Evelyn Waugh was a convert to Catholicism, and his novel, Brideshead Revisited, is steeped in theology and Catholic practice. It is also an aristocratic love story, with many an unsavory character. Upon its completion in 1945, Waugh considered BH to be his magnum opus. Time apparently agreed, and listed it as one of its “All-Time 100 Novels”.
Re-reading the novel years later apparently soured the author on its content and merit. Waugh stated that“the book is infused with a kind of gluttony, for food and wine, for the splendours of the recent past, and for rhetorical and ornamental language which now, with a full stomach, I find distasteful”. Sounds like the makings of a great romance film, no?
I haven’t read the novel, but I did glean this background info from its Wiki page before seeing it in theaters. Thus, my hopes for the film were high. Commercials led me to believe that it would be the period-piece love story that Atonement was not-that it would redeem the entire genre! After all, it’s been eleven years since Titanic came out, haven’t we waited long enough?
At two hours thirteen minutes, the film is entirely too long. Of these 133 minutes, the ‘lovers’- a painter named Charles and trust fund baby Julia Flyte-spend approximately seven together. Their relationship is underdeveloped, the scene jumps are sometimes difficult to follow, and the only likable character in the film (Julia’s brother) runs off to Morocco within the first hour.
This likable character is Sebastian Flyte -played by (my new celeb crush) Ben Wishaw. Wishaw plays a whimsical, alcoholic and flamingly gay Oxford student ruined by his Catholic mother’s intolerance. He embodies the gluttony that Waugh, in retrospect, found so distasteful. The film is focused largely upon his demise, which begins when he finds out that his best friend-cum-crush, Charles, is really in love with his sister. Catholicism ruins even this hetero relationship- Charles won’t convert on principle, and Julia cannot marry outside the faith. So, is this really a love story at all? Not really. It’s mostly a period piece, and a dull one at that.
Synopsis: Countryside scenery, well-dressed cast, ’star-crossed’ lovers, one act of intercourse, many lackluster marriages & many invocations of God’s name
2 Comments
August 4, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Evelyn Waugh is one of my most adored authors. Too bad Hollywood is going to temporarily mar this book’s legacy just like they did to “Atonement”. Looks to me like the American Intelligencia is identifying its own ‘post-Iraq’ turmoil with England’s post-WWI decline.
And too bad about J Crew. American Apparel is next.
August 5, 2008 at 9:51 am
American Apparel is already dead to me, thanks to the dirty hipster commune that is lower Manhattan.