Jun 30 2008
Revisiting “Brideshead Revisited”
Brideshead Revisited is a novel by Evelyn Waugh that was made into a now-classic British TV series in 1981. It still replays on PBS, and most people know it rather than the book.
The story spans twenty or thirty years, beginning in the 1920s and ending during World War II. It’s a saga of sorts that follows a man’s involvement with the wealthy and initially enchanting Flyte family. As a student, Charles Ryder befriends the charming, good-looking and eccentric Sebastian Flyte, who soon turns into a total drunk, or “sot,” as they say in the show. Ryder loses touch with Sebastian, but can’t seem to shake his connection with the Flyte family. He later becomes involved with Sebastian’s sister Julia, who is herself a captivating, complex character.
Jeremy Irons kick-started his acting career with the role of Ryder. The part includes a lot of voice-over–it’s practically half the role–and as anyone who’s seen The Lion King knows, Irons gives delicious voice-over. The whole cast, in fact, is so excellent that they pretty much own the rights to the characters.
Well, unbeknownst to the public, (who surely would have thrown down their tea and/or claret to protest), they’ve gone and made a Brideshead Revisited movie. I bet Anthony Andrews threw a king-size hissy.
Emma Thompson stars as Mama Marchmain, the uptight matriarch of the family. The only other actor I recognize is the husband from Match Point, who to me looks more like a Sebastian than a Charles, if you know what I mean. (Sebastian was a pretty boy, and gay.) Anyway, the film was going to be directed by David Yates, with an all-star line-up of Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly and Jude Law as the main threesome. (That’s right, Law would have played the pretty lush.) Yates, however, stepped aside, and with him went the dream cast. Will this film have a proper opening or go straight to video? We’ll have to wait and see. Above are the original players, and here are the new faces.
