thought in this version she was implied to be innocent but the immature "hero" allowed his imagination and disappointment effectively kill her.

Why would she have slept with him. Thought this didn't make sense.

It's a long time since I've read it but doesn't she sleep with him before he signs the will over to her?

hmmmmm ......... as I heard it on the radio 4 version, I think he tells her about him transferring the estate to her, because the next day she goes to check out what it acutally means with his godfather.

If she was so in love with Ambrose, why would she sleep with someone she claims she doesn't love, just feels a connection because of Ambrose.

I think in the film version she claims she slept with him because it was something he wanted / she wanted to be nice to him. And they put in the gross scene in the wood with the bluebells.

But in either case he took it to mean they would marry. Given his sheltered upbringing that makes sense.

But she could have risked any respect or reputation if he then exposed what had happened.