Emma Thompson

Blu-Ray Round Up, Nov. 5, 2009: ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Plan,’ ‘Love Actually’

BrianTT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:07:28 -0700

CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray Round Up is back with two HD music releases, a beloved holiday movie from a director with a new comedy on the horizon (Richard Curtis, “Pirate Radio”), and a release that’s a must-own for fans of one of the most popular shows of the ’00s. This informative column is designed to let you know synopsis, technical specs, and features for titles that may have slipped under your radar. Pick your favorite.

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009” and “Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live At Red Rocks” were released on October 13th, 2009.

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” was released on October 27th, 2009.

“Love Actually” was released on November 3rd, 2009.

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan”

Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis: “The Cylons began as humanity’s robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.”

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” stars Edward James Olmos, Dead Stockwell, Michael Trucco, Grace Park, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Callum Keith Rennie, Rick Worthy, Lymari Nadal, and Tricia Helfer. It was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos. The film runs 112 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by aan English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include “From Admiral to Director: Edward James Olmos and The Plan,” “The Cylons of The Plan,” “The Cylon Attack,” “Visual Effects: The Magic Behind The Plan,” Deleted Scenes, and Commentary with Director/Actor Edward James Olmos and Executive Producer/Writer Jane Espenson.

“Love Actually”

Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Synopsis: “”Get Ready for Fun!” (Leah Rozen, People) with the “feel good movie of the year!” (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood) Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy from the makers of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill. Funny, irresistible and heartwarming, an all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, to name a few!) will take you on a breathtaking tour of love’s delightful twists and turns. Fall under the spell of Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again.”

“Love Actually” stars Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Martine McCutcheon, and Rowan Atkinson. It was written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film runs 135 minutes and is rated R. It is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include Deleted Scenes, “The Music of Love Actually,” Kelly Clarkson “The Trouble With Love Is” Music Video, Billy Mack “Christmas is All Around” Music Video, “The Storytellers,” and Feature Commentary with Director Richard Curtis and Actors Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, and Thomas Sangster.

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009”

Photo credit: E1 Entertainment

Synopsis: “Bikes! Babes! Bands! Join Nickelback as they take the stage in front of 35,000 screaming fans at the world-famous Sturgis “Rockin’ The Rally” show. Shot in glorious high definition, Nickelback Live At Sturgis 2006 is the definitive Nickelback live Blu-ray. Featuring 12 of the hard-rockin’ band’s fan favorites and a behind the scenes glimpse of life on the road for one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Nickelback Live At Sturgis captures the band firing on all cylinders and blowing the sold-out crowd away! Tracks include: Animals, Woke Up This Morning, Photograph, Because of You, Far Away, Curb Medley, Never Again, Savin’ Me, Someday, Side of a Bullet, Drum Solo, How You Remind Me Too Bad, Figured You Out.”

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009” was directed by Daniel E. Catullo III. The film runs 65 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.

Special features include “Behind-the-Scenes with Nickelback,” Photo Gallery, “Sturgis 101 Vignette,” and “Rockstar” Video.

“Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live at Red Rocks”

Photo credit: E1 Entertainment

Synopsis: “The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado a legendary venue that has been graced by rock luminaries from The Beatles to U2 provides the awe-inspiring backdrop for Rob Thomas in one of the most memorable stops on his Something To Be Tour. Featuring the multi-platinum recording artist performing 18 hits from both Matchbox Twenty and his solo career, this incredible set also includes a special acoustic arrangement of “Smooth” and a cover of the David Bowie classic “Let¹s Dance.” Tracks include: Something To Be, Fallin’ To Pieces, If You’re Gone, When The Heartache Ends, Ever The Same, Not Just A Woman, 3 AM, You Won’t Be Mine, The Difference, Bent, Problems Girl, Let’s Dance, Lonely No More, I Am An Illusion, Now Comes The Night, Smooth, You Know Me, This Is How A Heart Breaks.”

“Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live at Red Rocks” was directed by Joe Thomas. The film runs 95 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track.

Special features include a bonus “Streetcorner Symphony” video.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Character Study With ‘An Education’ Director Lone Scherfig

PatrickMcD — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:50:56 -0600

CHICAGO – In the new coming-of-age film, “An Education,” director Lone Scherfig creates a different time (the early 1960s) and place (middle class England) to tell the story of a teenage girl’s conflict between her academic life and older man lover.

Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is an English schoolgirl in 1962, right at the edge of the coming revolution. She is working hard to get into Oxford, through the ardent wishes of her father (Alfred Molina). When a chance meeting with a older man (Peter Sarsgaard) begins to derail her advancements, she get an education that can never be taught in books.

Between Girl and Woman: Carey Mulligan as Jenny in ‘An Education’
Photo credit: Kerry Brown for Sony Pictures Classics

HollywoodChicago got the chance to interview the director of An Education, Lone Scherfig. She spoke about film’s theme of the transitional life in teenage girls, the relationship between class and education, plus working as a Scandinavian director within the stricture of Great Britain.

HollywoodChicago: When you were developing the story and feel of “An Education,” what thoughts came to mind about your own transition from girl to woman? How did you relate to the main character Jenny?

Lone Scherfig: I think related to her and understood her falling for David. I understand living within a family constellation, my parents were similar, and there was something about it that I could identify in her appetite for films, music and books. The age when I was her age, though, was much more liberated, easier and the country I come from has much less of a class system. So she has problems that I’ve never encountered.

HC: How did you or an outside consultant prepare Carey Mulligan to be a girl in England in 1962, which seemed on the edge of all breakthroughs to the Swinging 1960s?

LS: Carey and I did that, we wouldn’t ask anybody else. The talks about where the actors find the character and where I would try to make the period real for her was something I’d lived through but she hadn’t. It is a way of beginning a conversation that is light, important and packed with information. Then when you come down to shooting there is a based of references, then it is about emotion, not just information.

I made boards for all the main characters with pictures I felt were relevant for each character. The art department, costume department and make-up also had many pictures. We played music, because I wanted the cast members who were too young to have known the period to get to know it, be comfortable in it and be inspired by it.

HC: Besides putting on an accent, what kind of native or cultural preparation did Peter Sarsgaard do in preparation for David?

LS: Peter has spent time in London before, and in a way getting the accent is getting the character. British actors access material that way. They wouldn’t ask about a character’s childhood or social background, but what the dialect is. From then on they can find the character. It’s one way of working that I don’t see in any other country.

The producers hired Peter and it was one more reason that I really wanted the job, because I think Peter is a phenomenal actor.

I read the story story that the film is based on again recently and the author writes something about her David, the real David, had a phony accent and it is his way of being posh.
Something that was put on and made him a bit of an outsider. She found that deadly attractive. So it works that Peter has a put-on accent.

Peter Sarsgaard as David in ‘An Education’
Photo credit: Kerry Brown for Sony Pictures Classics

HC: The pursuit of Jenny by David highlights the predatory nature that women have to deal with in men of all ages. Was your film an indictment of that kind of age gap, considering the result of the relationship, or was it just part of the circumstance of being an attractive and desired woman?

LS: We made an effort to make her responsible for what happened as well. She is not just a victim, she is the one often pushing the gas pedal. She is the one who leans over to kiss him, she is the one that wants to wait for sex until she is 17, which implies she will sleep with him in the very near future.

Technically she is the victim, because he is so much older than she is, but she is seducing him as well. It makes it more complex and layered that he is not sure he wants to see her again. But if you look at the story from him point of view, he is being seduced as well.

HC: What kind of spotlight did you want to shine on the class system in England that plays in the background at the time, when you told Jenny’s story?

LS: It’s about education, but that in many ways equals class in England. It is a strong class system and because her mother doesn’t have an education she can’t help Jenny, in the way she probably needs it. And because Jenny’s father doesn’t have any education as well, it’s possible for someone like David to come in and steal her.

Also looking at the character of Helen, sort of a dumb blonde in the story, she can lead a fantastic life but she is so dependent on her looks and other people. All of the characters are defined by how much education they have, and means it defines their place in the class system, it still does. More than in the U.S. and definitely more than my native Denmark.

HC: Despite the film being set over 40 years ago, what issues do you feel are still apparent for women as they try to navigate the social, economic and sexual issues of transitioning into adulthood?

LS: The film is a bit of a time machine, and I say thank God some of it is not relevant anymore. What attracted me to the film is not about this is an important story to tell today. But I do think it is nuanced. And I do think the discussion of values that is in all Nick Hornby’s [the screenwriter] work and about the way that the love for these characters are shared with the audience, that is a moral act. That gives the film a certain value, but if I wanted to make a film about how it is to be a young girl today, I should have picked a different story.

I think it does compete, though, with whatever is out there in the film market for my daughter, sister or mother, they would recognize themselves in this film than an ordinary romantic comedy.

HC: Even though the character of Helen plays rather dim in contrast to Jenny, I detected a note of sympathy for her. What do you like about Helen and where do you think she’ll end up?

LS: We talked about that, Rosamund [Pike, who played Helen] and I. These are real people. We don’t know where the real Helen is today. We know where Danny [her boyfriend] is, we know where David and Jenny are, but Helen we don’t know. So we made up a back story for her and what will happen to her.

We are entering this little moment in her life where she is at her most beautiful and she has the best place to live. We care a lot for her. We wanted to give her taste and style. I think it’s really cool that she looks sophisticated and intelligent, but then when she starts talking you think ‘oh my God.’

She is warm and erotic, we wanted that because we wanted Jenny to look at her and Danny, and realize that someone in this group of characters has a proper sex life. That was Helen and Danny.

In some ways she is a role model, but she is fragile because she doesn’t have an education. Probably today she is sorting out those things, those dresses she had from an earlier era.

Director Lone Scherfig in Chicago, October 13, 2009.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

HC: Despite being very young, Jenny seems to have a sexual sophistication older than her years – in fact displaying more maturity regarding losing her virginity than David. What did you want to reveal about a girl’s relationship to her own sexuality in that scenario era and interplay?

LS: That comes from the original memoir. Lynn [Barber, the author] was like that. There is a photo taken of her a few years after this story, where she is really a femme fatale. Her love for France and her general appetite desire for books, films and men is all in her character.

It suits the film that Carey Mulligan is more poised and sophisticated, that’s how we decided to make her. That is a casting thing. And that is how Carey is, I didn’t want to push her into a direction where she was more aggressive in her approach to the things that she wants.

HC: A girl’s relationship to her father is a highly actualized theme in An Education. Do you think the roots of Jenny’s willingness to engage with the older David are embedded in her relationship with her father?

LS: Yes I do. No one has asked me that question before. I think if you grow up with a man like Jack, someone like Graham, her young beau, would be boring. I think why many young girls are attracted to men older than themselves is that they are more mature and you want to be with someone who knows something that you don’t. The love she has for David and the reason she doesn’t ask questions, she wants the mystique and worldliness.

She says at the end of the film, with her boyfriends, that they are all boys. She wanted to have someone who reflects how life is seen from the other gender, rather than someone that offers you an entrance into the future that you have been program to go towards. In a way, it’s a sense of immaturity that you need someone to take you somewhere. But the world is so appealing, that if you take some detours, you would want to.

HC: The contrast between Jenny’s life with David vs. a potential life like Miss Stubbs – her teacher – was highlighted well. Was it women like Ms. Stubbs, and to a lesser degree the Headmaster character, that kept the hope for different opportunities for women that flowered in the post war era? Did you have a Ms. Stubbs in your life?

LS: It could have been. I think Ms. Stubbs is more from Nick Hornby’s life than mine. The good teacher that is important for your life, especially when you come from a home where they can’t help you. My mother was a headmaster, but she not at all like Emma Thompson. So if I needed that type of advice, I’d go home, not to school. And because of that, there was never a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t have an education.

HC: Finally, you are a Scandinavian director guiding a mostly British cast. What are the major differences and similarities between Scandinavian and British cultural sensibilities?

LS: The class system, that is the main difference. In England, you take it for granted that you can be world champions, because in many ways you are. We don’t have that in Denmark. It is much more modest. We’re not as polite. I’ve run into conflicts again and again because I am not afraid of the British. The English thing is to avoid conflicts and tackle things with dignity. That is something I have to learn.

But it is a great place for a director because everyone around you sets such high standards for themselves. They are brilliant at their work because they are ambitious and the actors don’t see themselves as stars, they see themselves as serving the writer and the production. Working in a country where people have so much more at stake in what they do, produces better scripts and better actors.

”An Education” has a limited release October 23rd, 2009. Featuring Carey Mulligan, Peter Saarsgard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Emma Thompson and Dominic Cooper, directed by Lone Scherfig Rated “PG-13”

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

DVD Review: Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman Shine in ‘Last Chance Harvey’

BrianTT — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:11:47 -0600

CHICAGO – Most audiences missed one of the most charming romantic comedies of the last year during the holiday rush and the start of the new year. Joel Hopkins’ “Last Chance Harvey” isn’t perfect but it’s a surprisingly effective heart-tugger, anchored by fantastic performances from its Oscar-winning stars, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Catch up on DVD.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Last Chance Harvey” is a simple, gentle movie that doesn’t really do anything remarkable but features two performances so good that they will justify at least a rental for nearly any viewer and get them over the relatively generic screenplay. It’s an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser, a totally satisfying rental on a Saturday night.

Last Chance Harvey was released on DVD on May 5th, 2009.
Photo credit: Overture Films

Featuring Dustin Hoffman’s best work in at least a decade and a delightful turn from the always-great Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey” doesn’t break the mold or even stretch it at all but it is completely satisfying in a familiarly romantic way. Not everything needs to be new. There’s something to be said about doing an old-fashioned genre like the romantic comedy well. It’s almost refreshing.

Harvey Shine (Hoffman) is a composer for commercials who is caught in a life-changing few days as his career could be at an end and his daughter (Liane Balaban) is about to get married. He’s running out of chances in every way - professionally and personally. Harvey is a quiet, sad man coming to terms with some regretful decisions, including the distance between him and his daughter, a young lady closer to not just her birth mother (Kathy Baker) but her stepfather (James Brolin).

Last Chance Harvey was released on DVD on May 5th, 2009.
Photo credit: Overture Films/Anchor Bay

Harvey is in London for his daughter’s wedding when he stumbles across Kate (Emma Thompson). Their first encounter is unremarkable but the second, as Harvey drowns his sorrows in an airport bar, produces instant chemistry and instant entertainment. Watching these two great actors play a gentle, old-fashioned game of cinematic romance is delightful, especially when one considers the typically unlikable cads who make up supposedly romantic comedies of today. It’s easy to root for Kate and Harvey.

To be fair, there’s so little to the screenplay for “Harvey” that one has to wonder if it would have worked at all without two Oscar winners in the lead roles. The characters outside of the lead duo also feel a bit too much like plot devices. But Thompson and Hoffman alone make “Last Chance Harvey” worth seeing. We may have seen this kind of film before but it’s still great to see it done this well.

“Last Chance Harvey” is presented in both anamorphic widescreen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and in its full-frame presentation on a two-disc set. It’s rare to see two discs for the widescreen and full-frame version in one box, but Anchor Bay is not a traditional company. They do things a bit different. Please watch the widescreen. Even for a movie like this one. The audio is service-able in Dolby Surround 5.1.

Special features on “Last Chance Harvey” include a commentary by writer/director Joel Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson, the trailer, and “An Unconventional Love Story: The Making of Last Chance Harvey”. Any time you can get two Oscar winners on a commentary track, you should take a chance to listen to it. These are talented people with something to say and their involvement in a DVD commentary is rare.

‘Last Chance Harvey’ is released by Anchor Bay Home Video and stars Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, Kathy Baker, James Brolin, and Richard Schiff. It was written and directed by Joel Hopkins. The film was released on May 5th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

DVD Review: New Version of ‘Brideshead Revisited’ Worth a Look

BrianTT — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:17:06 -0700

CHICAGO – The BBC mini-series adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited” is so beloved that the new version with Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell, Ben Whishaw, Emma Thompson, and Michael Gambon was doomed from the beginning. Miramax has done the filmmakers a disservice by releasing their work only on standard DVD, but fans of period pieces or classic literature should give Julian Jarrold’s film a chance.

The most successful thing about “Brideshead Revisited,” besides excellent supporting performances by Thompson and Gambon, is the design. For a budget reportedly under $20 million, there are some significant accomplishments in the film worth seeing and, while it looks good on DVD, Julian Jarrold’s film is the kind that’s made for the HD of Blu-Ray. It’s shameful that it won’t be seen on that format, at least not initially.

Brideshead Revisited is released by Miramax/Walt Disney on January 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Miramax

As for the film itself, “Brideshead Revisited” is not as perfect as the mini-series but it does enough right with such a daunting task and low budget that it becomes easy to overlook its flaws.

Matthew Goode (“The Lookout”) is perfectly cast in the daunting role of Charles Ryder, a sometimes cold, hard-to-read character from the Evelyn Waugh classic. Charles is a straight man in a story of over-the-top characters, a fellow caught in a triangle of love and class issues.

Brideshead Revisited is released by Miramax/Walt Disney on January 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures Home Video

Ryder becomes entrances with the Marchmain family, first becoming close friends with the very tormented Sebastian (Ben Whishaw) and then meeting his beautiful sister Julia. Charles purportedly falls for Julia but Sebastian falls for Charles. The man in the middle faces even more problems with the matriarch of the family brings class and religious issues to the forefront. “Brideshead Revisited” is a story of a country going through massive changes between the World Wars.

Screenwriters Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock were tasked with compressing the classic novel into just over two hours and the results clearly aggravated purists around the world. If you believe classic literature is sacred and should not be altered, avoid the new “Brideshead Revisited,” but this could have just been a Cliffs Notes version of the book and it’s more than that.

Thompson and Gambon take turn stealing scenes and the film is worth seeing just for their work. As for the three leads, the polite thing to say might be that these challenging roles were a bit outside of their reach. Goode fares the best, but neither Atwell nor Whishaw feel like they really connect with their characters.

Despite that, there’s so much greatness in Waugh’s novel that what remains in this new version of “Brideshead Revisited” is worth seeing even if just for the strength of its source. If only we could see it in Blu-Ray, as all movies, especially ones with period design this detailed, should be available.

“Brideshead Revisited” on DVD is presented in the film’s original 2.40:1 aspect ratio and with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track. Special features include deleted scenes, filmmakers’ audio commentary, and “The World of Brideshead” featurette. It’s not an exhaustive collection of extras but does provide all the information that fans of the film would probably need. No one’s looking for a “Brideshead” gag reel.

‘Brideshead Revisited’ is released by Walt Disney Pictures Home Video and stars Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell, Emma Thompson, and Michael Gambon. It was written by Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock and directed by Julian Jarrold. It will be released on January 13th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Matthew Goode Focuses on Inner Challenges in New Film ‘Brideshead Revisited’

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:02:37 -0600

CHICAGO – The celebrated Evelyn Waugh novel and 1981 BBC miniseries “Brideshead Revisited” have put the unusually titled story into cultural consciousness. Beloved by readers for years, the adapted miniseries brought the popular characters to life and further cemented the epic and literary journey of class awareness, star-crossed love and fine estates.

The latest adaptation is a truncated film version that stars Matthew Goode as main protagonist Charles Ryder. HollywoodChicago.com recently interviewed Goode on the task of fulfilling the expectations of the much-loved work.

Actor Matthew Goode for “Brideshead Revisited” in Chicago on July 10, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Emma Thompson as Lady Marchmain in “Brideshead Revisited”.
Photo credit: Nicola Dove/Miramax Films

“Charles has definitely been my biggest acting challenge so far,” Goode said. “I was very scared because the elephant in the room is the miniseries adaptation and Jeremy Irons’ performance in it. That is a bit of a burden. But because of the script and the people involved, it actually became an easy decision to take the part.”

Charles Ryder is an introverted, middle-class artist who gets the opportunity to attend a prestigious men’s college in England.

While there, he gets swept up into an outsider group of individuals led by a precocious fop named Sebastian (Ben Whishaw). The estate that Sebastian’s family owns is called Brideshead and it’s anchored by a stunning mansion of magnificent size and beauty.

Charles is taken in by both the estate and the family along with the free-spirited daughter Julia (Hayley Atwell).

Goode explained the difficulties of playing the internal Charles without the device of hearing what he was thinking as in the miniseries: “I didn’t have the benefit of a voice-over in this adaptation to explain my thoughts. In the initial reading of the script, I thought the character of Charles came across quite cold.”

“But in essence, he’s not that way,” Goode continued. “Once you look at the psychology of the character – who grows up without a mother in a post-Victorian society and without love essentially through being raised by his father – he’s an incredibly lonely guy. [This is especially true] in the sense where most of his companionship is male.”

Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder, Hayley Atwell as Julia Flyte and Ben Whishaw as Sebastian Flyte in “Brideshead Revisited”.
Photo credit: Nicola Dove/Miramax Films

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Sebastian has outward affection for Charles. In this film version, it’s acted out physically. This is noticed by the overseer and matriarch of the family, Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson), and she cautions Charles about his attachment to the strict Catholic clan.

“The religious theme is a very important issue,” Goode related. “The audience might think: ‘Oh, Christ!’ The use of organized religion and how it can be not a good thing is there, but the film comments more on parenting and how parents can screw up a person.”

When Charles’ attraction for Julia deepens, Sebastian’s jealousy threatens to topple everything. This is where Lady Marchmain steps in. She alters the circumstances to prevent her children from making – in her view – fatal mistakes.

Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder, Hayley Atwell as Julia Flyte and Ben Whishaw as Sebastian Flyte in “Brideshead Revisited”.
Photo credit: Nicola Dove/Miramax Films

“Emma’s character says to Charles: ‘All I ever really wanted was for my children to love me,’” Goode said. “In Emma’s performance, you have incredible sympathy for her. Though people who read the novel know Lady Marchmain’s backstory, Emma still gets it across for people who haven’t read it. There is too much humanity there for her to be seen as a villain.”

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “Brideshead Revisited” image gallery.

RELATED READING
More film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald.

Charles is forced away from Brideshead and the family. Still, a couple meetings through the years again involve him with Sebastian and reunite him with Julia. This “revisited” part of his life could determine the fate of everyone.

“It’s notable that Sebastian treated Charles like crap and was a petulant child and a drunk,” Goode explained about the characters. “But Charles actually does as much as he can and he loved him in friendship. He gets screwed over in so many ways but never tries to enforce his integrity on anyone.”

Goode concluded with an observation about Charles: “There were particular ambiguities that we wanted to remain ambiguities. While it’s explained beautifully through prose in the book, Charles doesn’t show much of himself in the film. That was the challenge. I had to get all of that [across] and not make him morose.”

“Brideshead Revisited” features Emma Thompson, Matthew Goode, Michael Gambon, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell and Greta Scacchi. The film opened on July 25, 2008 in Chicago at AMC River East 21, Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema and CineArts 6 in Evanston, Ill. “Brideshead Revisited” will then expand to additional theaters on Aug. 1, 2008.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com