The Granada people got it right in 1979 when they set out to film "Brideshead Revisited." They realized that Evelyn Waugh's great novel could not be done justice in a single film of two or even three hours. It had to be made into an extended mini-series. Thus, the great 11-part TV series of 1981 - the first and only great film version of Waugh's novel.
Yet, in 2008, BBC Films thought it was time for a remake. The result is this film adaptation. It lasts just over two hours. It skims over or skips characters. It changes the focus, and thus the story. It misses the essence of Waugh's story completely. So, it's more proper to call this a major revision - a revised story based on Waugh's novel.
Even Emma Thompson as Lady Marchmain and Michael Gambon as Lord Marchmain can't lift this revised story to an acceptable imitation. Apparently, because the story is so profound, BBC films chose to promote this as a remake of the TV series from Waugh' great novel. That being the case, one is led naturally to comparison. Thus, this film fails.
Still, for some fair acting by the cast, I give it five stars as though it were a different story entirely. After all, the cast can't be held accountable for the plot. Although Thompson's almost muted performance hints that she may realize she's in a far inferior work that has borrowed a great title.
