Review of Brideshead Revisited (2008) by Helen C — 19 Oct 2009

If eyes could have orgasms, then this film would be the cause of multiple ones. I applaud the writers for taking the character of Sebastian and making him irrefutably homosexual (and consequently making the Sebastian/Charles relationship blatantly romantic and complex), something which I believe Waugh could never have done in his novel, and which could never have been done in the 1981 BBC serial.

There have been some changes to compress the action into 2 hours and some change, but I believe these served the film well. While the film seems a bit long in the tooth (it runs out of steam about 3/4 of the way through), the cinematography and costumes are absolutely breathtaking, and the performances, especially Ben Whishaw as the tragic Sebastian Flyte and Emma Thompson as his mother, are subtle and sublime.

There's less commentary on Catholicism/religion/class here than huge fans of the book/BBC series will prefer, but the film perfectly captures the joys of youthful romance and the sad, inevitable end to those days.