A white horse, ridden in an ominous fashion? An argument ending with the emphatic donning of a bonnet? A cast member best known for a recurring role in "Downton Abbey" (Iain Glen, i.e. Mary's caddish fiance in season 2)? A scene involving a carriage in which I practically became faint at the sight of such very red, very plush velvet upholstery? Yes, "My Cousin Rachel" is that very specific movie treat: the British costume drama, taking place in the mid-19th century and involving a mysterious woman, a recklessly passionate man and countless Meaningful Glances under attractive candlelight.
Based on a 1951 novel by Daphne du Maurier (a book not quite as good as her "Rebecca," but few books are), "My Cousin Rachel" originally became a movie a year after its publication, starring Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton. For the reprisal, we have Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin _ both of whom look lovely in period costume even if Claflin is giving off a bit of a Tom Cruise-in-a-waistcoat vibe _ and the seaside cliffs and rustic manors of Devon, where the story unfolds.
It's one of passion and suspicion: Philip (Claflin), a bachelor orphan living in picturesque squalor, learns by mysterious letter that his guardian, while convalescing on the Continent, married just before his death; the wife, Rachel (Weisz), happens to be Philip's cousin (just go with it) and may have played a role in said death. Or maybe not. In any case, up she turns at the (quickly tidied) manor, in her sleek black widowwear. Cue the shirtless encounters, forbidden candlelit kisses, dramatic scratching of pens on legal documents and a truly stunning shot of pearls pouring down a carpeted staircase, indicating both a dramatic denouement and a real waste of some nice jewelry.
All of this is handled by writer/director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill") with a lush briskness; he knows exactly what he's making here. It's pretty, it's melodramatic-verging-on-silly, and if you like this sort of thing it's great fun. (Look closely and I'm pretty sure Holliday Grainger, as Philip's sensible but spurned girlfriend, says "talk to the hand" with her face in one scene; it's a fairly epic eyeroll.) Weisz and the cinematography (by Mike Eley) are both better than they need to be; as for the rest, you've seen it before, but you might well enjoy another round.
