From the 1981 BBC TV series, Brideshead Revisited, which I am now watching and enjoying yet again. Rex Mottram, who wants to marry Roman Catholic Lady Julia Flyte, is taking instructions from Fr Mowbray, a Jesuit priest and friend of Julia's family, before becoming a Catholic. Rex has no sincere convictions about converting to Roman Catholicism but wishes to do so only to smooth his path to marry Julia. Fr Mowbray recounts to the family a conversation with Rex about the attributes of God and the infallibility of the pope. The quote below is taken from Evelyn Waugh's novel of the same name, on which the series is based; the dialogue is repeated verbatim in the series.
"Yesterday I asked him whether Our Lord had more than one nature. He said: 'Just as many as you say, Father.'Another one of many delicious conversations from the book and the series that I savor with delight.
Then again I asked him: 'Supposing the Pope looked up and saw a cloud and said 'It's going to rain', would that be bound to happen?' 'Oh, yes, Father.' 'But supposing it didn't?' He thought a moment and said, "I suppose it would be sort of raining spiritually, only we were too sinful to see it.'"
By coincidence I rewatched the 1981 version just this past spring, myself - and was amazed at all the scenes and incidents I had forgotten. So in some ways it was a new delight all over again.
ReplyDeleteI never read the book but in the movie, Rex is obviously out to brown-nose the priest and will say or do anything whatsoever as long as he gets the prize of Julia's hand in marriage. It's also obvious that he doesn't believe a word of it, and is a natural atheist - only out for himself. Even Julia is a mere ornament for his inflated ego; he doesn't love her, he just thinks he deserves her to make his status apparent to the world, like a Savile Row suit or a Rolls Royce.
Marvelous acting all around - the Brits, when they're good, they're very good.
As Julia says, Rex is only part of a man with large parts of what would make him human missing.
DeleteEvery aspect of the series is beautifully done. I wonder if that much money would be spent on a series today.
Not unless it had a cast of cannibals, vampires, or zombies and had extended scenes of graphic kinky sex.
ReplyDeleteAnd now computers can be used to create any desired special effects, including characters.
DeleteYes, well it might come to pass that human actors will go the way of stagecoaches, steam locomotives, and newspapers - utterly unnecessary, not wanted anymore. And think of what the studios would save on salaries for those big stars, once the computer animation gets refined!
ReplyDeleteRuss, I expect that could happen.
DeleteA final thought - one day they might even be able to resurrect the great stars of the past from the dead, as it were - and by using their images and their voices, digitally sliced, diced, and rearranged, feature them in totally new movies - perhaps even combined with the resurrected personas of actual historical figures. A dreadful thought, but I'm sure if they can figure out how to do it, they will, one day.
ReplyDeleteClone them from a bone if they haven't been cremated.
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