Brideshead Revisited 

Two young men meet at Oxford. Charles Ryder, though of no family or money, becomes friends with Sebastian Flyte when Sebastian throws up in his college room through an open window. He then ... See full summary »

Stars:

Jeremy Irons, Diana Quick, Roger Milner

Top Rated TV #157 | Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 10 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jeremy Irons	...	Charles Ryder 11 episodes, 1981
Diana Quick	...	Julia Flyte / ... 11 episodes, 1981
Roger Milner	...	Wilcox 10 episodes, 1981
Phoebe Nicholls	...	Cordelia Flyte 9 episodes, 1981
Simon Jones	...	Lord Brideshead 'Bridey' 8 episodes, 1981
Anthony Andrews	...	Sebastian Flyte 6 episodes, 1981
Charles Keating	...	Rex Mottram 6 episodes, 1981
Claire Bloom	...	Lady Marchmain 5 episodes, 1981
John Gielgud	...	Edward Ryder 5 episodes, 1981

Storyline

Two young men meet at Oxford. Charles Ryder, though of no family or money, becomes friends with Sebastian Flyte when Sebastian throws up in his college room through an open window. He then invites Charles to lunch after his teddy bear Aloysius "refuses to talk to him" unless he is forgiven. Charles becomes involved with Sebastian's family, Catholic peers of the realm in Protestant England. The story is told in flashback as Charles, now an officer in the British Army, is moved with his company to an English country house that he discovers to be Brideshead, Sebastian's family home where Charles has a series of memories of his youth and young manhood, his loves, life, and a journey of faith and anguish.

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Plot Keywords:

homosexual subtext | college | atheist | wealth | voice over narration | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brideshead Revisited

Filming Locations:

Bridgewater House, Cleveland Row, Green Park, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

659 min (11 parts)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Castle Howard, which was used as the location for much of the series, was owned by George Howard, who, at the time, was the Chairman of the BBC, a rival of the network airing the series. He nonetheless agreed not only to allow his castle to be used, but served as a Technical Advisor, and supplied many of the props for the production, while also advising the filmmakers in ways to avoid incorrect portrayals of life in such an environment.

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Alternate Versions

The voiceover in the early Venice sequences was added for the American version after producer Derek Granger saw the initial British broadcast and felt there was not a strong enough sense of the religious feelings evoked while viewing the paintings.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Catch 'Em If You Can (2004)

User Reviews

The adaptation is so good that one can read Waugh'...

The adaptation is so good that one can read Waugh's novel while watching and practically not miss a word. The lush prose of the novel is there, as well as perfect visual imagery of the settings, absolutely essential to the integrity of the piece.