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New "Brideshead Revisited" film opening 7/25/08 (spoilers)
Aloysius J. Gleek:
--- Quote from: louise van hine on July 22, 2008, 08:52:50 pm -----I found the book tedious and the series even moreso. I think the reason I did was because it seemed that Waugh was spending way too much time avoiding coming out and telling the reader that Sebastian was GAY GAY GAY, and I lost patience with it. And the series was just as coy as the book in doing the same thing--So I don't think i'll be going to the movies for this one!!
--- End quote ---
I will say on Evelyn Waugh's behalf (not that he needs it), that Waugh, ultra-conservative reactionary, snob, something of a monster, was never coy. In the upperclass hothouse of Oxford, Homosexuality with a capital 'H' was, shall we say, assumed.
Sebastian (Waugh's creation) is obviously gay. He is a seriously determined alcoholic. But he is also, literally, a living saint. And Waugh, scathingly, mordantly funny about everything else, is serious about God, religion, and the reality of living saints.
Brideshead may not be your cup of tea, which is valid. In any case, definitely do not see the new film as it is clearly bad. But the book is not tedious--it is not very long, and it is often quite slyly funny. The Granada series is long (it needs it be), but it is not tedious either--it is slow and sumptuous and elegaic. A jewel, in fact. A piece of art.
Aloysius J. Gleek:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Meadow_Building
The Meadow Buildings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Meadow Building (known as "Meadows" to undergraduates) is part of Christ Church, Oxford, England, looking out onto Christ Church Meadow. It was built in 1863 to the designs of Sir Thomas Deane in the Venetian style (favoured by the famous Christ Church art historian John Ruskin). Single rooms in the Meadow Building look out over either the college or the Christ Church Meadow, although originally, college undergraduates would be given a suite of rooms with views overlooking both sides. Recent building work has converted most of these rooms to ensuite while leaving one staircase, which is primarily non-residential, as was.
When it was first built, the relative distance of the Meadow Building from the more fashionable Peckwater and Canterbury Quads meant that it was considered the least desirable accommodation in college.
Literary references
"So I found myself installed in delightfully spacious rooms within the Victorian wing of an elegant Tudor college, with the beauty of the Christ Church Meadow spread panoramically on the other side of my window panes. The Meadows block was more tranquil in spirit than the rowdier atmosphere of Peckwater." The Marquess of Bath refers to the college in 1953, Strictly Private (2001)
"I discovered the huge and ungainly pile of Ruskinian Gothic known as Meadow Building, where I would be spending the next two years. […] Blissfully ignorant of the social geography of the House, I did not realize that I had been relegated to the furthest outpost of the college demesne. From the lofty vantage point of the Old Etonians and Old Harrovians who lived in Peckwater and Canterbury I might just as well have been relegated to Siberia. My sitting room lay on the top floor of the last entry in Meadow Building." L Perry Curtis refers to the college in 1955, Christ Church Matters (2005)
"Sebastian lived at Christ Church, high in Meadow Buildings. He was alone when I came, peeling a plover's egg taken from the large nest of moss in the centre of the table." Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh (1945)
southendmd:
Some IMDb trivia regarding the original TV series:
Originally, producer Derek Granger asked Anthony Andrews to play the role of Charles Ryder. Andrews, however, felt he was better suited for the part of Sebastian Flyte. Jeremy Irons, Granger's first choice for Sebastian, preferred to play Ryder, so the two actors swapped roles.
The ship in the storm scenes is actually unused footage from The Poseidon Adventure (1972). [edit: this seems like a joke.]
Laurence Olivier was offered his choice of roles in either Lord Marchmain or Edward Ryder (which ultimately went to John Gielgud). Olivier picked Lord Marchmain, but later regretted the choice as he realized that Edward Ryder was actually a much stronger role.
Sebastian's teddy bear, Aloysius, was based on a real one called Archie which belonged to John Betjeman, one of Evelyn Waugh's friends from his days at Oxford university.
***
Also, I remember hearing, perhaps on the DVD extras, that because of a lengthy tech strike, filming was considerably delayed. It was during that time that Laurence Olivier and Claire Bloom became available. Also, the script was re-thought: rather than the original 6-hour length, it was decided to essentially film the whole story, all 13 hours. I believe this was when they included Charles's voice-over, essentially verbatim from the novel.
southendmd:
Just like Charles, I find myself recalling my very first viewing of "Brideshead Revisited".
Just having come out, and fallen in love, winter 1982, I was home from college for the weekend, freshman year. Generally bored, I turned on the TV, a little black-and-white set in the kitchen, and was dumbstruck.
There, I saw two very handsome young men walking in a garden, arm in arm. I was hooked, not even knowing what it was. Consulting the TV guide, I saw that it was being repeated later that evening, so I watched it from the start. The language, the visuals, the performances. Ahh.
As I didn't own a TV in college, I had to scramble every Monday night to borrow one. To my surprise, my straight roommate even got caught up and wanted to watch it with me. "Is your show on tonight?" he'd say.
My bf even got a teddy bear he called "Ignatius". LOL.
In those days, I had hoped for a happy ending for Charles and Sebastian. :(
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: jmmgallagher on July 22, 2008, 11:19:48 pm ---Brideshead may not be your cup of tea, which is valid. In any case, definitely do not see the new film as it is clearly bad. But the book is not tedious--it is not very long, and it is often quite slyly funny. The Granada series is long (it needs it be), but it is not tedious either--it is slow and sumptuous and elegaic. A jewel, in fact. A piece of art.
--- End quote ---
I'm afraid it's not my cup of Earl Grey either, none of it. While I can appreciate, intellectually and in the abstract, what a work of art the old series is, and despite being the Anglophile that I am, I find that whole British-aristocracy-between-the-wars scene crashingly boring. And characters with names like Flyte and Marchmain make me want to leave the room.
However, thanks to Paul's post referencing A Separate Peace, I got to wondering, Who is John Heyl? I'd never heard of him, but just look at him in that photo with Parker Stevenson! Unfortunately, all ImDB has on him is the one reference to A Separate Peace. No biographical information, nothing. I shall have to do a Google search, I guess.
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