I’ve been researching my 1926-built house for a while now, so I was in the mood for a 1920s frock flick that wasn’t Downton Abbey (having done both a rewatch of the series and seen the last theatrical release recently). The closest I could find on streaming was Bright Young Things (2003), which is set in the 1930s and based on the Evelyn Waugh story, Vile Bodies. While not exactly the period I was looking for, this was satisfying from an entertainment and frock POV.
I’m a little surprised by Kendra’s brief assessment because I didn’t find it “sad” at all — a couple of the characters get not-exactly happy endings, but that feels justified by their actions and/or the time period. And the main storyline wraps up sweetly in a tidy bow, though it gets there through roundabout and slightly ridiculous means.
Very little about this story is realistic, and it’s not meant to be. This is a critique of the fast, young set who had money to throw around without much care for what was really going on in the world. They ruin their own lives, mostly, and I guess that’s OK because it’s not like they leave any (or much?) tragedy in their wake, just their own. Their ridiculous lives are put out in the news as fodder for the world to lap up as entertainment, so they serve the same purpose as today’s Kardashians. They live fast, some of them burn out young, but many seem to just fade away into mature obscurity, as you’d tend to expect of indulgent rich kids.
What makes it fun to me is that this is one of those flicks stuffed to the gills with every excellent British (and a few American) character actors working at the time! There’s no small roles in this movie, everyone gets their time to shine. Plus writer and director Stephen Fry knows a little something about comedy and witty dialog, so the patter is on point.
The movie revolves around the younger set, seen first at a “hell” themed party, all in red lights. Nina Blount (Emily Mortimer) dances, drinks, and is totally bored by it all, while a newspaper gossip columnist reports on the event with help from a stealthy photographer.
At a subsequent fancy dress party, Nina canoodles with her boyfriend Adam Fenwick-Symes (Stephen Campbell Moore), the nominal main character of the flick. He’s just returned to London on ship from somewhere, and his manuscript titled Bright Young Things was confiscated at customs. Clearly he’s a stand-in for Evelyn Waugh.
I love this silver headdress Nina wears, it’s very 1920s, which I’m sure caused some confusion about when this movie is set. The actual “bright young people” socialites talked about in the British tabloid press were a ’20s thing, but this movie pushes the timeline into the ’30s both in costume and with the real historical events that are sometimes referred to. Adam begins working for a newspaper, so the build up to World War II is in the news, plus Adam enlists at the end of the movie.
This next one is definitely a fancy dress party, so everyone’s wearing slightly ridiculous costumes. Agatha Runcible (Fenella Woolgar) wears a sort of flowing gown with a sparkly vest and an acorn-shaped hat, while Miles Maitland (Michael Sheen) has a leopard-print waistcoat and romantic shirt under his dressing gown.
At the after-party, Agatha swaps silly hats.
Someone on the internets screencapped these pix of Miles flashing his furs, and I can only thank them.
For various nights out, Nina has a rather random wardrobe…
Her apartment is an Art Deco dream!
For Lady Metroland’s ball, the group is mostly in black-tie.
While Miles is the most obviously queer character, Agatha hints at being bisexual or even nonbinary. She’s contrasted with the more typically femme Nina.
The group busts out the tweeds for first a horse race and then a car race.
On the periphery of the main set are Simon Balcairn (James McAvoy), who’s something of an aristocrat himself but he’s writing the gossip column for the same newspaper as Adam.
There’s Ginger Littlejohn (David Tennant), who Adam meets at his hotel, and they end up as rivals for Nina’s affections.
And not at all part of the set, but Ginger gets assistance from an estate agent (Mark Gatiss) while trying to impress Nina.
The older folks in this movie are mostly arrayed against the bright young set, starting with the chief customs officer (Jim Carter) who takes Adam’s book manuscript away at the top of the flick.
Lord Monomark (Dan Aykroyd) is less adversarial, but he wants to use the bright young things as fodder for his newspaper’s headlines to make money.
Lottie Crump (Julia McKenzie) is Adam’s landlady at a hotel. She’s sweet and harmless — wearing old-fashioned 1910s gowns — but she introduces Adam to characters who’ll cause drama like Ginger Littlejohn.
Another fellow at the hotel is the King of Anatolia (Simon Callow), in an exaggerated and silly cameo.
More consequential is the Major (Jim Broadbent), upon whom a key plot point turns, if slowly.
The film is sprinkled with more wacky characters, like Nina’s father Colonel Blount (Peter O’Toole).
Lady Brown (Imelda Staunton) is a querulous mother in breakfast scene.
Sir James Brown (Bill Paterson) is the Prime Minister, also at breakfast.
Father Rothschild (Richard E. Grant) is in the background with Lady Throbbing (Margaret Tyzack) at the dock when Adam arrives, although they don’t interact.
They’re all in attendance at the grand ball hosted by Lady Metroland (Harriet Walter), seen fielding phone questions before the event and wearing a lovely ’30s day dress with coordinated jewelry.
Her ball itself is a flashy affair, where the older ladies like Lady Throbbing bust out all the jewels.
The featured entertainment for this event is Mrs. Melrose Ape (Stockard Channing) and her chorus of angel-winged girls singing gospel songs. This seems incongruous, but the episode is from Waugh’s book, and the character is probably inspired by the popular 1920s evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.
Do you find Bright Young Things sad or fun?
Find this frock flick at:
My first film as an extra and it was such fun, although the ball scene was shot in the middle of Winter in the snow and the set was freezing!! A pity you don’t mention the Costume Designers often in your reviews – this was Nick Ede who has done quite a lot of period productions in his career. It was very much an inter-war look they went for with Black and White Tie for most of us men.
Ooops I forgot to mention Ede, sorry! Tho we always include the designer’s name as a tag at the bottom of the post. And we have a full guide to his work (tho’ K still thought this movie was set in the ’20s) – https://frockflicks.com/costume-designer-nic-ede-the-frock-flicks-guide/
Reading this whole article wouod have been worth it just for the immortal name ‘Lady Throbbing’ and that picture of la belle Mortimer in that lovely, lovely silver headdress.
This has been on my list to read-watch, I think I saw it? In the movies.
Thanks for the eye candy!
Man, gonna have to watch this now, can’t believe how great the casting is, and how real the costumes look! What is it about modern period costumes(excepting Downton of course), they just look like ‘costumes ‘ and not clothing from the time depicted?
Wow – this had been on my TBW list when it was released and I never got around to it, but looking at the stills I’m sorry I didn’t see it on a big screen. The cast alone is amazing, but some of those costumes are to die for. I know we’re not supposed to like fur these days, but those fur trimmed ensembles look gorgeous. Some of the character names are a hoot – not like Waugh was being judgemental or anything…