Basil (1998)

A lonely young aristocrat in turn-of the century England stuggles to meet the approval of his over-bearing, class-conscious father while trying to please the selfish woman he loves.

Director:

Radha Bharadwaj

Writers:

Radha Bharadwaj, Wilkie Collins (novel)

Stars:

Christian Slater, Jared Leto, Claire Forlani

Cast

Credited cast:
Christian Slater	...	John Mannion
Jared Leto	...	Basil
Claire Forlani	...	Julia Sherwin
Derek Jacobi	...	Father Frederick
David Ross	...	Mr. Sherwin
Crispin Bonham-Carter	...	Ralph
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephanie Bagshaw	...	Emma Mannion
Maisie Bryceland	...	Sherwin Maid (as Maisie Tomlinson)
Jenny Downham	...	Anna, Ralph's Wife
Ann-Louise Grimshaw	...	Knitting Nurse (as Ann Louise Grimshaw)
Sarah Hadland	...	Windmere House Chambermaid
Carli Harris	...	Young Clara Fairfax
Joanna John	...	Mother Agnes
Georgiana Johnson	...	Young Clara
Jackson Leach	...	Young Basil

Storyline

Basil is the story of a sheltered, naive young aristocrat who finds a friend, John Mannion and through him meets Julia Sherwin. Basil falls in love with Julia, but she is below his class, and if his father finds out, he will be disinherited and sent away, as his older brother, Ralph was, when he unwisely did the same. How can Basil keep his love and his father's respect?

---

Plot Keywords:

character name as title | aristocrat | friend | f rated | forename as title | 

---

Taglines:

Someone With Everything.....Has Everything To Lose

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene involving abortion

Did You Know?

Quotes

Father Frederick: Make-believe is never harmless.

User Reviews

Bizarre and unexpected - worth a watch

This movie is based on Wilkie Collins' (author of Moonstone and Woman int White) little known 2nd novel "Basil". The story is an unexpected combination of a Victorian Gothic novel with lust, passion, betrayal, revenge and more. It comes across as more sensational and modern than one would expect from a story from the mid 1800s. I think the screenplay expanded upon the novel. The plot twists are quite startling and some aspects of the story don't make that much sense in a but it's a suspenseful and satisfying yarn to watch on screen.

The filming is quite well done with atmospheric locations and sets. The cast is interesting with Jared Leto and Christian Slater both playing English characters with accents that aren't quite spot on of course. Half Italian Claire Forlani plays an English lady although she has a slightly Mediterranean look.

Instead of watching another adaptation of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights give this one a chance.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 1998 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Basil

Filming Locations:

Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Showcareer Limited Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1