Brideshead Revisited (2008) User Reviews

Is this movie worth watching? Yes, if you enjoy literature. No if you expect handsome men in dinner jackets, beautiful photography, and mid-war England to add up to another Atonement. This is not a romantic movie. The themes are serious and you do not leave the theater with a feel good glow but with the deeper reward of seeing something worth contemplating both visually and intellectually. The themes could leave some viewers pensive or uncomfortable if they have unresolved religious or homosexual issues. Brideshead stirs passions from fans of previous dramatizations and the original novel who are critical of this production but if you set these aside and watch this movie as a stand-alone you will see much that is good. However it will never delight the multiplex crowd. It is literary in length and treatment. You have to be a PBS classic drama buff or above to get something from it.

08/05/2008, 5:40 pm

Evelyn Waugh would have thought this to be nothing more that a money making travesty which is exactly what it is. Do, absolutelytreat yourself to the DVD from the 1981 BBC miniseries. The costumes, sets and music are dull. Poor Sebastian has been turned into an unmemorable bore and Julia isn't worth the wait.Emma Thompson, Matthew Goode and Michel Gambon are superb but alas the movie is a terrible shambles. When will directors learn that perfection cannot be improved upon? Perhaps a re-make of Gone with the Wind with Jessica Simpson?

07/29/2008, 4:22 am

I've only seen the trailer but my skin is still crawling. It could be because I just reread the book in which Lady Marchmain is not delighted to announce Julia's engagement to Rex nor does she warn Charles away; Cara does not accuse Charles of an improper relationship with Sebastion; Julia does not accuse Charles of having eye on the real estate rather than her; Sebastion does not snuggle up to Lord Marchmain; Lord Marchmain does not get all pop-eyed over the idea that Charles liked Brideshead, and Aloysius is a LARGE teddy bear. I give it one star because the house still looks good. This is a GREAT book. It deserves at least as much attention to detail as the Deathly Hallows. For Mr. WAugh's sake, I hope there are no cineplexes in heaven. Did we really need a Brokeback English Country House?

07/30/2008, 4:59 pm

ab fab movie

08/17/2008, 3:16 am

I thought it was a great flick and want to go see it again! It was very thought provoking and had lots of twists to think about after it was over.

08/05/2008, 5:29 pm

The cinematography on the film was beautiful and while some scenes seemed to carry on a bit longer than necessary, overall the film had a nice, steady pace to it.

08/14/2008, 5:09 pm

I actually really enjoyed it. An intelligent watcher might enjoy the subtly in the themes presented. Worth a watch and an open mind.

08/19/2008, 7:19 pm

"callously wicked…wantonly cruel…"

07/30/2008, 6:32 pm

Best movie of the summer, hands down. Entertaining, thought provoking, great cinematography, and the story line could be about any family, anywhere. 5 thumbs up, and don't know why this movie got no press.....

08/21/2008, 7:54 pm