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| Anthony Blanche (played to perfection by Nickolas Grace) from Brideshead Revisited. Colin over at The Red Lion always has 4 Brandy Alexanders at the ready for the Den's Senior Artistic Advisor. |
The Den is delighted to announce we have recently added Mr. Anthony Blanche to our illustrious roster. What?! You've never heard of Anthony Blanche?!?! Shame on you, my dear! He is none other than that flamboyant aesthete from Evelyn Waugh's brilliant Brideshead Revisited who GSL only recently visited (the novel) for the first time. I have listened to Jeremy Irons' brilliant narration of the unabridged Brideshead twice through on audiobook and recently watched the 1981 production with Irons as Charles Ryder now available for free on youtube...all 11 hours!
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| Jeremy Irons as Charles Ryder in Brideshead Revisited from 1981. |
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| Anthony Andrews as Lord Sebastian Flyte with Aloysius |
The 1981 Granada production (not done by rival BBC as often assumed even though Castle Howard owned by then head of BBC allowed use and advised) is as scrupulously faithful a literary adaptation as I've ever seen. After hearing Irons do the audiobook, I was a little miffed that John Mortimer (Emily Mortimer's father btw) was given a writing credit as they really only condensed it with every scene not even slightly altered from what I could see. I read where Mortimer only got that writing credit due to prior contractual obligation.
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| 'Bubbles by Sir John Everett Millais |
Spoiler Alert! disregard next paragraph if you aren't familiar with Brideshead as I'd hate to deprive you of taking in this literary masterpiece and perfect screen adaptation without prejudice.
Anthony Blanche is the most interesting character for me and I am certain he was speaking for Waugh in many of those scenes. Blanche's assertion that the English have a "keen zest to be well bred" and his devastating assessment of Ryder's paintings, and life, as nothing more than "simple, creamy, English charm" and how that 'charm' really only exists in the British Isles along with how 'charm' "kills love and Art". The scenes at the gallery and then in the Blue Grotto were sublime.
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| GSL &'Sam-Sam' circa 1968 Memory a little hazy but I don't think this was at Oxford. As noted below in comments, Sam-Sam follows in a long line of cuddly literati starting with John Betjeman's Archibald Ormsby-Gore, Lord Sebastian Flyte's Aloysius and now the Hattatt's Edward & Teddy the Beguiling Bears of Budapest Ladies, watch how retro GSL vanguards a high-waist revival. |
I also love Waugh's novel Scoop and consider it (as do many others) a comic masterpiece. I'll be working my way though the Waugh canon in 2015.
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| This is what "simple, creamy, English charm" looks like. Notice how this milquetoast candy ass arranged those lucious locks just so...isn't that cute! Hugh Grant is our official Den Whipping Boy. I wish him no harm but the prospect of slapping him around in the alley behind the The Red Lion has great appeal. All pics from Pinterest |
Please share with the Den your feelings regarding Brideshead, Evelyn Waugh, or cite a public figure you wouldn't mind giving a smack.
