Those unfamiliar with Evelyn Waugh's 1945 novel—chronicling the impact that members of an aristocratic Roman Catholic family have on a cynically atheistic social climber over the years—may well find this handsome adaptation quite satisfying, thanks to its gorgeous settings, superb period detail, lovely widescreen cinematography, and a stellar British cast that includes Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon. But admirers of the book may be disappointed: the novel's theme, according to the author, is the operation of divine grace in human life, but here questions of religion and theology are either ignored or minimized, and Julian Jarrold's film becomes a fairly conventional tale of romance between two people of different classes—downscale Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) and upscale Julia Flyte (Hayley Atwell)—whose love for one another is met with familial opposition. In transforming the story into something that contemporary viewers will find more psychologically credible—the adaptation was penned by noted Brit screenwriter Andrew Davies—this new Brideshead Revisited is more accessible to audiences looking for highbrow (but ultimately undemanding) British period drama. But Waugh's fans may think that Brideshead Rewritten would have been a more suitable title; for them, the acclaimed miniseries that aired in 1982 on PBS—a more faithful rendition in every sense of the word—will still be the preferred version (and is available on DVD). Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Julian Jarrold, producer Kevin Loader, and screenwriter Jeremy Brock, the production featurette “The World of Brideshead” (21 min.), 12 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a flawed adaptation.] (F. Swietek)
Brideshead Revisited
Miramax, 133 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.99, Jan. 13 Volume 24, Issue 1
Brideshead Revisited
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