Brideshead Revisited

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Well Crafted
Tom Cravens

In Brideshead Revisited, we follow Captain Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) of the British Army, as he remembers the family of Brideshead Manor. And, how his life intertwined with the various members of the family.

He first visited the manor a decade earlier, when he was a naïve artist at Oxford. It was then he met Sebastian (Ben Whishaw), a gay aristocrat. Sebastian invites Charles to visit for the summer and convinces him to stay, becoming his ‘special friend.’

Then, Charles meets Sebastian’s sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell). Now, he has a more compelling reason to remain at Brideshead. Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson), the mother of Sebastian, insists that Charles, an admitted Atheist, should join the family after dinner in the Catholic Chapel for prayer and singing.

A Trip To Venice

During a trip to Venice with Sebastian and Julia, Charles meets their father, Lord Marchmain (Michael Gambon), who is living in sin with Cara (Greta Scacchi).

This is when Charles discovers that the controlling Lady Marchmain is poisoning the siblings with guilt over their father’s affair. Both Sebastian and Julia hate being at Brideshead Manor, yet will not go against their mother.

The movie spans the 1920’s through 1930’s and into WWII. A British Captain, Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), recalls his memories of Brideshead while stationed there. Charles father, Edward Ryder (Patrick Malahide), has a cold and distant relationship with his son.

A Crushed Romance

Lady Marchmain crushes anything that might be developing between Charles and Julia, by inviting Charles to Julia’s 21st birthday party and announcing that Julia will marry Rex Mottram (Jonathon Cake).

Charles leaves and eventually become a successful painter. Years later, Charles runs into Julia on a ship while heading back to England. They renew their friendship and quickly fall into an affair.

This movie is well crafted, bringing to light the oppression of the Catholic Church. The locations, clothes, attitudes and behaviors all ring true for this time period.

A Heavy Drama
Cozette Cravens

Brideshead Revisited is a heavy drama with deeply religious underpinnings.

The movie spans the 1920’s through 1930’s and into WWII. A British Captain, Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), recalls his memories of Brideshead while stationed there. Charles father, Edward Ryder (Patrick Malahide), has a cold and distant relationship with his son.

Charles goes off to Oxford College where he meets Sebastian (Ben Whishaw), a gay aristocrat, from Brideshead Manor. Charles is studying History but wants to be an artist. Sebastian finds it entertaining that Charles loves art and not history.
The two become friends and Sebastian invites Charles to Brideshead Manor, where Charles meets Sebastian’s intriguing sister Julia (Hayley Atwell).

When Charles sees Brideshead, he is awestruck by the architecture, paintings and sculptures. Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson), mother of Sebastian and Julia, is heavily into Catholicism. So much so, it makes Sebastian and Julia hate being at Brideshead. Even though Charles says he’s an atheist, Lady Marchmain more or less accepts him into their family, but is against Julia and Charles ever becoming close.

An Unexpected Engagement

On Julia’s 21st birthday, Lady Marchmain announces the marriage between Julia and Rex Mottram (Jonathon Cake). Rex wanted the Brideshead Manor so much that he converted to Catholicism to assure he would get the estate. He had no limits on how low he would stoop.

Over the course of time Charles has come and gone from Brideshead, pulled in and out of various situations. As the movie ends he finds himself back at Brideshead for the final time.

As heavy as the movie is in religion, I would add it to my film library for the acting, costumes and the beautiful locations. If you enjoy heavy drama and can handle the religious aspect it’s for you.

Tip

On the downside, the movie is playing in limited release which meant Tom and I had to see it at the nearest venue, which was in Pleasant Hills at the Cine Arts Theater. I was looking forward to seeing the movie, but when we arrived inside the theater it smelled of poop, yes poop. During the whole time watching the movie I had to tell myself not to throw up my dinner. Needless to say, I will not go back to that theater. In spite of the horrific odor, the movie was very well done and I enjoyed it.

Cast

Matthew Goode, Ben Wishaw, Hayley Atwell, Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon and Greta Scacchi

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