An evocative and poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence, Brideshead Revisited is set in pre-war England when privileged aristocracy fell into decline. The story begins in 1925 at Oxford, when Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) is befriended by the louche and flamboyant Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), son of Lord Marchmain, and is quickly seduced by an exciting new world of money, glamour and outrageous behaviour. When he is invited to 'Brideshead' the Flyte family’s magnificent ancestral home, Charles becomes infatuated with Julia (Hayley Atwell), Sebastian’s beautiful sister. But as Charles’s emotional relationship with the Marchmain family deepens, he finds himself continually at odds with their deepest family bond, that of their overpowering Catholic faith.
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"a sumptuous heart-wrenching journey, faultless direction and a stunning artistic interpretation"
I haven't read the book, I haven't seen the TV series, so I wasn't exposed to any comparisons. To my delight, I was given an emotinal experience that was aesthetically beautiful and superbly acted. Except for a few drastic jumping of events, I couldn't find anything out of place.
We are introduced to Brideshead at the same time as Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), a young painter in his first year at Oxford University who comes from a humble heritage. At Oxford, he meets Sebastian Flyte (Ben Wishaw). They begin a tentative relationship and Sebastian takes Charles to his family's breathtaking estate in the countryside, Brideshead. Sebastian is a peculiar boy, soft and delicate, who sits to lunch with a battered teddy bear and Charles is immediately fascinated by Sebastian and his life.
This film is a sumptuous heart-wrenching journey, faultless direction and a stunning artistic interpretation. The cast is superlative, with Ben Whishaw near the edge feminine gesture setting the screen ablaze with his intensity. Emma Thompson's performances is a wonder in self-control.
The direction is absolutely faultless while the artistic amenities of the film, the costumes, sets, and camera work, are out of this world. Julian Jarrold truly captures Brideshead (Castle Howard) as a character itself, in the beginning its alluring and beautiful as it seduces Charles and then later on it becomes quite sinister and claustrophobic. One amazing thing about Brideshead Revisited is how this story from a different time, about characters from a different world, remains interesting and meaningful. By no means is the audience cheated or deprived of excellence with this film.
