Brideshead Revisited – Standard/25th
Anniversary Editions
(British Mini-series)
Picture: B-
Sound: C+ Extras: C+/B Episodes: B
Adapting literature into the film medium is not easy, but
when it is done right, it can be a massive achievement. One of the few TV mini-series that exemplifies
that inarguably is of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited, with a
production that was plagued with a strike, a change of directors and very last
minute casting and scripting points. You
would never know it from how extremely well the eleven episodes flow,
especially from this particular DVD set, one of the most ambitious and
successful restorations of any TV program in the format since the original episodes of The
Avengers arrived early in the format’s history. So successful in fact that Acorn Media has
issued a second upgraded 25th
Anniversary Edition with more goodies, but first, the series.
The story
is an epic telling of a pre-World War II friendship between two men, who meet
under circumstances of great wealthy. It
is the world of Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews) that Charles Ryder (Jeremy
Irons) suddenly becomes a part of. The
two bond as friends very quickly and that locks the motivations and journeys of
both life paths henceforth, no matter what.
This includes reflections on faith and choices of faith, but
that never becomes preachy, obnoxious, or populist, a great testament to the
intelligence of this work.
Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, Michael Gough, Diana
Quick, Nickolas Grace, and John Gielgud
are among the name guest stars, but this is a solidly cast work that is one of
the deservedly most legendary of all British TV mini-series still ever
produced. The location shooting and the
fact that this was all filmed only add to its richness. Though first broadcast in 1981, only the
monophonic sound and more known actors give away the true age of the
production. Director Michael
Lindsay-Hogg, best know for so many key Rock Music films, started the project,
but a TV strike and other commitments that occurred afterwards led to him being
succeeded by Charles Sturridge, who did a stunning job finishing what
Lindsay-Hogg and Waugh began.
Though the shows take their time in telling the story,
this remarkably never drags in any part, which is not easy. Nothing ever gets overly sentimental or
melodramatic, and the characters are drawn out in three-dimensions all over the
place. The result is that you feel
transported. It is the kind of work,
especially in a DVD set this fine, that will get people who never read the book
to read it, and those who have to reread it.
The full frame 1.33 X 1 image is remarkably good, coming
from the original camera materials, something not done since the original
broadcast copies were put on old, dated and obsolete analog videotape or even
projected into a device that put a watered-down version of the filmed image
over the air. The painstaking way the
film has been retransferred and color timed is so good, it is technically fair
to say that this is a more authentic debut for the work than when it was first
broadcast over two decades ago. There
are only minor detail issues, but thanks to this huge step up, an HD version
will be easier to make. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 is a new stereo-upgraded version that sounds good, is clean and has
surprisingly low distortion for a production that is monophonic, especially
from its time, and even more especially from television. The stereo never sounds phony. The resulting combination lays low all
previous versions of this production and can certainly go a few rounds with any
other full screen such production on DVD to date. There is some odd digititis in some dark
scenes, which is really the telecine transfer trying to deal with grain, but it
is the only flaw in otherwise truly pristine playback. I really want to see this when a High
definition version becomes available, but the cinematography by Ray Goode from
16mm film shines in this set greatly just the same. The performance is the same in the new set.
Extras from the original set include a fine booklet inside
the DVD case with a letter from Sturridge, cast and crew information, a brief
piece on Waugh’s life, synopsis of each episode, and a great piece on the
shooting locations. DVD 1 was the only
disc with any extras, offering location photos on top of production notes by
production Manager Craig McNeil, expanded details on the cast and crew that
would not fit in the booklet (biography and filmography information), a special
captioned stills section all on Castle Howard and text on how the DVD was
produced with details on the new transfer.
This all carried over to the new set.
The new extras for the 25th Anniversary set include a 50-minutes-long
documentary, outtakes and two new audio commentary tracks. Irons, Quick and Grace discuss the series on
the first show, while Andrews and writer/producer Derek Granger talk on the
fourth show. These are welcome additions
that place this set of the show above the previous box set and show the restoration
work went over very well, well enough to make the classic have a second wave of
interest. Though few TV shows are as
legendary as Brideshead Revisited, as much television as possible needs
this kind of upgraded treatment.
- Nicholas Sheffo
