There are two movie versions of Brideshead Revisited:
1. A recent big-budget production from 2008 starring Emma Thompson and some random young British actors.
Warning: This movie is terrible. It completely misses the entire main point of the book. And it’s boring. Don’t waste your time with it. Seriously. If you watch this movie and then try to talk about the book in class, it will be obvious to those of us who did read the book that you aren’t getting the main point of the story. How embarrassing.
2. A TV miniseries from 1982 starring Jeremy Irons
version, by contrast, is wonderful. It is extremely faithful to the novel, and it was a huge hit in England and America on TV back in the 80s. It is a beautiful film, but here’s the catch: it is very, very long. The total series clocks in at about 13 hours!
If you’re having trouble understanding the story as you read, it’s OK if you want to watch some of this (if you can find a copy of it) as a way to help you. But you still have to read the novel!
I recently watched the latest version of the "Brideshead Revisited" movie. I should have listened to Tim's warnings. The movie was awful and ruined the book for me. The first thing I didn't like about the movie was the depiction of Charles and Sebastian's relationship. The friendship is portrayed as homosexual rather than that of good friends. I had a different interpretation of their relationship than the movie. The movie places little importance on religion in the movie which is a central theme of the novel. The primary focus is placed on the individual love stories. The movie is not long enough to do the novel justice.
ReplyDeleteThe book “Brideshead Revisited” is very different from the movie. The book exposes deep emotional and personal problems within the characters. The movie focuses on the personal relationships of the characters rather than the catholic faith.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, the Character’s thoughts drive plot. There are several complicated relationships between the characters developed through each characters thought. This allows the reader to make their own interpretations of the characters opinions and the logic behind their actions. Personally I enjoyed using my imagination and opinion of the characters to drive the story and make sense of the plot. Unlike the book, the movie was driven through the characters actions. I know it would be diffuclut to explain the characters inner thoughts on screen but I believe writing is a better medium to tell the story. The movie forces the audience to rely on the actions of each character to explain the complex personal relationships. There isn’t enough time in the movie to explain all the necessary steps to the development of the relationships. One relationship that is almost completely skipped is Charles and is wife. The movie shows them meet then they are married and then he sleeps with Julia.
The worst relationship developed by the movie is between Sebastian and Charles. In the book I believed their relationship was innocent and friendly. The movie portrays the two as homosexual. I had a different interpretation than the movie which soured the story for me. Personally, I don’t like when I a movie changes the imagery associated with the novel and my interpretations of relationships. The movie leaves out scenes such as the drunken driving incident which helps developed the relationship between Charles and Sebastian. This incident also is an indication of Sebastian’s alcohol abuse.
I also dislike the depiction of Lady Marchmain. In the movie she is characterized as an evil woman. She is very old and talks in a cold voice, rarely displaying and happy emotions. The book develops her character much better. I believed Lady Marchmain to have good intentions but also being overbearing with her intentions.
The movie focuses solely on the love relationships between Sebastian and Charles and Julia and Charles. Occasionally there will be a scene related to Catholicism but a majority of the movie is driven by the actions that affect the love relationships. The worst part of the movie is the ending where Charles converts. In the book Charles kneels besides Lord Marchmain’s death bead and prays. The movie does not show Charles conversion which misses a key concept of the plot.
The only thing that I think the movie did well was the depiction of Charles’ Father. The movie, as in the book makes their relationship awkward and unloving.