Anglophile Movie Review: Brideshead Revisited

Overall, I enjoyed the new Brideshead Revisited. I know this will be a rather unpopular view considering the critical reception of the movie. Brideshead Revisited is based on one of my favorite books of the same name and I dare-say one of the finest TV series ever produced by the BBC.

I love stories that give an insight into the British Aristocracy. I’m fascinated by Lords and Ladies and every aspect of their glamourous world, even when they were in decline such as in Brideshead.

The movie is lush. The sets are amazing. The costumes are amazing. The cinematography is stunning. It’s worth watching just for the eye candy.

The film (as was the classic TV Series) was filmed at Castle Howard in Yorkshire and it is a star in it’s own right. The house is simply amazing and it was very lovingly treated by the production crew.

Brideshead Revisited is a sprawling story in it’s own right, so obviously, things had to be compressed and changed around to work as a movie. I think they did a pretty good job staying close to the meanings of the books despite some major changes (what is Julia doing in Venice!?). But I understand movies and how they’re made so I know they had to make big changes. I’m glad they didn’t write religion out of the movie, which I thought they would do, considering how sensitive audiences are to movies that criticize religion.

I’m not going to compare much to the classic Brideshead TV series that was made in the 80′s. They’re different. They had to be. The series was essentially a carbon copy of the book and thus was something like 11 hours long. This film is a different beast entirely and it works in it’s own right. If you have a long weekend, and want to appreciate the fullness of the story, then by all means sit down and watch the TV series. If you want it in a two hour package, then watch this instead.

The acting was excellent all around, especially from Emma Thompson as the positively evil Lady Marchmain. The actors who played Sebastian and Charles were good, as was the actress who played Julia. Michael Gambon was brilliant as Lord Marchmain, though he was very underused, I think.

It’s not quite a great movie, though. It has clear weaknesses. Like Australia, it wasn’t quite sure what kind of movie it wanted to be. Also, I think a lot of stuff about English Aristocracy was left out, to appeal to international audiences who may not understand it all. Despite it’s length, it did feel slightly rushed. Frankly, I just did not want to leave the Aristocratic world pre-WWII.

I’m not one to spend time nitpicking differences between a book and a movie. There were some things missing, which I did wish were there. But there was also some great set pieces. I LOVED the sequence in Oxford and dreamed of one day doing a summer program there. Overall it was a good movie for an Anglophile and I’m definitely adding it to my collection.

I give it 4 out of 5 Union Jacks for being a entertaining adaptation, despite it’s deficiencies.

The Brideshead Revisited DVD comes out today.


The New DVD	The Original Book	The TV Series DVD

Author Info - Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile with an obsession for Britain that borders on psychosis. He keeps Anglotopia running in his spare time, always dreaming of his next trip to England, wishing he lived there - specifically Dorset - and is always trying to figure out a way to move to England. It will happen one day. Keep up with him on Twitter here. Read more from this author