Brideshead Revisited

This 11-episode miniseries, based on Evelyn's Waugh's "fierce little human tragedy," was a phenomenon when originally broadcast in America in 1982. Not since Upstairs, Downstairs had a British television production so captivated American audiences. Earning a Golden Globe for Best Miniseries and an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for Laurence Olivier, this adaptation of Waugh's 1945 novel was recently voted among the top ten favorite British television programs in a British Film Institute poll. In the role that catapulted him to international stardom, Jeremy Irons stars as Charles Ryder, who, as the series opens in 1944, is a disillusioned and war-weary captain, bound to the army only by "law, duty, and custom." He and his men are dispatched to a secret location, which turns out to be Brideshead Castle. Charles is no stranger to the palatial estate. He had been there 20 years before, and he reflects on "those languid days at Brideshead" and his joyous and tragic relationship with the aristocratic Marchmain family. Anthony Andrews won BAFTA honors (the British equivalent of the Oscar) for his heartbreaking performance as the self-destructive Sebastian Flyte, an Oxford schoolmate who introduces Charles to his life of unbridled pleasure and privilege. But as Charles becomes a friend and confidante to the "madly charming" Marchmains, his relationship with the doomed Sebastian sours, and Sebastian's life spirals downward. The distinguished ensemble cast includes Claire Bloom as the willful Lady Marchmain, Olivier as the self-exiled Lord Marchmain, and John Gielgud as Charles's estranged father. Absolutely essential. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)