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United Kingdom, Italy, Morocco · 2008
Rated PG-13 · 2h 13m
Director Julian Jarrold
Starring Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell, Emma Thompson
Genre Drama, Romance
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When the charming aristocrat Sebastian invites Charles Ryder to his family's estate, Charles becomes seduced by the opulent lifestyle of the Marchmain family, and by Julia, Sebastian's sister. As their romance deepens, repercussions follow, and Charles discovers that at Brideshead, love, money, and power come at a price.
Though I can imagine Waugh rolling his eyes at the very idea of Brideshead Revisited as "a heartbreaking romantic epic," this remake is, often inadvertently, closer to the novel's spirit than the sepulchral television series, albeit still not half as waggishly Waugh-ish as "Bright Young Things," Stephen Fry's delightfully naughty interpretation of "Vile Bodies."
This is a world of dinner jackets and evening gowns, casual jaunts to Venice and Morocco; it's about elegance, style, money and perhaps too heady a mix of drink, religion and intrigue.
Philadelphia Inquirer by Carrie Rickey
The film is plush and passionate and graced with elegant performances. Best is that of Emma Thompson as Brideshead's matriarch, Lady Marchmain, who resembles a cross between Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Benedict.
The remarkable thing about Jarrold's movie is how much of the book it manages to capture.
Offers lush and compelling drama drawn from Evelyn Waugh's beloved novel. Purists may blanch at the screenplay's changes to the source material's narrative fine points, but its spirit survives intact.
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
There are times when Brideshead Revisited shows its seams. For those with an affinity for this kind of movie - and you know whether this applies to you - Brideshead Revisited is a worthy, although not superior, motion picture.
Washington Post by Michael O'Sullivan
The real question is whether the film moves the "Brideshead" ball down the playing field in any meaningful way since the acclaimed miniseries. And I'd have to say that it doesn't so much advance it as it shrinks it into a golf-ball-size nugget.
Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips
The new film seems a little nervous about the religious content; it's more interested in the swoony bits between Charles and Julia.
The Hollywood Reporter by Michael Rechtshaffen
Although it has its involving moments, the watered-down Waugh fails to make any kind of lasting connection.
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
The one performer who seems at home with the gravity of it all is Emma Thompson.
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