Brideshead Revisited, Book 6

Originally telecast on the BBC, Brideshead Revisited gained enormous popularity in America when it was offered on PBS' Great Performances series. Evelyn Waugh's novel about a trouble aristocratic Catholic family was adapted into an 11-part miniseries by John Mortimer; in the US, each episode was introduced by William F. Buckley Jr. When released to video, Brideshead was offered in six volumes. "Book Five" contains two episode, including the final one in the series. In episode #10, first telecast March 22, 1982 on PBS, we find that Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons) and Julia Flyte (Diana Quick), the sister of his best friend Sebastian, have been lovers for two years. The central crisis in this installment concerns cousin Bridey (Simon Jones), who refuses to introduce his fiance to the family. The final 90-minute episode of Brideshead Revisted was telecast March 29, 1982. As the war clouds gather over England, Lord Marchmain (Laurence Olivier), a shadow of his former self, returns to Brideshead Castle. Now Charles, who previously appointed himself Protector of his Lordship's tragic son Sebastian (Anthony Andrews), must shield Marchmain from the "helpfulness" of his family. The story ends where it began, with an older, wiser, and more bitter Sykes roaming the grounds of the once-proud Brideshead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide