sogno: Brideshead Revisited

Monday, June 13, 2011

Brideshead Revisited

Last night I watched this wonderful movie on TV. It is Julian Jarrold’s adaption of Evelyn Waugh’s at its release 1944 highly scandalous, same-titled novel. I quite like Evelyn Waugh’s satirical writing style and his macabre sense of humour, but haven’t read this particular one.

The story, like what I’m used to with Waugh, seems to be in the tradition of another favourite of mine, Oscar Wilde. Anyway, it centres on an aristocratic family during the 1920ies-1940ies. I really don’t know why, but I love the pictures of English period movies that are playing during those times, among my favourites are Joe Wright’s Atonement and Jordan Scott’s Cracks. When I’m thinking of these years in Germany, aesthetics are probably the last thing which comes to my mind and which I care about in a movie…

But back to the story: The family’ son Sebastian Flyte, played by Ben Wishaw (Perfume) gets to know the agnostic middle-class student and artist Charles (Matthew Goode) at university and takes him to his family’s estate. Their friendship attains a strong homosexual scent, but Charles also feels attracted by Sebastians stubborn sister Julia (Hayley Atwell). Another central storyline is the relationship between Sebastian and his strictly catholic mother, played by Emma Thompson (Love Actually). Sebastian gets psychically harmed, the family turns away from Charles and years later he and Julia meet again, but are both married, and so it goes….. I’m not going to tell the full story and kept very short, what I just wrote. ;).

Besides the story I absolutely love the aesthetics of this movie. Every single picture seems so well-composed, and the clothes are just stunning. Settings are the grandiose Castle Howard in Yorkshire, as the family’s home, as well as Venice, London, Oxford and Morocco.

Among the cast, Ben Whishaw gives the most remarkable performance as the irritatingly instable Sebastian, but also Emma Thompson plays the cold and strict head of the family in a very impressive way.

Apparently the adaptation has altered the core themes and storyline, as those adaptions usually do. I’m now going to wait a few months until the movie won’t be as present in my mind as it is now, and then read the novel.