Review of Brideshead Revisited (2008) by Settimio P — 10 Oct 2008

Hhmmm...I was really looking forward to this, anticipating great drama and superb acting. I felt disappointented on so many respects, perhaps because my expectations were very high. I liked the costumes and the sets, and Jess Hall's photography which seemed to make justice to the grandeur of the locations, but the cinematography was rather still and failed to confer any real sense of emotion in crucial scenes like the uncovering of the statues at Brideshead and the arrive in Venice.

Also the music sounded underwhelming. I was impressed by Wishaw's acting, having seen him on stage in Hamlet and on film in Perfume (and hated both) it seemed the character suited him to the ground, but the choice for the role of the English rose was unreasonable and Emma Thompson was far from compelling.

Also in my opinion there were fatal flaws to the story, as the decision to keep such a long span of time seemed to dilute much of the intensity and power of the narrative. It's hard to avoid comparisons with Atonement and to believe this couldn't have been done differently, as it was devoid of that magic and transport I was so desperately looking forward to.