Brideshead Revisited
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Movie Reviews of Brideshead Revisited
Movie Review: As Roger Ebert says - it's like "Mid-Range Merchant-Ivory"
Summary: 4 Stars
This production of Evelyn Waugh's famous novel suffers in comparison to not only the novel (the well-known "the book was far better" syndrome) and to the eleven hour production of twenty-eight years ago, which placed 10th in a recent poll of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, but also to recent period costume dramas including Merchant-Ivory productions like "Remains of the Day" and "Howard's End" and a host of Jane Austin film adaptations like "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice". (Emma Thompson's appearance in Brideshead and most of these other productions fosters the need for comparison.)
The book, fleshed out nicely in eleven hours, has to be truncated for a two hour version. Some themes are left intact, but others get short-changed.
Matthew Goode stars as Charles Ryder, raised by a father who is eccentric and amusing in the book, but cold and emotionally disconnected in this film. When Charles goes to tell Dad "bye" on his way to Oxford, his father asks where he is going. Charles says "Oxford" and Dad asks "what are you taking again?" Charles tells him "history." Dad doesn't move from the breakfast table as Charles goes away for months.
On day one at the dorm Charles meets Sebastian Flyte when Sebastian rushes across the courtyard and sticks his head inside Charles' room just in time to lose his alcohol-soaked lunch.
Sebastian sends elaborate flowers and a large apology note, inviting Charles to join Sebastian's inner circle for lunch the next day. Sebastian's group is comprised primarily of blue-blood chaps who prefer chaps. As in the book, thus begins the tentative courting of Charles by Sebastian.
Sebastian is the youngest son of Lord and Lady Marchmain, played by Michael Gambon and Emma Thompson. The Marchmains live at Brideshead, a palatial estate so splendid that the built-in chapel is more elaborate than any church short of a cathedral. Lady Marchmain is a staunch catholic and raises her children to be strong in the faith as well. Lord Marchmain converted to Catholicism so that he could marry Lady Marchmain, but was so stifled by her that he has lived in Venice for years with his Italian mistress.
Charles is invited to Brideshead where he meets Lady Marchmain and the rest of the children - Bridey, the eldest son and thus the hereditary heir to Brideshead, and devout younger sister Cordelia and tantalizing sister Julia, played by Hayley Atwell and looking a good bit like an English Audrey Tautou.
Charles lets Sebastian make romantic overtures. We get the idea that Charles is not bisexual, but is willing to trade a hug here and a kiss there for the opportunity to hang out at Brideshead. But he is also attracted to Julia in a way that is noticed by others. In this family this is a problem, not because Charles isn't a blue-blood, but because he is an atheist.
Waugh was a converted Catholic himself, and his writings make it clear that he intended in the novel to portray faith as something of great value. The climax of all versions of the story involve an unlikely demonstration of faith. But in this film Lady Marchmain's Catholicism is a cold, stifling thing. Rather than concern for their spiritual welfare, as in the book, she seems more bent on controlling everyone around her via her Catholicism.
Sebastian's homosexuality is only exceeded by his alcoholism. Both of these drive him from the family, and although he loves Charles, he recognizes immediately when Lady M sends him in a failed attempt to return the prodigal son.
Instead of focusing on faith - both existing and lacking - the film instead focuses on lost loves, ships passing in the night, and making incomplete compromises against your true self to gain some short or long-time goal.
Is Charles willing to convert to Catholicism to woo Julia? Is Julia willing to give up her faith and go against her family's wishes to be with Charles? Can the Marchmains reconcile with black sheep Sebastian - or Lord Marchmain?
The answers aren't easy, and the short running time of the film necessitates even less complete answers. But it is at a level of a mid-range Merchant-Ivory.
Movie Review: A powerful examination of love and guilt
Summary: 4 Stars
I have not read Evelyn Waugh's novel upon which this movie is based, nor have I seen the BBC mini series, so my review comes from a less critical standpoint that those who know and love the book or mini series.
The film is a rich examination of how love and guilt are often at war, the interplay of class and religious upbringing, and how incredibly difficult it is to carve out one's own happiness. The story follows the protagonist Charles Ryder (Mathew Goode), a self proclaimed atheist, as he becomes immersed in the world of the Marchmain family (stolid Catholics) and their immense and glorious estate Brideshead, from which the film draws its title. Ryder is of a lower social class: a student at Oxford, befriended by the wayward son of the Marchmain family, Sebastian. Through Sebastian, Ryder is ushered into a world unknown to him, a world that he would very much like to remain in the midst of.
Ryder is entranced by the two eldest Marchmain children: Julia (Hayley Atwell) and Sebastian (Ben Whishaw), both of whom he is in love with, albeit it very different ways: infatuation with Sebastian, followed by a powerful and heartbreaking desire for Julia. In the midst of these relations is Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson), a matriarchal mother and staunch Catholic who embodies piety and power, and who knows how to use either to affect her wishes. Emma Thompson is perfectly cast, and she steals the screen in almost every scene in which she appears. Referring to Ryder as a "painter from Paddington," and "a very reliable boy," she enlists his aid to watch over Sebastian, whose homosexual tendencies have not escaped her notice. Ryder is happy to comply, unable or unwilling to see the eventual outcome of his actions.
The centerpiece of the massive fountain at Brideshead is the god Atlas, carrying the world on his shoulders. Shown in essential scenes throughout the film, it is an apt metaphor for virtually all of the characters in the film who each carry their formidable shame and guilt like a physical burden. Each seems unable to free themselves from the torments of conscience, even at the cost of losing the possibility of a happier life. Ultimately, it is Ryder who reflects on his life, an older and unhappily wiser man, asking "did I want too much?"
The Catholicism presented in the film is ugly, harsh, and at times even a straw-man to be battered apart by director Julian Jarrold. It is presented largely through imagery and implication, never allowed to have a voice of its own. Even near the end of the film, Jarrold forces Julia to speak in generalities: "I cannot turn away from His mercy," (roughly quoted). This is my sole complaint with the film, as the decisions made by the characters and the outcomes of those decisions do not seem to line up with the attempt at a redemptive ending. There is nothing in the film to convince the viewer, much less Ryder, than faith in a higher power has anything to offer except misery.
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED is an extremely well made movie. Shot with with a lovely sense of color and style and featuring one of the best Dolby Digital sound tracks I've ever heard in a drama, the movie is near perfect from a technical standpoint. I was very impressed with the visuals and the clarity of the picture (which I watched on an upconvering DVD player).
The sets and locations are also deserving of high praise. A welcome diversity of locals elevate the film from a typical period drama, and include Oxford, Castle Howard (standing in for Brideshead), Morocco, and my personal favorite, a luxury cruise liner. Art direction is also a standout, with beautiful costumes (especially those worn by Julia) throughout.
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED is a challenging film for atheist and those of faith alike. The questions it asks about human nature, the fleeting nature of happiness, and the sheer difficulty of finding it, are well worth asking and well presented. Captivating throughout, this is a film worth examining closely over multiple viewings.
4.5/5 Stars.
Movie Review: A period drama about love lost and conflict of faith
Summary: 4 Stars
I am an ardent fan of the 1982 PBS 11-hour series "Brideshead Revisited", and was eager to watch this movie adaptation. Well, after viewing it, I found it hard to compare the two, because the PBS series had the luxury of time to tell the story of Charles, Sebastian and Julia [11 hours altogether] and could thus remain faithful to the novel by Evelyn Waugh. In contrast, the movie version is about 2 hrs in length and thus we end up with a sort of condensed version of the book.
That being said, the screenplay by Jeremy Brock [The Last King of Scotland] and Andrew Davies [Pride and Prejudice] retains the original flavor of Waugh's novel, whilst ably condensing the many events portrayed in the book. Matthew Goode plays Charles Ryder,a middle-class young man who is admitted into Oxford. He is an atheist, and has a very cool relationship with his distant father. In Oxford, Charles meets the eccentric Lord Sebastian Flyte [Ben Whishaw] and their first meeting is quite memorable [Sebastian vomits through Charles window]. The inauspicious meeting soon turns into a close friendship [their gestures with each other suggest something more, though consummation is never portrayed].
But then Sebastian brings Charles to his ancestral home, the magnificent Brideshead [Castle Howard in all its glory]and Charles is seduced by its' beauty and all that it represents. Charles then meets Julia [Hayley Atwell], Sebastian's sister [who bears an uncanny resemblance to Sebastian] and finds himself beguiled by her. This does not sit well with Sebastian who wants Charles to himself and added to all this is the ever-present 'menace' in the form of the domineering family matriarch, Lady Marchmain [Emma Thompson], an almost fanatical Catholic who controls her children like a master puppeteer. The stress of 'losing' Charles to his sister and his mother's controlling behavior sends Sebastian into a downward spiral. Even Charles isn't spared, as Lady Marchmain cooly informs him that it is not so much his lack of station in society that makes him an unsuitable match for Julia, but rather his not being a Catholic.
And there you have it - the two strands that bind the movie together - the notion of lost love and the conflicts posed by religion, i.e. the Catholic faith. The movie presents a rather gloomy view of Catholicism, portraying it as a suppressing force. I felt this was portrayed even more compellingly that it was in the novel.
As for the casting, I felt all the lead actors did an excellent job. i would say Matthew Goode and Ben Whishaw did an admirable job in their roles and were just as compelling as their predecessors in the 1982 series. But, the outstanding performance was certainly Emma Thompson's Lady Marchmain which I felt was better than the actress who played her in the PBS series. Thompson's Lady Marchmain is cool and manipulative to such an extent that she comes across as almost monstrous.
The cinematography is breathtaking with scenic shots of England, Venice and Morocco. The attention to period details like the luscious costumes is commendable, making this a gorgeous period drama that will delight fans of the genre.
Movie Review: WAUGH'S BRIDESHEAD
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me say straight away that the film sets and period wardrobe for this film are spectacular. Brideshead Revisted is of course, one of the most famous novels in British Literature, it defines the word classic, so many were nervous when it was announced that a film was to made of it. Brideshead was made as a miniseries for British T.V. many years ago and was a resounding success, but it was like 13 hours or something, this film was going to have to be condenced into a little over two hours. The film starts off in the present and falls back on itself, telling the story of how our protagonist Charles, reached this point. For, the most part I liked how the film was structured, and the actor who played Sabastian was fantanstic, I only wish the actor who played Charles had been up to his standards, really that is what hurts this film the most, you never really understand Charles' motives and you really never much like him, at least I didnt. In the early scenes at Oxford, he seems too old to be playing an undergrad and I never understood Sabastians interest in him, Charles seemed so bland and not the least bit witty or cleaver, two things that somebody like Sabastian would covet. I thought Emma Thompson was a revelation as Lady Marchmain, she nailed her part, as did the equally fantastic Gambon as her wayward husband Lord Marchmain, he does more with the flick of an eyebrow then most can do with ten minutes of lines. Castle Howard is perfect as the main character Brideshead, the grand old house is exquisite. Much will be made of the gay angle and whether this was Waughs intention for Sabastian, I for one have read the book and I think it's obvious, I liked how the screenwriter made it a true love triangle, but unfortunitely the actor who played Charles had neither chemistry with Sabastian nor his sister Julia. Charles' last meeting with Sabastian should have been powerful, but it was one sided and all i could think of was, for God sake hug this guy at least. I do recommend this film, if for no other reason than it is a beautiful piece of film work and really this is an impossible novel to condense into two and a half hours..nice try, boys, but you should have worked harder casting around for your Charles.Movie Review: Excellent costume drama, with some major changes to book
Summary: 4 Stars
First -- this is a splendid costume drama -- it will appeal to those who enjoy period pieces and classic novel adaptations. The sets, costumes, and period detail here are suptuous. I saw the movie at the theatre, and bought it as soon as the DVD came out. It's worthy of permanent collection.
The acting here is all-around good (or Goode....pun intended). Matthew Goode carries the Charles Ryder part brilliantly, and Emma Thompson exudes evil under the guise of Catholicism.
BUT -- and the big but -- there is so much missing from the novel, that many story threads are simply gone, and as a result, so is the dramatic tension in the final scenes...Actions that occur over the course of years, seem to all occur almost simultanously....Charles and Sebastian were actually in love for several years before the sister comes on the scene and changes the scope and outcome of the story -- here, it all occurs almost at the same time.
ALSO -- the entire shift of the story has been changed. Waugh wrote the book partially to discuss his own college years and his own eventual conversion to Catholicism. Here, it is used as an evil McGuffin...as so, it doesn't tell Waugh's tale at all -- it is its own creature.
That being said, the film is completely enjoyable, moody, and filled with yearning. This is a storyline that is recognizable to both youth and older audiences.
One caveat -- those looking for some "hot gay sex" (ala Brokeback Mountain) aren't going to find it here -- the entire sexual relationship between Sebastian and Charles is composed of one two-second kiss, and a hand touch later in the movie. What makes the film work is that which is implied -- although the topic of homosexuality is spoken out loud much more than in the book or the mini-series. Here, Sebastian is openly gay, and serves as the catalyst through which the mother's story plays out.