Synopsis
Thanks to the vomiting through an open window at Oxford, two young men meet. Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons), who is a commoner, is the lucky recipient of the vomit from Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews), a well off son of an aristocratic family. Their friendship blooms through a sympathetic apology dinner from Sebastian, and each begins to learn more and more about the other. Sebastian wants to get away from his judgmental family through Charles, and Charles wants a taste of Sebastian’s rich lifestyle. In between, there’s enough drama from both sides to fill up an entire series.
This is how a book should be treated when translated to screen. Brideshead Revisited is a strong 1981 series that is led by actor Jeremy Irons as Charles Ryder, and actor Anthony Andrews as Sebestian Flyte. Both characters represent a clear separation of class in British 1920s society. Charles is the ‘commoner’ that is struggling to make a name for himself, while Sebastian represents a dying aristocratic culture that never received the telegraph that the end was nigh. Both Irons and Andrews does their best to consistently make sure that their characters stay true to their way of living. You can tell as the series begins who is who and what they represent.
Out of the gates, you see Charles as an officer in the British army, who happens to stumble upon a large mansion he grew up (as a young adult) in. He has been through it, and despite his education from Oxford he still represents the common man, which the army reinforces. From that point the flashbacks start, and we understand already that Charles came from nothing, and is struggling to make sure he makes something of his life. Sebastian is quite the opposite. The first view we get of Sebastian is him ‘borrowing’ a car to drive Charles out to the country for champagne and strawberries. He is carefree and rightfully so, mainly because he’s rich. The next scene with the pair is when they met, as a drunk Sebastian accidentally (and silently) vomits inside of Charles’ first floor window at Oxford. Again, another indication of their class, as Sebastian is drunk and carefree, while Charles is studying with a study group.
Those moments define what comes out of the rest of the series. You get a lot of up and down moments in their lives. You have Sebastian struggling with drinking and trying to prevent embarrassment to his family’s name. You get a wholesome friend in Charles, who falls in love with Sebastian’s family, but is still very much a commoner that stands by his friend through thick and thin. Both characters stick to their respective persona’s until the bitter end, which is remarkable. The elements that make up their characters are the elements that define the entire series. Along the way to the end, you get a lot of family drama in-between, a great love story between Charles and Sebastian’s older sister, and a tragedy.
Brideshead Revisited is a remarkable feat in filmmaking. While not everyone will fall in love with it, the fact that it sticks close to the book is what makes it great. Strong narration mixed with powerfully detailed moments create a strong story with very defined characters. There are few, if any, series out there that could compete with this much detail and well-planned story structure. It contains flawless performances, flawless storytelling and memorable moments that will have you watching it again.
Brideshead Revisited is simply put one of the best series made.
As for the Blu-ray portion of this review, for a show that was released in 1981 it certainly looks good. A lot of soft 80s colors mixed with soft, emotional shots tends to come out smelling like roses. The outdoor scenes during the flashback of the show is lit more brightly and therefore looks extremely crisp and clear. When the shows switches back to ‘present day’ Charles in the war, the lighting is darker with a grainier picture. In one hand, the harsher looking shot in present day is very representative of the emotional power that Charles is dealing with as he revisits his memories of Sebastian and Brideshead. On the other hand, the shot simply looks worse in comparison to the brighter past. Regardless, overall the Blu-ray release is pretty darn good. In comparison to major motion pictures, which have better film quality, this series really translated well for an HD upgrade. Lots of good details in faces and environments (the vomit looks positively disgusting at the beginning — thank you HD transfer), and just a very strong collection of quality from Acorn.
As for special features, it’s as loaded as Sebastian. Here’s what you’re getting:
– Revisiting Brideshead (2006 documentary)
– Commentary on four episodes
– Brideshead Remembered commentary by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg
– Photo galleries
– Outtakes
– 20-page viewer’s guide