Basil is a 1998 British historical drama film directed by Radha Bharadwaj and starring Jared Leto, Derek Jacobi, Claire Forlani, and Christian Slater. It was based on the 1852 novel of the same name by Wilkie Collins. The adaptation was by Bharadwaj.
Basil (Jared Leto) is a young British aristocrat who grew up on the country estate of Windermere Hall. His father, Frederick (Derek Jacobi), is a traditionalist who believes that there are things people of their class should never do. One of those things is romancing the women of lower classes, and Frederick threatens Basil with disinheriting him if he ever succumbs to the temptation. Young Basil is, however, of a rebellious nature and, during his studies, he befriends a commoner named John Mannion (Christian Slater). Mannion introduces the young aristocrat to Julia Sherwin (Claire Forlani), the beautiful daughter of a local merchant. Basil falls in love and marries the girl, only to realize that she was sleeping with John and was pregnant with his child. Basil attacks John in an alley and stomps his face in when he realizes what John was up to. Later he delivers Julia's child and hears John coming up the stairs. He hides and sees him
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