Review of Brideshead Revisited (2008) by Eunice G — 23 Jul 2010

It is always extremely difficult to refrain oneself from comparing film adaptations to novels or other adaptations. After all, every work of art (literary or otherwise) deserves to be judged on its own merits.

In the case of â??Brideshead Revisitedâ??, I almost had to bite my tongue to not compare this adaption by Julian Jarrold to the legendary TV-series from 1981 (starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews), which I have always loved so dearly.

In terms of TV fiction, it was one of the markers of my childhood, which turned me into a fervent costume drama lover. Needless to say, perhaps, my first impression of the 2008 film version was slightly disappointing.

It didnâ??t overwhelm me as much as I had hoped it would do. I found it OK (nice and accurate contemporary images, excellent dialogue), but could find fault with it too (the indoor scenes tend to be very dark and shadowy).

The most valid criticism I could make concerns the seven-league stridesâ?? approach, which is perhaps inevitable in a film version. Jarrold has produced a condensed version of the story as we know it, with a strong focus on the detrimental, suffocating grip of both Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson) and the (English version of the) Roman Catholic religion on a British upper-class family in the early twentieth century.

This approach is valid and makes for a decent film, but the original story is more layered. When one watches the 1981 version, one gets the feeling it is not just about the matter mentioned above, but also about other things, like interhuman relationships.

Some interesting characters in the story remain so superficial here (Anthony Blanche, Mr Ryder, Cordelia Flyte, Cousin Jasper) that one begins to wonder why they havenâ??t been deleted altogether. What impression does Anthony Blancheâ??s stutter make on us if he only gets two chances of displaying it? Then again, the average (young) viewer will never have heard of, let alone seen any previous versions.

I could imagine that to the virginal eye, this adaptation is very impressive after all. It is a beautifully filmed costume piece with excellently phrased dialogues that gives some very instructive insights about family relations and the influence of religion at some point in time.

As such, â??Brideshead Revisitedâ?? deserves credit.