Brideshead Revisited
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Movie Reviews of Brideshead Revisited
Movie Review: What a mess. Sorry Evelyn; they missed the point.
Summary: 2 Stars
If you have not recently read the book or seen the 1981 TV production, do not watch this movie. I had just listened to an audio version of the book before watching this, and it was difficult to watch this.
This adaptation is an atrocity. Evelyn Waugh's great masterpiece of coming of age and discovery of faith, a poetic and religious book, is transformed into a anti-religious/homosexual tract. It is made to be contrary to the theme of the book.
The actors are professional and credible, but I thought they were miscast with the exception of Julia. (She was cute in her bobbed hair and a unattractive when appropriate.) Even Emma Thompson is inappropriate in her role.
The visuals are good, and some individual scenes are admirable. However, the liberties that are taken with the plot details and language are offensive to the senses and dishonor a beautiful book. Dreadful production, it was a overlong propaganda piece for 21st Century Political Correctness.
Movie Review: Remakes are seldom better than the original ...
Summary: 2 Stars
This version of Brideshead Revisited is a pale shadow of the original, which was aired on the BBC in the early 1980's. The original was longer, allowing more depth to the story. It also starred top talent actors, such as Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews, Sir John Gielgud and Sir Laurence Olivier. It is hard to compete with this group. By comparison, the leads in this new version deliver wooden and shallow performances. If you want to try an interesting comparison, view a scene featuring Sebastian from the original, and view the same scene in the new version. Anthony Andrew's facial expressions, voice and demeanor are levels above what Ben Whishaw is able to portray. If you are interested in period English pieces, watch the best and buy the original.Movie Review: What a travesty!
Summary: 2 Stars
Yes, I am a huge fan of Evelyn Waugh's novel and the 11-hour mini-series. But knowing the marvelous cast (well, at least the older ones -- Gambon, Thompson) -- OK, I'll watch it. What a waste of time! Why did they bother using the book? Names and places are about the only similarities. With apologies to, I believe Dorothy Parker, Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder runs the gamut of emotions from A to B. And the actors playing Sebastian and Julia are -- well, let's hope they do better next time. Truly appalling if you love the book and/or the ORIGINAL. And in truth, even if you just take it as a film on its own, not based on some "original story," it's still pretty much a waste of time.Movie Review: Depressive and ugly tone
Summary: 2 Stars
It is probably about 15 years since I read the book so I can't really say with any degree of accuracy whether this adaption is faithful to the book but I think I would have remembered some elements which take the epicentre of this adaption. I don't at all recall homosexuality being such a grand theme in the piece - am I misremembering? Further, Catholicism is depicted as the religion for those who suffer from a massive and morbid guilt complex - surely this was not the main theme of the book? In all, whilst some of the scences are beautifully done cinematatographically speaking, I would say the undercurrent if not overcurrent is one of supreme ugliness and depression.Movie Review: should we start rounding up Catholics?
Summary: 2 Stars
I understand that once an author completes a work, it's not his anymore: we can bring whatever we want to it, and take whatever we want from it. Having said that, I still think this movie is a travesty--an anti-Catholic diatribe that even a lapsed Catholic like me found disturbing. It almost made me want to start attending mass again. Almost. Believe me, when Charles Ryder's widowed father becomes the only breath of fresh air, you know the movie has problems. Yes, I was spoiled by the serialized version of the eighties, but I was also spoiled by reading the book--something that the creators of this film apparently chose not to do.