Last night I watched the first of the four DVDs of the 1981 version of the TV series, Brideshead Revisited, yet again. Oh my! How splendid! Since I have my new larger screen monitor, I decided to watch on my computer rather than on TV, and it worked out quite well. With my old monitor, I didn't care to watch movies on my computer, but I'm reconsidering now whether I want to subscribe to one of the movie sites like Netflix. I have a comfortable padded desk chair for my computer, and if I moved a footstool in place, I'd be all set.
Anyway, back to Brideshead. For the first time, I was able to watch the series with the closed captions for the hearing impaired. I could never get the captions to work when I watched the DVDs on my TV, although the notes on the container box said the captions were there. I was able for the first time to get all of the brilliant dialogue and voiceovers. What a pleasure! I've 3 DVDs to go, and I will go. Thanks be to God, my new computer screen, and the CC function that worked.
I love Evelyn Waugh's book, which I've read countless times, and the TV version is one of the few translations from book to screen of a favorite of mine that truly works for me. The scenes of Oxford University brought tears to my eyes as I remembered my first visit and my awe at actually seeing the 'city of dreaming spires' with my own eyes. Later, I took week-long summer courses on three occasions and stayed in student rooms at Brasenose College. On one of my visits to England, I visited Castle Howard, which is the location of the scenes which take place at Sebastian's ancestral home, and it was lovely to see the amazing castle again.
