Brideshead Revisited (2008)

Based on a book by Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited centers around a painter called Charles Ryder. The movie begins with an exhibition after spending two years in jungle, where Charles meets his old flame Julia Flyte. Ten years ago, Charles was poor. He lived with his father in Paddington. He went to Oxford, where he met Sebastian Flyte, who later brought him to his beautiful big house: Brideshead. Lady Marchmain, Sebastian's mother, was a pious Catholic and forced her way into her children, that especially Sebastian and his sister Julia were unhappy. Charles fell in love with Julia, but Julia married another man to please her mother because Charles was an atheist.

This movie begins beautifully. The sets, locations and cinematography are wonderful. However, the characters, especially Charles and Julia, are not well developed. Perhaps it's the running time, which is only 2 hours. I heard that the miniseries was much better. The story is about human feeling, and with much longer running time, the emotion of the audience will be more affected. At least that is what I think, unless you come up with a very excellent script. Sebastian perhaps loves Charles and he breaks down seeing Charles kissing Julia, but later there is a conversation that it is not about Julia, but Brideshead. It seems the beautiful Brideshead fascinates Charles so much that he doesn't care whether it's Sebastian or Julia and he uses one of them to move closer to the house.

The relationship between Lady Marchmain and her children is also not well depicted. We know the eldest Bridley is obedient, and the youngest Cordelia is charming. The problem lies on Sebastian and Julia. It's not the religion that is wrong, but the people who practice it. As a good mother, twice Lady Marchmain asks Charles to help Sebastian, and both times he fails her. In fact, Lady Marchmain is not as bad as Sebastian & Julia think. She only wants the best for them. We never know what is in someone's heart. When Lord Marchmain is dying and Father Mackay is coming, Charles tries to interfere. He believes he knows that Lord Marchmain is a non-believer and that he doesn't need a priest. What does he know? Julia, who is living in sin with him, tells him to mind his own business. Does Lord Marchmain need a priest? It turns out he does!

I like better the older generation of the cast: Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Patrick Malahide, and Greta Scacchi.