University of Virginia Library

Film Reveals Sex Exploits Of Mortician's Virgin Daughter

By Philip Murray

Have you ever wondered what
the sex life of an undertaker's
daughter might be like? This
somewhat preposterous question is
at least partially answered in the
recent Warner Brothers-Seven Arts
release of "RACHAEL, Rachael."

Motion pictures are becoming a
director's medium. At least one
actor, Paul Newman, successfully
turned the tables when he produced
and directed "RACHAEL,
Rachael." As Rachael Cameron,
Joanne Woodward, Newman's wife,
adds a shocking reality to the role
of the "thirty-five year old virgin."
Also appearing in the film is Estelle
Parsons, the talented actress who
won the academy award last year
for "Bonnie and Clyde."

The story unfolds in a small
mid-western town, the action
continually shifting from the
present to the past and Rachael's
childhood. As a small girl, Rachael
associated death with her father, a
mortician who always had the smell
of embalming fluid about him. This
feeling of "contagious death"
connected with her father made it
impossible for her to love him.
Deprived of love, Rachael carries
into her adult life an obsession with
the desire for something to cling to.

She lives with her mother,
keeping house for the old lady who
uses a heart condition to guarantee
Rachael's protective presence. She
becomes a school teacher to
surround herself with small children
she can love. Searching for
something more, she haunts the real
and fantasy worlds of the present
and her past. Disillusioned by an
unfortunate Lesbianistic association
with a fellow teacher, she has a
desperate affair with Nick, an
acquaintance of her childhood.
With Nick, who bears a striking
resemblance to her real life
husband, Paul Newman, she finds
happiness for the first time in her
adult life. Tragically, amidst talk of
marriage, Nick deserts her. She now
centers her hope on the chance of
having a child as a result of the
encounter with him. Dreaming of
the love she feels is finally so near,
she is forced to face reality when
told she will not have the child
after all. Significantly, she
persuades her mother to
accompany her, (promising her
grandchildren), and boards a bus
for another town and another life.

The photography, by Gayne
Rescher, encompasses slow motion
and other special effects to achieve
the rapid transitions to and from
the past. Frequently, Rachael's
thoughts are revealed in a whimsical
digression. Newman's direction is a
bit erratic, causing the viewer some
difficulty following the changes
from the real world to the fantasies
of Rachael's imagination. There is,
however, a spark of genius in the
style of the film which will very
likely mark Newman as a promising
director.

The music, composed by
Jerome Moross, is near symphonic,
adding a depth and beauty to the
strongly emotional scenes. The sets
are simple, but appropriately so.
The screenplay was adapted by
Stewart Stern from the story "The
Jest of God," written by Margaret
Laurence.

Bob Philipe has done an
exceptional job in make-up.
Rachael's lack of excessive
cosmetics adds to the realism of her
portrayal of the premature spinster.
As stated on the billboards, "If you
passed her on the street, you
wouldn't notice her.....on the
screen she is unforgettable."