Brideshead Revisited
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell
What's it about: In Depression-era England, a would-be artist becomes entangled with the rich family of his new best friend.
School days: Charles Ryder (Goode, "Match Point") befriends the spoiled, tipsy Sebastian Flyte (Whishaw, "Perfume") at Oxford and falls in love with his sister Julia (Atwell, "Cassandra's Crossing"). But both Flytes are under the thumb of their domineering, religion-obsessed mother (Emma Thompson), a steely snob, who manipulates her children - and Charles - to her own ends.
Based on the Evelyn Waugh novel (which spawned a great 1981 miniseries that made Jeremy Irons a star), this condensed version of Waugh's story of love, guilt and faith is beautifully told, full of moments of love thwarted by painful choices. Look for outstanding performances by the three good-looking leads - you can bet they'll be stars after this.
Long story short: Passion bubbles beneath the surface in this gorgeous film.
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