English Nobilty? Not At Brideshead

The next movie I will review is "Brideshead Revisited" The movie brings in a strong homosexual element between Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) and Sebastian Flyte (BenWhishaw), the two meet at school and become quick friends, the lust coming from Sebastian for Charles is palpable, and leaves you wondering if the story will delve that deep. There is an early sexual attraction between Charles Ryder and Miss Flyte (Hayley Atwell) With that everything becomes unbalanced. Motivations change and friends become outcasts.The movie is typical English fair, its long, stylish and seamy. When Sebastian takes Charles into his friendship, you can almost see the wheels spinning in young Charle's head, what can he get out of this?, how far will he have to go to achieve it?, and is he willing to do it? Sebastian is so overtaken by Charles that he quickly brings him to his home, Brideshead Manor. The two men start to spend long days together, getting closer and closer, when Charles goes home, after the school semester, Sebastian sends him a letter telling of an accident he was in, Charles goes running back to Brideshead, where he is picked up at the train station by Julia Flyte. Julia tells Charles that Sebastians "accident" wasn't serious at all, but that he did break a bone in his foot "so small it doesn't have a name". Charles spends several days at Brideshead with the Flyteclan, that when their mother, Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson) arrives, she invites him to stay for dinner. Here is where the Catholic awareness of the family becomes overly evident, so much so it almost takes on it's own character. Charles accompanies the two young Flytechildren to Venice, so that the children can be with their father, Lord Marchmain (MichaelGambon), it is here that Charles lets his emotions run away, he follows Julia and is seen kissing her. Sebastian delves deeper into his one other obsession at this point. Charles does try on several attempts to get close with Sebastian again after Venice, but it is never the same, Julia marries a wealthy American Rex Mottram (Jonathan Cake) Charles becomes a famous painter and he bargains with Rex for Julia's hand. The two run off but return to Brideshead for the death of their matriarch.The movie does transpose a very complicated emotional and intellectual book into one that does work, it is good enough that one doesn't feel cheated, most of the stories arcs are dealt with, and the conclusion does seem to be apt. I give Brideshead Revisited a 3 and on my avoidance scale I give it a 1.