Product: Brideshead Revisited [VHS] (1982)
Rating: 5.0
One of my favorites.
Brideshead Revisited is one of my very favorite things to watch. When watching other period films, I often compare them to Brideshead. Brideshead is always better than whatever I'm comparing it to. I like it because it has really beautiful social nuances. The relationships between the characters are complex and they change over time in a very real and deeply moving way. I tend to feel as if I am a fly on the wall, watching real moments unfold infront of me on the screen (although the reality is found in the emotions, not the actual words or behaviors). The underlying theme of the story (in my opinion, anyway) is love. However, this film is not a "happily ever after" love story. It depicts the bloom, brilliance, and withering of deep love. The main character's love grows, dies, and transforms throughout the his involvement with the Brideshead family. He faces challenges that cause him, in the end, to choose between "the right thing to do" and the thing he wants to do. It is the choice between his loyalty to love and his moral conscience (for example, should he indulge Sebastien's alcholism, thereby preserving their relationship; or should he help Sebastien's family in their efforts to control the alcohlism, thereby causing Sebastien to pull away from him?). There is deep symbolism represented by the struggle, mainly concerning Christianity and the social structure of old Britain (at least, this is my view of the symbolism). I think that this film is enjoyable and meaningful, and anyone who likes good, long films about love and society will probably be glad to watch it.