Brideshead Revisited
Brideshead Revisited
Brideshead Revisited
Ritorno a Brideshead
Directed by:
Julian JarroldCinematography:
Jess HallComposer:
Adrian JohnstonCast:
Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell, Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Greta Scacchi, Jonathan Cake, Patrick Malahide, Ed Stoppard, Felicity Jones (more)VOD (1)
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The movie is an evocative and poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence, set in pre-war England when privileged aristocracy fell into decline. The story begins in 1925 at Oxford, when Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) is befriended by the louche and flamboyant Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), son of Lord Marchmain, and is quickly seduced by an exciting new world of money, glamour and outrageous behaviour. When he is invited to 'Brideshead', the Flyte family's magnificent ancestral home, Charles becomes infatuated with Julia (Hayley Atwell, pictured left), Sebastian's beautiful sister. But as Charles' emotional relationship with the Marchmain family deepens, he finds himself continually at odds with their deepest family bond, that of their overpowering Catholic faith. (BBC)
(more)Reviews (2)
Bright Young Things (2003) didn't quite do it for me, but Brideshead Revisited made me recall yet again another fictional world, this time Evelyn Waugh's, that I could embrace as my own. This version of Brideshead is not only a feast for the eyes, but it is also very attractive in many of its positions. We have all the essentials, bon vivants, homosexuality, buck-passing, hypocrisy, Catholicism, and the beautiful backdrops of England, Italy, and Morocco... Most importantly, we have the exquisite gowns that define the beauty of the distinctively earthy yet gentle Hayley Atwell. This is the ideal material for those who want to enjoy and think at the same time.
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A slightly shorter running time would have suited Brideshead Revisited, as I found the film felt longer than it actually was because it was trying to accommodate a relatively large space-time. There are two storylines, the relational and the religious, that intersect and affect each other throughout the film. As far as the cast is concerned, I was most impressed by the characters played by Emma Thompson and Ben Whishaw, whose portrayals could perhaps not have been more different. A visually appealing but narratively overstretched romantic drama from history.
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