As a film centered on the tricky, often unaccepted manifestations of human desire, “Brideshead Revisited” leaves much to be desired in and of itself. The film, the anticipated adaptation of Evelyn Waugh‘s 1945 novel that also spawned the acclaimed 1981 British miniseries of the same name, simply cannot support the many themes that dominate its story. With topics ranging from homosexuality and love to religion and redemption, this is a tightly compressed revisiting of the 11 hour-long miniseries.
Set mostly in the carefree period of pre-World War II London, the film follows Charles Ryder (played by Matthew Goode, “Match Point”), the son of a middle class merchant who befriends the aristocrat Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw, “I’m Not There”) at Oxford. A close friendship follows, and soon Charles is invited to stay at the Flyte estate at Brideshead for the summer. Upon seeing the breathtaking home boasting expansive green lawns with ornate gazebos, marble statues lining every hallway and colorful paintings decorating the walls, Charles is seduced by the family’s luxury.
Their whimsical summer comes to an abrupt end, however, when Sebastian falls in love with Charles, who has in turn fallen in love with Sebastian’s sister Julia (Hayley Atwell, “Cassandra’s Dream”). There’s also the issue of the siblings’ highly religious mother, Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson, “Stranger Than Fiction”). She is a woman bitterly referred to as “her” and “that woman” by her children and ex-husband (played by Michael Gambon, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) when she’s not around. She begins meddling, and before long, Sebastian turns to alcohol to forget his woes, Julia is married off, and Charles is thrown out of their world of privilege just as quickly as he was accepted into it.
This is the classic English costume drama, and with director Julian Jarrold (“Becoming Jane”) at the helm it is certainly beautifully crafted. Thus, what stands out most when the credits begin to roll is not the feeling of having just watched a compelling narrative but rather the admiration of a lavish productive design. While the story itself is not absolutely absorbing, on some occasions even siding to tiresome, the actors give the film much saving grace as each character is powerfully and emotionally portrayed.
Still, “Brideshead Revisited” isn’t likely to do for Matthew Goode what it did for Jeremy Irons, the then little-known actor who played Charles Ryder in the miniseries. But what it does, nonetheless, is equal other period pieces as an intelligent film about the people we meet and the choices we make, and how family and religion can play such a pivotal role in the course of our lives.
3 stars out of 5
