‘Brideshead Revisited’ Like a Painting

By TODD FORD

“I hear they took a lot of things out and changed everything. I’ll probably hate this.” Those worried remarks were uttered by a woman seated behind me as I settled in to watch “Brideshead Revisited.” I soon realized that her worst fears were likely coming true, and that I was going to have a great time.

Most films offer a key around the 15-minute mark, often some bit of dialogue, usually buried under some innocuous-seeming exposition.

In “Brideshead Revisited,” the main character, Charles Ryder, an artist, is asked why he bothers with paintings when he could simply take a photograph. He replies that a camera is merely a mechanical device, impersonal. With a painting – however imperfect it may be – one can interpret the subject as well as usher forth otherwise hidden emotions.

This is director Julian Jarrold’s sly way of stating his intent with his adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 classic British novel. His aims were to interpret, and in his own imperfect way, delve into what emotionally drew him to the book. One might say that, if the reverent 1981 television miniseries was a photograph of the novel, Jarrold’s movie is a painting.

Obviously, I have a liberal view of the art of adaptation. I had my tongue firmly in cheek when I suggested the title for the Mandan Library’s book-film series, “But the Book was Better.”

In the case of “Brideshead Revisited,” the book belongs to Waugh, the movie to Jarrold. Each had his own ideas to express and emotions to explore. Each work is its own animal, two closely related but different species.

I haven’t read the book. Observing the shape and focus of Jarrold’s movie raised some suspicions though that the movie may be charting a different course. Those suspicions were largely confirmed later by a quick Internet search.

The movie focuses on Charles’ romantic affairs with a brother and sister, Sebastian and Julia Flyte, both set aflame by shared kisses in romantic locales, a nice bit of symmetry.

It is Charles’ kiss with Julia by the canals, accidentally observed by Sebastian, which brings death to the first affair in the city of Venice. Sebastian then slips into a drunken depression and winds up alone in Morocco to later be visited by Charles.

Openly gay content – something I had not expected was at the forefront. And now two episodes alluding to touchstones of gay cinema – “Death in Venice” and the Moroccan interlude from “Fox and His Friends” – have been given ample screen time.

Thus, it came as no surprise when I learned that Waugh’s book contained no overt gay subject matter – Charles and Sebastian are just close friends. This new dimension is Jarrold providing his interpretation along with a fresh set of ideas and emotions.

I never got into “Masterpiece Theater” or the Merchant/Ivory productions like “Howard’s End.” They always seemed too stuffy. But this “Brideshead Revisited” is different.

It has messiness about it. Characters are allowed to stutter and stumble and vomit. Emma Thompson gets to shed a tear. Romantic moments are repeatedly punctuated by the lighting of cigarettes, the smoke swirling about and embracing the love-smitten.

The whole screen sparkles with dancing reflections from the Venice waters during Charles and Julia’s first romantic encounter. And the final shot stunningly transforms Charles into the image of a candle flame by drifting out of focus as he walks away.

Maybe these are some of those beautiful imperfections that make paintings so preferable to photographs in Charles’ mind.

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content. Best leave the kids at home.

(Todd Ford lives in Mandan and has been a core member of the Cinema 100 Film Society since 1993. His movie passions date back to 1971 and a highly memorable viewing of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”)

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