Brideshead Revisited (2008)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Julian Jarrold

Writers:

Andrew Davies (written by) and
Jeremy Brock (written by) ...

Release Date:

25 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love is not ours to control

Plot:

A poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in England prior to the Second World War.

Plot Keywords:

England | Catholic | WWII | Military Officer | Alcoholism

Awards:

10 nominations

Cast

Matthew Goode	...	Charles Ryder
Thomas Morrison	...	Hooper
David Barrass	...	Ship's Barber
Anna Madeley	...	Celia Ryder
Sarah Crowden	...	Lady Guest
Stephen Carlile	...	English Lord
Peter Barnes	...	American Professor
Hayley Atwell	...	Julia Flyte
Patrick Malahide	...	Edward Ryder
Richard Teverson	...	Cousin Jasper
Joseph Beattie	...	Anthony Blanche
Ben Whishaw	...	Sebastian Flyte
Roger Walker	...	Lunt
Mark Field	...	Boy Mulcaster
Mark Edel-Hunt	...	Oxford Student

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.

Runtime:

USA:133 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Australia:PG | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 | Denmark:A | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Finland:K-11 | Sweden:7

Filming Locations:

Art Deco Palm Court, Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London, England, UK

Company:

2 Entertain

Trivia:

Castle Howard, which 'plays' Brideshead in this film, was also used to represent the same location in "Brideshead Revisited" (1981).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Venetian drummers have instruments fitted with Mylar drumheads (Remo Pinstripes) that were not manufactured before WWII. Calfskin heads or ones that resembled calfskin would have been more appropriate for the time.

Quotes:

[First Lines]
Charles Ryder: [Internal monologue while walking out of Brideshead Castle] If you'd asked me now who I am? The only answer I could give with any certainty would be my name: Charles Ryder. For the rest: My loves, my hates, down even to my deepest desires;I can no longer say whether these emotions are my own, or stolen from those others we desperately wish to be. On second thought; one emotion remains my own. Alone among the borrowed and the second-hand. As pure as that faith of which I'm still in flight:... Guild.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-07-26)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Rumba

Superior Soap Opera

I enjoyed this version of Brideshead Revisited. The characters are more likable and believable than in the acclaimed 1981 TV version. The film looks good and the script simplifies the story, almost turning it into a soap opera.

A middle class boy (Charles Ryder)becomes an undergraduate at Oxford in the 1920s. He becomes bewitched by the rich, aristocratic Marchmain family and is allowed into their world. Like Nick Carraway in the Great Gatsby he is seduced by their wealth and charm. Both the Marchmain children fall in love with Charles. In the early 1980s this seemed like an English version of Brokeback Mountain, but it's all very chaste and the homo-sexuality is implied.

In this version religion comes to the fore, reflecting Waugh's interest in Catholocism. The Marchmain women are devout while Charles is an atheist who just wants to be happy. This eventually leads to a split with the family. The Marchmain's Catholocism is an important part of who they are, despite their glamor. Charles is depicted as a modern man, both cynical and selfish, but Charles' failings seem fairly minor to the modern viewer. The Marchmains eventually conclude that Charles is a bad influence.

The 11 hour TV version from 1981 was really a filmed version of the book, although John Mortimer was given enormous credit for his "screenplay." As with most of Waugh's "serious" novels such as the "Sword Of Honour" trilogy, I found the book often repeated itself and lost its way. The script from Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock is much tighter than the TV version and works better. It also cuts out much of the writer's snobbery which I found difficult to reconcile with his professed Christianity.

Back in the 1980s it was assumed that Waugh was a great writer and one felt obliged to read his books. Today the characters he created and the way of life he depicts seem almost alien, but the film is still enjoyable.

The acting is excellent, particularly Emma Thompson who is brilliant as Lady Marchmain. Hayley Atwell brings Julia to life and Michael Gambon is very good playing a sly Lord Marchmain.