BRIDESHEAD REVISITED

I just love those British epic dramas where the rich, in their humongous countryside estates, suffer so.

We are meant to sympathize with these poor folks and their distress over their poorly heated cavernous hallways, and their dining tables that are as long as a ballroom, only lending to the inevitable remoteness that the family members feel towards each other.

Since this lifestyle is foreign to almost everyone on the planet, we send a literary spy to expose the ugly underbelly of the perfectly rich. In this case, the spy is Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) a pleasant-looking middle class chap who shows up on the Oxford campus due to the embarrassing (for others) help of a scholarship. Charles is a friendly fellow, however, and is more of an observer rather than a participant in the drunken loud hijinks of his richer classmates. However when one poor little rich boy named Sebastian (Ben Whishaw) literally vomits in Charles' general direct, Charles suddenly finds himself an admirer.

Sebastian, a foppish, expressive, and tortured gay boy takes a shine to Charles, and Charles guilelessly accepts the gesture of friendship. Charles seems otherwise friendless, and his father is basically absent despite his presence at home, so being pulled into the fold of the strange and interesting Marchmain family intrigues and captivates him. When Sebastian takes Charles home to Brideshead, the ridiculously huge countryside estate that tops all (with its own Catholic church on the grounds!), he is smitten. Sebastian's cold mum (Emma Thompson) is a curiosity to him (which she would find infuriating), and Sebastian's comely sister Julia (Hayley Atwell) stirs something in Charles which may point him away from his "romantic friendship" with her brother.

Brideshead Revisited was famously adapted previously in an 11-hours mini-series starring Jeremy Irons. As I have not seen that version, I'm curious as to what was left out of this "inspired by" compact version of Evelyn Waugh's novel. Without knowing what I'm missing, this version, I'd say, works quite well as a compelling drama. It does come with weaknesses, however, including the fact that Charles and Sebastian have more chemistry than Charles and Julia (is she really that interesting), and I wasn't really sold on the rushed final act. Other than that, this version of Brideshead is an intriguing adaptation.

Brideshead came and went rather unnoticed in the theaters, but for fans of tortured richy-rich historic British dramas, there is much to savor in this juicy adaptation. Let's see if that opinion changes when I check out the acclaimed 11-hour series!

  DVD NOTES  

The DVD of Brideshead Revisited contains the featurette "The World of Brideshead", deleted scenes, and feature commentary by the filmmakers.