Brideshead Revisited (2008)

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

Director:

Julian Jarrold

Writers:

Andrew Davies, Jeremy Brock,

Stars:

Matthew Goode, Thomas Morrison, Hayley Atwell

10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Mr 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

Storyline

The memoirs of Captain Charles Ryder who is stationed at Brideshead Castle during WWII and remembers his involvement with the owners of the Brideshead estate: the aristocratic yet Catholic Flyte family and in particular brother and sister Sebastian and Julia.

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Plot Keywords:

catholic | oxford | heir | england | male nudity | 

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Taglines:

Privilege. Ambition. Desire. At Brideshead Everything Comes at a Price.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [uk]

Country:

UK Italy Morocco

Language:

English Italian Arabic Latin French

Release Date:

25 July 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Regreso a Brideshead

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£375,270 (UK) (3 October 2008)

Gross:

£874,658 (UK) (10 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ecosse Films, BBC Films, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Charles "betrays" Sebastian in Venice, there is a shot of an altarpiece in an Italian church, with a depiction of the "Martyrdom of St. Sebastian." You can identify him by the arrows protruding from his body.

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Goofs

The water taxi that Charles, Sebastian and Julia take to Lord Marchmain's palazzo in Venice was built post-1960s. All Venetian water taxis before this were of solid wood construction, but the one used for filming is clearly of "cold-molded" construction, as one can readily see by the diagonal strips of veneer on the hull; something unknown before the advent of resin laid-up veneer hulls in the 1970s.

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Quotes

Lady Marchmain: Drinking is not a hobby, Sebastian.

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Connections

Version of Brideshead Revisited (1981)

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Soundtracks

"With the Rumba Playing"
Music & Lyrics by Terry Davies
Violin by Chris Garrick
Guitar by John Etheridge

User Reviews

A sketchy remake

Is this film a worthy interpretation of "Brideshead Revisited"? Well, up to a point, Lord Copper, as another one of Evelyn Waugh's characters was wont to say.

First, scriptwriter Andrew Davies, a past master of adaptation of great and not-so great literary works, has put the focus on the Charles and Julia love story rather than the Charles and Sebastian 'romantic friendship' as Cara, Lord Marchmain's Italian mistress puts it. The religious aspect is dealt with almost incidentally.

Second, Lady Marchmain, as played by Emma Thompson, is a very grim person with total emotional control over her children and whose particular Christian beliefs means that she is indifferent to their suffering as to her this life is a mere precursor to the glorious afterlife – the same attitude as a 9/11 hi-jacker in fact. She has none of the sweetness that Claire Bloom brought to the 1981 TV series.

Third, some of the performances owe a good deal to those in the TV series, especially Matthew Goode as Charles who has an uncanny likeness to Jeremy Irons. And of course Castle Howard reprises its role as Brideshead. Some characters were reduced to ciphers; for example Bridey who played by Simon Jones stole several scenes in 1981 but the part is reduced to a non-entity here. Michael Gambon, a consummate actor, gives us a new take on Lord Marchmain to compare with Lawrence Olivier's earlier version.

Overall, though, I was left with the impression this film has not much to say which is new. Like the recent feature film version of "Pride and Prejudice", it gives a broad outline of the story but misses out much of the rich context provided by the minor characters. Oh, read the book instead.