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Ella and James Preece are a Catholic couple living in Kingston Upon Hull in Yorkshire in the UK. This is our blog.

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Brideshead Revisited

Blogged by James Preece on 9th October 2008

I've never read Brideshead Revisited. I wasn't even born when it was on TV. I know nothing.

That said, I can predict, with absolute certainty, that somebody is going to read about how THE CHURCH is against the new film and they are going to demand I explain why and they are going to say "It's only a film."

Da Vinci Code, Northern Compass (or whatever)... it's always the same.

How dare they.

No, I mean really, how DARE they?! Imagine if someone did a new adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird and it ended up savagely racist? That's what they've done here. A profoundly Catholic novel, in this "adaptation", Brideshead Revisited is viciously anti-Catholic. They turned a movie about God and the soul, into a lurid love triangle between a homosexual, his sister and a hapless hunk. It's lame. It's bad.

...

I could cite probably twenty examples of the film's anti-Catholicism. But let me just use one of the most egregious. In the book, the Flyte family basically opposes Julia's engagement to Rex. In fact, the catchesis of the moral pygmy Rex Motram, who as a purely materialist capitalist is in Julia's words, "half a man", takes up the whole mid-point of the book. The family is seriously worried about Rex's lack of "spiritual curiosity," but Lady Marchmain respects her daughter's freedom too much to interfere in her daughter's marriage. Then, when it is discovered that Rex had been previously married and divorced, the Flyte family vigorously opposes the marriage and eventually Julia is cut off for leaving her faith to marry a divorced man.

In the movie, when Charles asks Julia why she married Rex she basically says that her mother forced her to do it because Rex was a rich Catholic.

Ya see what I mean?

[link]

Usually when this kind of thing happens, I feel obliged to read the book and I have to force myself through bazillions of pages of banal tedium.

On this occasion, word on the street says that it's actually a good book.

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Reader Comments

Clavem Abyssi said...

I just read it last year and I found it a bit boring to be honest... I have grown in respect for it but "banal tedium" still roughly describes my experience actually going through its pages. I am something of a philistine when it comes to novels though...

James said...

Oh well...

Mark said...

I wouldn't give up so easily. I recently read Vile Bodies by Waugh, having noticed that he was Catholic and that (I entirely forget where) he was mentioned in the same sentence as Wodehouse.

I liked it, though it's not really anything like Wodehouse.

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Year of St Paul

Recent Comments

antonia

heya! just been catching up on blogs; you're pregnant!!!! yey! congrats!!xxxx

Joe

My observations on this are here: http://rccommentary2.blogspot.com/2008/11/lets-do-some-research.html

Bernie

I loved your photographs and I am going to use them in a lesson on Baptism.May Leona and all your family be richly blessed,Bernie

Mark Dobson

Nice entry James. It was indeed constructive.I particularly liked the fact that you started from what formation is...

berenike

genius. As per normal.

To the Blessed Virgin Prayer for England

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England thy "Dowry" and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee.

By thee it was that Jesus our Saviour and our hope was given unto the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more.

Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the cross.

O sorrowful Mother! intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the supreme Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son.

Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee, in our heavenly home.

Amen.

Couple's Prayer

O God, our heavenly Father, protect and bless us. Deepen and strengthen our love for each other day by day.

Grant that by thy mercy, neither of us may ever say one unkind word to the other. Forgive and correct our faults, and make us constantly to forgive one another should one of us unconsciously hurt the other.

Make us and keep us sound and well in body, alert in mind, tender in heart, and devout in spirit. O Lord, grant us each to rise to the other's best. Then, we pray thee, add to our common life such virtues as only thou canst give.

And so, O Father, consecrate our life and love completely to thy worship, and to the service of all about us, especially those whom thou hast appointed us to serve, that we may always stand before thee in happiness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Babies Bedtime Prayer

Father, thankyou for all the good things that have happened to me today.

Thankyou for keeping me safe and well, thankyou for fun and laughter with my friends, thank you for what I have learned, thank you for all those that I love.

Help us all to sleep soundly tonight.

Amen.

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