Product Description

Based on the novel Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh Bright Young Things is a look at the uppercrust British society during the frenzied 1930s. The story follows the lives of a group of young socialites also known as the "Bright Young Things."Running Time: 105 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794043779022

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41038 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-02-08
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 105 minutes

From The New Yorker
Evelyn Waugh's early satirical novel "Vile Bodies" has a special brittleness that makes it unique in fiction. The young, upper-class London socialites-the Throbbings and Miles Malpractice and the rest-strike attitudes, rattle on without ever saying what they mean, fall in and out of ridiculous scrapes, and party, party, party. The trouble is, one cannot photograph Waugh's prose, which has the slender, hard clarity of a bitter lyric poem. Stephen Fry's adaptation of the book lays on a heavy dose of period production design and whirls about madly, and, here and there, the actors have funny or touching moments, especially Fenella Woolgar, who plays the daft Agatha Runcible ("too, too shaming"). But mostly the movie feels overwrought and insubstantial. One looks at a handsome young stage actor like Stephen Campbell Moore, who, as the hero, Adam Fenwick-Symes, has penetrating eyes, and one thinks, Why is this fine-looking young man behaving in such a feckless and stupid way? With Emily Mortimer, Michael Sheen, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Dan Aykroyd as a bellowing Canadian press lord, and Stockard Channing as the American revivalist, Mrs. Melrose Ape. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

A Snappy,Jazzy look at "The Lost Generation"
Between the two World Wars, a group of young idealists,Bohemian in attitude and coming from either the artist/poet/musician throngs or from the idle sensationally bored upper class , needed to occupy their time with parties,fashion,drugs,booze,reckless living and the new way of thought,all to find some kind of meaning to life.They were known as "The Lost Generation".These were the days of Hemingway,Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein.Lots of them tragic figures,brilliant beyond belief,but many brought to despair and suicide.

Actor Stephen Fry has adapted with great pizzazz Evelyn Waugh's satirical 1930 novel "Vile (Decaying) Bodies" in a rip roaring,carefree and "care-less" depiction of this group of Bohemian Richie-Riches known as "Bright Young Things".The film is fast paced and bawdy.The characters are feckless and obnoxious.They are living on the edge of disaster and the world flocks to read about them in the London Tabloids.In fact, they garner more attention than "The Royals".(Face it, has celebrity goings on ever changed? Britney beat out Obama in the headlines yesterday! C'mon?)These young people had no interest in politics,they treated money like water,and excess was the name of the game!They lived for the moment knowing that somehow it would end....but who cared?

I have always admired the generosity and sensitivity of Stephen Fry (BLACK ADDER,WILDE,PETER'S FRIENDS) as an actor these past 20+ years,and as a director I admire him even more.The cast assembled for this look at "The Lost Generation" is a veritable UK Who's-Who: Jim Broadbent,Imelda Staunton,James MacAvoy (currently in ATONEMENT),Emily Mortimer (currently in LARS AND THE REAL GIRL),Julia McKenzie and Stephen Campbell Moore as well as Americans staples Dan Aykroyd and Stockard Channing....and Fry lets them sizzle to a fizzle as these "bright young things" burn their candles at both ends and in the middle until some of them snuff out completely,lost in oblivion.Society dances on the edge in this film,and not since WILD PARTY or CHICAGO has a film so captured the reckless abandon of a generation.This is not a stodgey English Period Piece all corsetted and prim like Waugh's other famous "Brideshead Revisited" and "A Handful of Dust" (Both made into rather dreary films IMO).BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS is a brilliantly acted, all stops pulled out, nonsensical romp through the 1930's leading up to the Blitz.

The DVD extras are wonderfully informative including a small featurette filmed by "the runners" who worked on the film,giving the casual filmgoer a day to day look at the behind the scenes work and workers on films.The other featurette is a look at Fry and also includes a superb commentary.WORTH IT from a marvelous actor in his directorial debut.

Other films dedicated to "The Lost Generation" are WAITING FOR THE MOON,THE MODERNS,NORA,TOM AND VIV,SCOTT AND ZELDA,THE GREAT GATSBY, A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY and the Broadway play THE VIOLET HOUR.

Hmmmm
Sorry Mr. Ebert, for my wife and I disagree. We struggled to get this one through to the end but I am giving two stars because of the era and it did have a few bright spots. You can skip this one and not miss anything.

PS-If the film was accurate, I didn't realize the 'white powder' was so popular back then....interesting.

Four and a half stars, because of its wonderful ending!
"Bright Young Things" is brilliantly written and directed by Stephen Fry, the enormous talent who played "Jeeves" opposite Hugh Laurie in 23 episodes of the wonderful British comedy, "Jeeves and Wooster" (1990-1993), which should be a collector's item.

This film has an ensemble cast of great British actors, and depicts British decadence in all of its glory prior to World War II. Few should ever doubt Fry's talents, and they are on full display in this film.

Stephen Campbell Moore as "Adam Fenwick-Symes," and Emily Mortimer as "Nina Blount" are terrific, and their love transcends the inaneness, perfidies and puffery of Britain's upper class.