Wilde Movie Review

Oscar Wilde became such a dearly loved character in the latter half of the 20th century that his fall from grace at the height of his fame in 1895 seems almost surreal to his loyal legion of devoted admirers. His much-trampled grave at the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris was, until its 1992 restoration, nearly as filled with graffiti as that of Jim Morrison. The constant revival of his plays and a series of films successfully restored his once-lustrous reputation, although his descendants still carry his wife Constance's maiden name of Holland, not his own. In 1960, two filmed biographies were released, one in color starring Peter Finch, the other in black and white with Robert Morley. Fine actors both, neither was quite right for the role, and both scripts tread cautiously into his private life. A 1985 BBC production with a tremendous performance by Michael Gambon was, until now, the best of the movies about Wilde, but, although available on home video, it was little seen when first telecast and still has yet to receive the attention it richly deserves. In Wilde, we finally have an Oscar so close to the original that he looks as if he stepped out of an original 19th century photograph. He is Stephen Fry, best known for A Bit of Fry and Laurie and for being the ideal Jeeves to Hugh Laurie's Wooster. Julian Mitchell's screenplay doesn't tiptoe into Wilde's life—it shows in graphic detail how this charming genius, who was equally at home in a Colorado mining camp or at a London soiree, came to understand his true nature. A devoted husband and family man, he only stares at young men until he tumbles into a sexual relationship with his lifelong friend, Robert Ross. Although the affair is a brief one, the friendship endures and Wilde embarks on a double life, one at home, the other in rented lodgings with a series of male prostitutes. His downfall, of course, is Lord Alfred (“Bosie”) Douglas, the nasty son of the nastier Marquess of Queensbury (Tom Wilkinson). Bosie is played by Jude (the doomed gay hustler in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) Law. Bosie and Oscar, it seems, haven't much of a sex life together. Bosie uses Oscar to get back at Daddy and Oscar puts up with Bosie's abuse because he can't help himself. It's a match made in Hell and leads Wilde straight to Hell on Earth, AKA Reading Gaol. As mentioned, the story has been told before, but Fry and Mitchell give it a timeless resonance. What happened to Oscar Wilde over a century ago could happen now to anyone trapped in a similarly deadly erotic web. Los Angeles–based Dove Books came up with a handsome coffee table book of Michell's screenplay, introduced by Fry and lavishly illustrated with many evocative color stills from the film.

1997 (R) 115m/C GB Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Vanessa Redgrave, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Sheen, Zoe Wanamaker, Tom Wilkinson, Gemma Jones, Judy Parfitt; D: Brian Gilbert; W: Julian Mitchell; C: Martin Fuhrer; M: Debbie Wiseman. Nominations: British Academy Awards ‘97: Best Supporting Actress (Ehle), Best Supporting Actress (Wanamaker); Golden Globe Awards ‘99: Best Actor—Drama (Fry). VHS, Closed Caption