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Brideshead Revisited

Play trailer Poster for Brideshead Revisited PG-13 2008 2h 14m Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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62% Tomatometer 138 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Befriended by aristocrat Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), Oxford student Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) finds that the power and privilege experienced by the family is seductive. On a visit to Brideshead, the ancestral home, he falls in love with his friend's sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell). However, as Charles' ties to Sebastian and family deepen, he finds himself at odds with their strong Roman Catholicism.
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Brideshead Revisited

Brideshead Revisited

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Critics Consensus

Suspenseful and beautifully mounted, Brideshead Revisited does an able job condensing Evelyn Waugh's novel.

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Critics Reviews

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Evan Williams The Australian 10/31/2008
3.5/5
Those with warm memories of the BBC television serial in the 1980s will find much in this Brideshead to enjoy. Go to Full Review
Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald 10/31/2008
4/5
Even if the material is familiar, even if it has been done well before, there is room in a great book for a new interpretation. Go to Full Review
Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films 10/29/2008
C-
It's as if Waugh's story has been filtered through the spiritual blindness of young Charles. The movie sees, but it doesn't understand. Go to Full Review
Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 01/31/2021
3/5
Sourced from sixty years old material featuring spats, snoods and Model Ts but its themes of religious fundamentalism, pursuit of individualism and happiness, sexual tolerance and class are as current as anything on screens at your local multi-plex. Go to Full Review
Jason Best What's On TV 11/13/2020
A miscast Emma Thompson in a white wig is the story's steely enforcer of Catholic orthodoxy... She's such a monster that the film comes perilously close to turning into an Invasion of the Soul Snatchers. Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/04/2020
3.0/4.0
The strongest performance may very well belong to Emma Thompson, who manages to turn Lady Marchmain into both a disturbing yet surprisingly sympathetic woman. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Regina P 02/14/2024 The reason I rented this film from the library was because I read that 'Saltburn' looked like it was inspired by this story. After watching it, I just don't see it. The usual suspects are there, but a completely different dynamic going on here. But as a story by itself, it was okay. It wasn't thrilling, though. It was interesting enough, but it just ended in the middle of nothing. I didn't get a satisfying resolution here. See more steve d 01/17/2023 Not always a pleasant watch but extremely well acted and beautifully shot. See more isla s 09/03/2022 As gentle period dramas focussing on social/class issues go, this one is perfectly ok, with some good performances and settings. Its not a film I found especially remarkable or memorable but its not utterly uninteresting and I quite liked some of the classical music played and so on. I thought Ben Whishaw gave a particularly good performance and I'd say this is a decent enough Sunday evening type period/costume drama film, set in the 1940s. Its somewhat immersive, if not overly memorable as such but I didn't feel I was entirely bored, which is probably the main thing. I couldn't help but think what 'first world problems' were mentioned during the film - that's a given, of course. It does, however, become somewhat poignant after a while. I should point out that at times characters speak quite quietly (softly spoken) - whispering, just about, so if you have issues hearing then you may find it hard to follow in full, which could be frustrating. Religion is also mentioned, which may or may not bother people. There is some dialogue that I thought was quite good, so overall I would recommend this pleasant enough watch, yes. See more 11/10/2020 I expected more than I got (due to the stellar cast) perhaps because it felt rushed and always seemed to be dancing on the surface See more Frances H 04/08/2018 Beautifully directed and excellently acted film with a melancholy feel of dying world that draws the viewer in as it does Charles, obsessed with what will soon be gone. Although Brideshead (and the real Castle Howard) are lovely to look at from the outside, that beauty is cold and ensnares those who live there with an unhappiness that ends up destroying them them all and Charles is left still an outsider, still longing to be really a part of this world he coveted. See more 11/26/2016 Obviously it will be difficult to follow the Jeremy Irons/Anthony Andrews series, but this is disappointing. Best thing: read Waugh's superb novel. See more Read all reviews
Brideshead Revisited

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Movie Info

Synopsis Befriended by aristocrat Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), Oxford student Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) finds that the power and privilege experienced by the family is seductive. On a visit to Brideshead, the ancestral home, he falls in love with his friend's sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell). However, as Charles' ties to Sebastian and family deepen, he finds himself at odds with their strong Roman Catholicism.
Director
Julian Jarrold
Producer
Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae, Kevin Loader
Screenwriter
Jeremy Brock, Andrew Davies
Distributor
Miramax Films, Concorde Filmverleih
Production Co
Miramax, Ecosse Films, UK Film Council
Rating
PG-13 (Some Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 25, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.4M
Runtime
2h 14m
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