Barbara Nicolosi at Church of the Masses has a film review which may save you some time and money: Brideshead Eviscerated. She suggests that the anti-catholic slant of the film could be compared with making an adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird" that turned out savagely racist.Here is the example she cites as the most egregious:
In the book, the Flyte family basically opposes Julia's engagement to Rex. In fact, the catchesis of the moral pygmy Rex Motram, who as a purely materialist capitalist is in Julia's words, "half a man", takes up the whole mid-point of the book. The family is seriously worried about Rex's lack of "spiritual curiosity," but Lady Marchmain respects her daughter's freedom too much to interfere in her daughter's marriage. Then, when it is discovered that Rex had been previously married and divorced, the Flyte family vigorously opposes the marriage and eventually Julia is cut off for leaving her faith to marry a divorced man.Barbara' article has plenty of quotations illustrating the anti-Christian bias of the screenwriter and asks:
In the movie, when Charles asks Julia why she married Rex she basically says that her mother forced her to do it because Rex was a rich Catholic.
Why would producers choose a writer who so completely despises the core themes of the source material to adapt them for the screen?It's a long time since I read Brideshead. Sounds as though I ought to re-familiarise myself now that the film has been released in the UK.
8 comments:
I wonder what Waugh would say of this fim adaptation of his novel ?
No, I think I can guess what he would say. It would not be complimentary.
In any case, Waugh was a master with words. I don't think his novels can be dramatised. You have to read them.
I must expore the link provided. I found the trailer for the new film massively depressing. The scriptwriter (or whatever we call him) is not just a materialist but a clear sensualist and sex-obsessive (even setting aside anti-Catholic prejudice which is patent from recent interviews). It is astonishing that anyone would want to take Waugh and so empty him of original intention and meaning. Clearly it's just an attempt to cash in on a "brand" and slyly repackage a great book the same time.
Yes, you must watch the 1980s adaptation which remains superb.
We studied the book for our Catholic Women's Book Club..glad we didn't see this new film.
There have been enough Catholic fellow travellers (aka useful idiots) cheering on the making of this film.
What about the Waugh family who presumably are supposed to control their heritage? Perhaps the cash reward was too great.
And what about a certain RC Monsignor who seemed to have been quite happy to collaborate with the director and advising the luvvies generally. His article in the Herald seems to have shown that the stars in his eyes have clouded his judgement.
It's true. I saw it and they ruined it. Brideshead is my favorite novel and they hacked it to pieces.
I have a dreadful confession to make - I read the book, and saw the film in my 20s, and never guessed till years later that Sebastian's orientation was out of the ordinary, although I managed to work out there was something odd about Anthony Blanche. I also missed the pathetic snobbery of the social climber that I now see in most of Waugh's later work, and which, on re-reading, mars my enjoyment of his incisive and inspiring grasp of the supernatural mystery of the Faith. Greene, on the other hand, was a wretched sinner who was fully aware he was a wretched sinner, and Burgess was totally bonkers! I think I'll stick to Chesterton.
What idiocy to make Rex a rich Catholic. Off with the screen writer's head. It's like letting a pig wallow in diamonds.
Evelyn Waugh's contempt for Hollywood prevented all but one of his works from being filmed during his lifetime.Waugh did allow "The Loved One" to go to Hollywood . I never could understand why he relented for this one, perhaps because this work was in itself a criticism of Hollywood.
It seems That "The Bright Young Things" of our time have not changed much since Evelyn's day.
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