The Great British Novel

[Kurben]

The one I'm referring to is with Anthony Andrews and Jeremy Irons in the two male lead roles. Sir John Gielgud, Diana Quick, Claire Bloom and Sir Lawrence Olivier round out the cast. It's a very lush production.

I always liked Andrews when he played Ivanhoe in the very good tvmovie made out of it. James Mason as Isaac of York and Olivia Hussey as Rebecka. Sam Neill very good as the bad boy, Brian de Bois-Guilbert and Lysette Anthony as Lady Rowena. Havent actually seen Brideshead but with such a casting it could hardly go wrong.

 

[Owenk]

While I was first introduced to this wonderful novel way back in the 80's after I had seen the BBC mini-series, it is quite droll compared to the television show. Don't get me wrong, I do love the novel, but it is quite another animal to watch the great actors in the miniseries bring this book to life. It is truly an exquisite production!!! Breathtaking sets (they actually used REAL locations!) and wonderful acting by everyone involved in it. If you haven't seen it I highly suggest that you seek it out. It was the forerunner to Downton Abbey- without Brideshead there wouldn't have been a Downton.

The locations they use are wonderful and very familiar to me. The Hertford College bridge they use is about 200 yards from wehre I lived as a child/young adult.

There is an inetresting tale about why the screen play worked so well -actually this might even uinterest Mr King given so many of his books are turned into TV series etc. Granada Television the ITV franchise that made the series went into production at the same time as their was a strike by ITV staff, including writers and so they just lifted huge chunks of the book wholesale rather than re-writing and re-imagining it. At kleast this is what I understand.