TV (DVD) Watch: Brideshead Revisited (1981)
photo from IMDB
It’s taken me a while, because I resisted the temptation to binge but I’ve now watched all eleven episodes of Brideshead and ended it in tears, which is why I chose a picture of an older, grimmer Charles Ryder with Julia as an illustration, rather than one of the happier Oxford scenes. When this series was first shown, I looked forward to each episode (can you imagine that today?) and I still found there’s not a second’s boredom in it. It was made by Granada and I suppose that now only Netflix can afford such lavish productions.
The book is subtitled ‘The sacred and profane memories of Captain Charles Ryder’ and hearing Jeremy Irons’ narration as Charles is one of the great pleasures of the series. All the characters are perfectly cast; I particularly like Simon Jones as Bridey. John Gielgud is perfect as Charles’ eccentric father (‘Johnny got the best part’ complained Olivier, who played Lord Marchmain). Nikcolas Grace is unforgettably OTT as rather tiresome Anthony Blanche and there as a delightful little cameo from Ronald Fraser. The production follows the story and dialogue of the book so closely that watching is almost as good as reading it.
There’s no point trying to summarise the book (it would take too long) and even less in trying to explain what I think Evelyn Waugh meant by it. In a later preface, he says that it should be seen as a memoir of the Second World War rather than of the twenties and thirties. Really, of course, it’s all about religion, which may be a problem for some readers, although the beauty of the prose should carry anyone along with it. I was young when I first read it (many reads since) and I thought then that Charles and Julia were mad to throw away their happiness because of Julia’s Catholic scruples. Now, I understand it better. What I will never understand, though, is the portrayal of Sebastian. Why a gilded youth should descend into hopeless alcoholism and then be regarded as a kind of saint, is beyond me. ‘You have to suffer to be holy’ says his loving sister Cordelia. If it were that simple, the world would be full of saints.
In spite of the apparent bleakness of the ending, the book and TV series have some very funny scenes.