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Actor Matthew Goode
Actor Matthew Goode
Movies Coming Soon: Brideshead Revisited
August 03, 2008
by
findingDulcinea Staff
In 1982, PBS suddenly became a very cool place to be. That was the year that the miniseries “Brideshead Revisited” premiered to much fanfare on oft-neglected public television, and launched the craze of adapting English novels for the large and small screen. Miramax is releasing its feature-length film version of the novel on July 25. Can this 100-minute film capture all of the beauty and decadence of Waugh’s novel or the beloved 11-hour miniseries?
“Brideshead Revisited,” directed by Julian Jarrold (“Kinky Boots,” “Becoming Jane”) stars Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon as Lady and Lord Marchmain, the exceedingly wealthy and Catholic parents of Sebastian and Julia Flyte, the self-described heathens with whom Charles Ryder (played by Matthew Goode) has back-to-back affairs … of the heart. Waugh’s novel, set mostly in flashback amongst the monied class of 1920s and ’30s Britain, deals with the eventual disintegration of privilege, so expect plenty of great costumes and prodigious alcohol consumption.
Source: Brideshead Revisited Official Web site
When Waugh first published the novel in 1945, it was immediately regarded as a mature departure from his previously published works, which were largely comic or satiric in nature. Today, “Brideshead Revisited” is considered his masterwork. For two different but very illuminating views on Waugh’s work, first read the original 1945 New York Times review written by John K. Hutchens. Follow up with this 1954 article in The Atlantic Monthly, which provides a comprehensive and critical overview of Waugh’s oeuvre.
The 1981 production of “Brideshead Revisited,” available on DVD, pretty much set the bar for all miniseries to come. It also paved the way for the entire Merchant-Ivory costume drama movement. Never saw the original miniseries? Movie Review Query Engine has compiled a list of reviews of the 1981 production, which starred Jeremy Irons, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Claire Bloom.
Source: Movie Review Query Engine
Matthew Goode plays Charles Ryder, the class-hopping narrator of the story, who infiltrates Brideshead. Initially, he befriends Sebastian, and then has a brief affair with Sebastian’s sister Julia. In a bit of an ironic casting twist, Goode played the duped brother role in Woody Allen’s English drama “Match Point.” In that film, Jonathan Rhys Meyers played the class-hopping outsider with designs on Goode’s sister. Goode was named one of four summer movie “scene stealers” (along with Mary Kate Olsen!) in a recent New York Times audio feature. Listen to Karen Durbin’s commentary, or read the related article on all four actors.
Source: New York Times
Emma Thompson trivia time: Ms. Thompson is the only person to win an Oscar for Best Screenplay (“Sense and Sensibility”) and Best Actress (for role as Margaret Schlegel in “Howard’s End.”) TV.com offers both trivia about and a full-fledged bio of Emma Thompson. Or if you prefer to get your celebrity fix in shorter bursts, you can read Thompson’s answers to Vanity Fair’s “Proust Questionnaire.”
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
