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Brideshead Revisited

Play trailer Poster for Brideshead Revisited PG-13 Released Jul 25, 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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Wesley Morris Boston Globe Rated: 2/4 Nov 24, 2011 Full Review Evan Williams The Australian Those with warm memories of the BBC television serial in the 1980s will find much in this Brideshead to enjoy. Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 31, 2008 Full Review Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald 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. Rated: 4/5 Oct 31, 2008 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 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. Rated: 3/5 Jan 31, 2021 Full Review Jason Best What's On TV 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. Nov 13, 2020 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com The strongest performance may very well belong to Emma Thompson, who manages to turn Lady Marchmain into both a disturbing yet surprisingly sympathetic woman. Rated: 3.0/4.0 Sep 4, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Regina P 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. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/24 Full Review steve d Not always a pleasant watch but extremely well acted and beautifully shot. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review isla s 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member 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 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Frances H 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. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/17/18 Full Review Audience Member Obviously it will be difficult to follow the Jeremy Irons/Anthony Andrews series, but this is disappointing. Best thing: read Waugh's superb novel. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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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
Ecosse Films, Miramax, 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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