Review of Brideshead Revisited (2008) by Geoff B — 01 Jan 2009

Based on the novel by evelyn waugh and a more compact version of the bbc mini-series from the 80s, this english period piece about an ambitious artist and his infiltration into the rich, upper-echelon flyte family in the early 20th century starts off magnificently and somewhere around the half way point begins to stumble by taking on a few too many subjects at once, nearly devolving into soap opera territory if it weren't tackling on such heady topics.

homosexuality, catholicism, atheism, class, art, ambition, greed and lust are all explored, and despite the stuffy, yet impeccable, surroundings and scenery, this is mostly tennessee williams with a stick up it's ass and clenched-jaw dialogue.

the locations are lush, the whole thing looks beautiful from england to morocco to venice, but this is repression with cocktails, mostly. a shame, as the first 30 minutes are hugely promising and contains some quiet, beautiful moments that are as warm as they are decadent.

that said, emma thompson, always amazing, doesn't disappoint here, though she is woefully underused, and ben whishaw as the tortured alcoholic sebastian is equally good. a near miss that collapses under it's own pretense and suffers from ambiguity mistaken for pathos and characters who, confusingly, never reveal on the surface or with subtext what their intentions are, I wonder what joe wright or ang lee could have done with this.