Film Inspired by Brideshead Revisited Released on DVD

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The Bay Area Reporter, a San Francisco area weekly newspaper dedicated to reporting news of interest to the LGBT community, has reviewed a recent film entitled Those People. This has just been released on DVD and is “loosely based” on Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited. The film opens with several Waugh themes woven into a “parable” retold by one of the actors:

 To illustrate one of his paintings to his classmates, Charlie (Jonathan Gordon) invokes a wealthy man who owned a turtle he loved so much, he decorated its shell with expensive gems. But the weight of the jewels crushed the turtle. The parable is a commentary on 23-year-old Charlie’s obsessive relationship with his best friend Sebastian (Jason Ralph), and what can happen if one loves too much. 

The film takes place in present day New York City, and its plot follows Brideshead up to a point:

Charlie is a Jewish painter from a well-to-do family finishing his thesis for a masters in fine arts. He has been pining for his handsome best friend Sebastian, who cares for him, even relies on him, yet keeps him at a distance romantically. They are part of a tight group of rich friends socializing together in various straight and gay permutations…. Sebastian, the reckless, narcissistic, uberwealthy party boy, is in crisis mode because his father, in a Bernie Madoff-like scheme, has been imprisoned for swindling his peers out of millions, becoming New York’s most hated man. Sebastian is chased by paparazzi questioning whether he knew of his father’s defrauding. He suffers drunken fits of anger, secluding himself in their swanky apartment.

Also in common with Waugh’s novel, the homoerotic theme is not explicit. It is not clear from the review by Brian Bromberger whether the film had a full theatrical release, but it does seem to have appeared in some context before being released on DVD:

Those People was one of last year’s Frameline showcase features, and it deserves the praise it received. Writer-director Joey Kuhn, who presented this film as his thesis for a film degree, is off to an auspicious start.

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Waugh Cited on 75th Anniversary of Invasion of Soviet Union

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany. Up to then the two countries had been allies, and the invasion ended up converting the Soviets into allies of the Western forces, at that point in time limited to Britain and its Empire. In the Conservative History Journal, an article is posted about the political impact of this invasion:

…the date did turn out to be the first real turning point of the war, the second and more important one being December 7, 1941. It was also a turning point in European history though that did not become obvious except to a few individuals like Evelyn Waugh until much later.

The author of the article (indentified as “Helen”) may be right to attribute this foresighted recognition to Waugh, but she may be confusing the timing of Waugh’s reaction with that of Guy Crouchback, the hero of his War Trilogy. In v. 2, Officers and Gentleman (1955), Guy learns of the invasion after recovering from loss of memory during his evacuation from Crete to Egypt a few weeks earlier on a small boat :

It was just such a sunny, breezy Mediterranean day like this two years before when he read of the Russo-German alliance, when a decade of shame seemed to be ending in light and reason, when the Enemy was plain in view, huge and hateful, all disguise cast off; the modern age in arms.

Now that hallucination was dissolved, like the whales and turtles on the voyage from Crete, and he was back after two years’ pilgrimage in a Holy Land of illusion in the old ambiguous world, where priests were spies and gallant friends proved traitors and his country was led blundering into dishonour. (Penguin, 1977, p. 240)

Waugh’s diaries and letters in late June 1941 are rather sparse, and it is hard to know what he thought at that particular moment. But he was not slow in coming to realize that an alliance with the Soviets would have unhappy consequences, as soon became apparent in the case of Yugoslavia where the alliance was expanded to include the anti-religious Partisans and where he was sent in 1944 as part of a mission to support the new allies.

 

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Satirical Novels Listed on Interactive Rating Site

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The interactive rating site Ranker has started a list of the best satirical novels. So far, there are four of Waugh’s novels on the list: Decline and Fall, The Loved One, Scoop and A Handful of Dust (in descending order of rank) . There are about 50 novels on the list, although more may be added. The two top ranked novels are currently George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. Decline and Fall was ranked #18 when last checked, but the list is dynamic as people register their votes. Anyone may indicate their preferences or add a book to the list.

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Waugh Included in Catholic Book List

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The editor of a nondenominational Christian online news site, The Christian Review, has compiled a list of what he considers the best 100 Catholic novels. These include novels published between 1827 and 2011 and are listed chronologically. The somewhat subjective criteria for inclusion are that the novel must be considered by the editor to be “worth reading” and express explicit Roman Catholic themes and perspectives. It need not have been written by a Roman Catholic.

Two of Waugh’s works are included in the list: Brideshead Revisited and Helena. Georges Bernanos is the most listed novelist with five. Graham Greene may be the most listed of Waugh’s generation with 4 books. Two younger writers whose works Waugh promoted, J.F. Powers and Muriel Spark, each have two books on the list, and David Lodge, the Honorary President of the Evelyn Waugh Society has one.  

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Brideshead Reviewed in Oxford (More)

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The Oxford Mail and other local papers have carried a report welcoming the stage adaptation of Brideshead Revisited back to its academic home. The report is accompanied by photos of members of the cast and crew in the dining hall of Hertford College where Waugh lived as an undergraduate. It concludes:

Company director Mark Shayle said: “We have had a fantastic time touring this new stage version of Brideshead Revisited and are delighted to be performing in Oxford, where the novelist himself, Evelyn Waugh, attended Hertford College. “It’s amazing to perform this show in the city that inspired it.”

Meanwhile, two bloggers have reviewed this week’s the performances at the Oxford Playhouse. One, blogging as Easy Retirement, attended on the night the performance was interrupted by a thunderstorm which cut off electric power for 10 minutes. According to this reviewer:

This was the most exciting part of the evening. Award winning playwright Bryony Lavery has tried to rush through a novel that was far more attuned to the leisurely pace of the brilliant 1980’s TV series. I found most of the production to be very disjointed as we race from scene to scene. I didn’t mind the ultra modern set, but it’s use only made the pace even more frantic…There is definitely a play to be made from this classic novel, but this wasn’t it.

The other blogger (Agent Catfish) was more positive:

Mummy issues were explored; insecurities were shared; artistic creativity included; the impact of war; but most fascinatingly for me, maybe as I didn’t get it or understand it the first time, the influence of religion, specifically Catholicism, can have on one’s life, not just in terms of the choices you make but the guilt you carry…

The casting is also very good, ‘Julia’ is guarded but loving; ‘Lady Marchmain’ detestable and thankfully not my mother; ‘Sebastian’ you just want to cuddle and remove him from the situation; and ‘Charles’, although hardly off stage, manages to present and inhabit a character whom is reversed, frustrated and a true friend, in the most believable way possible.

And the adaptation – picks up on the essentials. The memories are explored, a variety of places are visited, and time moves back and forth, without you ever being confused or feeling ‘You know what this doesn’t work’, because it does work. Lavery has taken a much loved book, TV series and movie, and turned it into a thoroughly enjoyable, thinking piece of live theatre.

 

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Waugh Mark-up of Unconditional Surrender for Sale

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

Sotheby’s has announced the auction of Waugh’s marked-up copy of the uncorrected proof of his last novel, Unconditional Surrender. This is the third volume of his War Trilogy which was subsequently published as Sword of Honour with further edits. This mark-up is to be sold together with a presentation copy to Graham Greene of the published version. How the two books came together is not explained, but they are described as being sold “together in collector’s folding red morocco box.” The provenance is described as coming from a 2001 Christie’s sale by Roger Rechler but it is not clear whether that refers to both items nor does it identify the buyer in that transaction.

The Sotheby’s catalogue briefly describes Waugh’s edits: 

Waugh’s extensive emendations and alterations to the proof copy were all reflected in the published first edition, including an additional paragraph to be inserted on the penultimate page, written out by Waugh on the final page of the proof, and the renaming of Jack Spruce (the editor of a war-time magazine with a distinct resemblance to Cyril Connolly) to ‘Everard’ in blue ink throughout.

Alas, there is no photo of the “additional paragraph” on the penultimate page, but that could be worked out by anyone possessing an uncorrected proof. The auction will be in London on 12 July 2016, and these books are Lot 204. Estimated sale price £6000-8000. Other Waugh presentation copies as well as collections of his books will be sold on the same day. See Lots 195-203, 205.

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New Waugh Biography Reviewed

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

Philip Eade’s new biography, Evelyn Waugh: A Life Revisited, will be published next month in the U.K. The U.S. edition is scheduled for release in October. In what may be the first review to appear on the internet, Richard Davenport-Hines has written about it in the latest edition of The Oldie. Here are some excerpts:

As selling-points Eade makes two correctives to previous biographers. Waugh was neither the military bungler nor the crashing snob whom his detractors portray. He never skulked from his birth in a cul-de-sac near London’s Finchley Road, his baptism in Kilburn and upbringing in Golder’s Green. Although he chronicled both aristocratic self-indulgence and what he called ‘the sharp instinct for self-preservation that passes for wisdom among the rich’, he did so contemptuously. He was incapable of the servility that is the prerequisite of a snob…

Eade seems scared by his ferocious subject. He is too sunny a character to understand Waugh’s sombre moods. The modest tone of his book is enlivened when he quotes from Waugh’s arrogant but often hilarious letters, which make one long for a collected edition of his correspondence. Eade’s prose is slackly colloquial and syntactically wonky. He repeatedly uses a comma instead of a full stop at the end of a serviceable sentence, tacks on the word ‘however’ and conjoins a second sentence regardless of the meaning. There are sentences eleven lines long swerving through matchbox-collecting, alcoholism, teddy bears and the male beauty of a Giotto angel. This suggests a harassed author who has not taken breath before assembling his copious material.

 

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Brideshead Reviewed in Oxford

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The traveling company performance of the stage adaptation of Brideshead Revisited opened earlier this week at the Oxford Playhouse where it is enjoying a one-week run. It is reviewed by John Charlton in Oxford Today, the online service of a group of “hyperlocal” Oxford-area newspapers. He found the play:

a stunning success on its opening night at the Oxford Playhouse last night (Tuesday June 14). A wonderful cast produced a mesmerising interpretation of the classic novel with strong lead performances from Brian Ferguson, Christopher Simpson and Rosie Hilal…The quality of all the cast was excellent and special mention must be given to Shuna Snow who played three male characters with style and great humour. The stage sets, lighting and music were also hugely impressive and the constant and quick changes really added to the performance.

The play continues through Saturday in Oxford before returning to the Theatre Royal, York,  where it opens next Tuesday 21 June for another one-week run before moving on to London where it will be performed in suburban Richmond-on-Thames at the Richmond Theatre from 29 June-2 July.

In an earlier story, the Oxford Times interviewed Kiran Sonia Sawar who plays the role of Cordelia in the stage production. She graduated from the Oxford School of Drama and previously appeared in a pantomime at the Playhouse. After talking about her career, she had this to say about the Brideshead production:

…it’s a dream to be cast in such a classic piece. There are … many risks … because this is a really stripped back version, devised and created by the ensemble, so it’s clear, concise, detailed story-telling without too many other distractions.

 

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Swiss Publisher Completes Reprints of Waugh Fiction

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The Swiss publisher Diogenes Verlag has completed the republication in German of all of Waugh’s fiction (including collected stories). The project was brought to conclusion in March to mark the 50th anniversary of Waugh’s death. It began in 2013 with Brideshead Revisited (Wiedersehen mit Brideshead) and ends, appropriately, with Sword of Honour (Ohne Furcht und Tadel, literally “Without Fear and without Reproach.”) This last volume includes a translation of Waugh’s 1964 preface, explaining the recension of his War Trilogy, that was missing from the original German version published in 1981. The text of the novel is the original translation by Werner Perterich.  A review of the novel by the German Press Agency (dpa) has appeared in German newspapers, including the Muenstersche Zeitung. The review ranks the book with Brideshead, The Loved One and Handful of Dust. Here’s the conclusion (edited Google Translate version; comments or corrections would be appreciated):

It is the wonderful mix of British and black humor that makes the book both serious and entertaining. In literature, as in art generally, it is nothing new to come across the horrors of war expressed satirically. In Waugh it happens more casually that  Crouchback’s participation in the war with noble objectives has the opposite effect.

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Waugh Quoted in Review of Tate Exhibit

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The London Magazine’s review of the Tate Britain exhibit “Painting with Light” opens with a quote from Evelyn Waugh:

There is a scene in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited in which the odious Boy Mulcaster interrogates Charles Ryder, painter and protagonist, as to why he paints pictures. Why, Mulcaster asks, doesn’t Charles simply go out and buy a camera? Charles replies: ‘a camera is a mechanical device which records a moment in time, but not what that moment means or the emotions that it evokes [
] whereas, a painting, however imperfect it may be, is an expression of feeling, an expression of love: not just a copy of something.’ This juxtaposition might be said to persist today: we feel that paintings are fictive, imperfect impressions, whereas the camera documents, and never lies…One of the many triumphs of the exhibition ‘Painting With Light’ is that it clearly tells the story of the early negotiation of this relationship between photography, painting, truth, and deception. Early photographs, from the Victorian and Edwardian era, are set alongside contemporaneous paintings.

The exhibit at the Tate Britain on Millbank continues through 25th September. Robert Hawkins concludes his review with another allusion to Waugh’s novel:

This exhibition argues for a greater appreciation of an undervalued era of photography… Freed from their usual hanging alongside Old Master paintings, and set against contemporary photographs, the Pre-Raphaelite paintings seem more thoroughly modern than usual. And the photographs emerge not as subservient to paintings, but as wrought, intricately constructed, magical things. So Charles Ryder is proved wrong, and Mulcaster right: a photograph is not just a copy of something. In fact, this could hardly be further from the truth.

 

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