If it’s true that you can tell a good novel by how many times it’s been adapted onto the screen (is it true?), then Brideshead Revisited is a pretty darn good novel.
Let’s take a look at the two most famous adaptions of Waugh’s novel.
In 1981, Brideshead Revisited was adapted into an 11-episode serial for the ITV network. The mini-series starred a young Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews, and Diana Quick. This was no small deal. The British Film institute placed this serial 10th on its list of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes. Time Magazine listed it as one of the best 100 TV shows of all time, and The Guardian said it was one of the best 50 TV dramas of all time.
Here’s a peek:
Twenty-seven years later, Brideshead Revisited was adapted into a feature film starring Emma Thompson and Matthew Goode. The film received mixed reviews. Roger Ebert said “While elegantly mounted and well acted, the movie is not the equal of the TV production, in part because so much material had to be compressed into such a shorter time.” Variety called it “finely wrought,” and The San Francisco Chronicle said it was a “very noble movie.”
Here’s the official trailer from 2008:
Of the two, it sounds like the 1981 mini-series was better, though the scenery and filmography in both look beautiful. Look at that house!
Have any of you watched these two adaptions? Thoughts?
