“All I ever wanted was to keep them safe, and all they can do is hate me.” - Lady Marchmain
One of literature’s finest dysfunctional families is flawlessly brought to life in the new production of Brideshead Revisited.
Based on the 1945 novel by Eeautiful scenery, perfectly costumed cast exhibiting skillfully artistic portrayals of their characters, this film catches the spirit of the age between the wars in Britain with its turmoil of emotions and rapidly changing evironments.
Charles Ryder narrates the story of his dealings with the family beginning at a point a distance of ten years in the future, when Brideshead is being used to bivouac soldiers during WWII. After an introduction that reveals the confusion in Charles mind as to who and what he really is, the audience is swept into a pivotal memory from five years earlier, and then carried back into the past.
We see the young Charles off for his first semester at Oxford where he meets Lord Sebastian Flyte a mercurial spirit who seems to have hedonism as his primary study in life. Ryder an only child of a father whose cynicism may be covering his devotion to his motherless son, or he may be as emotionally stunted as he appears, is overwhelmed by Sebastian.
Sebastian is full of life and colorful adventures, and has what Charles lacks, a family. That Sebastian finds them distasteful, with the exception of his sister Julia, is evident, but Charles is enchanted anyway. His artist’s soul is enraptured with the gorgeous estate of Brideshead.
Home for the summer after his first school term, Charles is frantically summoned to Brideshead by Sebastian, saying that he has been in a terrible accident. Charles’s father points out that if he were so badly injured, he might not have been able to sign his name. Charles is adamant, and so his father lets him go.
At Brideshead, Charles finally meets the sister Julia, and discovers that he likes her as much as he does Sebastian. The three spend idyllic afternoons in perfectly companionable friendship, until the arrival of Sebastian’s mother the saintly devout Lady Marchmain changes the tone of the visit.
Charles witnesses the suffocating control that she keeps over her children, and while he doesn’t understand it, the chill of her displeasure is beginning to alter his relationship with the others. Emma Thompson is spectacular as Lady Marchmain. She is the very essence of steely control and icy calm, and without ever raising her voice or using angry words she creates a tempest of emotion.
The viewer soon feels the depth of guilt and remorse that she puts upon these children, willing them to do as she wants, invoking religion and duty as the highest standards, and their personal happiness as nothing in the grand scheme of life.
There are wonderful lines, some full of wisdom and others simply folly. There are joyous riotous romps, and moments that are heartbreakingly sad. Some 21st Century viewers might have difficulty understanding the seriousness of the story, as compared to what we see on talk shows and reality television, the problems of these characters might seem rather tame.
In the time of the story Sebastian’s homosexuality would be viewed as a phase, to be passed through and would never be accepted as a life style choice. Julia cannot marry Charles because he isn’t a Catholic, and she must do as the church (and her mother) dictate.
By virtue of her devotion to her religion Lady Marchmain refuses to give her husband a divorce, forcing him to live with his mistress in exile in Europe.
Brideshead Revisited is presented on single disc in widescreen format. The playing time is 133 minutes. Bonus features included are deleted scenes from the film, The World of Brideshead featurette and the filmmaker’s audio commentary.
This is an exquisite production that belongs in any literary film collection.
Brideshead Revisited is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a March 9th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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