WILDE
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: *** OUT OF ****
United Kingdom, 1997 U.S. Release Date: beginning 5/98 (limited) Running Length: 1:57 MPAA Classification: R (Homosexual themes, sex, nudity, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Vanessa Redgrave, Jennifer Ehle, Gemma Jones, Judy Parfitt, Michael Sheen, Zoë Wanamaker, Tom Wilkinson Director: Brian Gilbert Producers: Marc Samuelson, Peter Samuelson Screenplay: Julian Mitchell based on the book by Richard Ellmann Cinematography: Martin Fuhrer Music: Debbie Wiseman U.S. Distributor: Polygram
Oscar Wilde -- satirist, playwright, and novelist -- was one of the great figures of the late 19th century. Born in Dublin in 1854, Wilde was schooled at Oxford, where he became a free-thinker and settled into the lifestyle of an aesthete. In 1881, he published his first volume of poems and in 1882, his debut stage production, VERA, OR THE NIHILISTS was performed. Thereafter, for the next 13 years, Wilde's reputation was in a constant state of ascension. He published his lone novel, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, in 1891, but is best known for four plays: LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN (1892), A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (1893), AN IDEAL HUSBAND (1895), and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (1895). In 1895, Wilde, a known homosexual, was arrested and convicted of sodomy in association with his relationship with Lord Alfred ("Bosie") Douglas. He served two years of hard labor, but, after his release, never fully recovered his health and died of meningitis in 1900.
Like many artistic figures throughout history, Wilde's reputation has waxed and waned with the mutation of the social climate. During the 1880s and early 1890s, he was the toast of England. Following his trial, he was persona non grata, and had to eke out an existence using a pseudonym for the rest of his life. Into the early 20th century, his name was reviled, but, as the years passed and critics looked back at Wilde's work from a more detached perspective, his sullied reputation became rehabilitated. Today, he is regarded as a literary giant, and perhaps the best playwright of the second half of the 19th century.
WILDE, the new film from Brian Gilbert (TOM & VIV), is a fairly straightforward biographical tale that chronicles the title character's life from 1882, when he visited a silver mine in Colorado, until 1897, when he was released from prison. Despite an uneven script and a rather mundane, occasionally-plodding narrative, the movie is compelling, largely because Wilde's life was fascinating. Throw in a number of top- notch performances and, even without any flourishes, the film offers a solid two hours of entertainment, and, for anyone unfamiliar with Wilde or his work, perhaps education.
As is often the case with a movie that crams 15 years of history into 120 minutes (for the non-mathematical, that's only 8 minutes per year), there's a lack of consistency in the tone. Certain characters and subplots are sadly neglected. In particular, I was disappointed with the handling of Wilde's home life and marriage, which, for a man of his nature, was surely a point of great personal conflict and uncertainty. The few brief scenes of Wilde with his wife and children didn't satisfy my curiosity, and the resolution of this story aspect felt sadly incomplete. There are times throughout the entire film when subplots drag on a little too long -- the relationship between Wilde and Bosie is a prime example. Ironically, despite the languid pace of much of the film, the last 20 to 30 minutes have a rushed feel, almost as if the director realized he was running out of time and wanted to compress as much into the proceedings as he could. Through it all, however, Wilde stands tall as the magnetic central figure.
If there was ever an actor born to play Wilde, it's British thespian Stephen Fry (PETER'S FRIENDS, TV's "Jeeves and Wooster"), who resembles the playwright in stature and is able to deliver his witticisms with the perfect edge and intonation. For Fry, this is a dream role -- in a recent conversation over dinner, he spoke eloquently and at length about his passion for Wilde and his work. Considering the sprawling nature of the narrative, Fry is given a daunting task -- keep the audience involved in the story and anchored to the character -- that he carries off without seeming difficulty.
Every bit Fry's equal is Jude Law (GATTACA), who develops Bosie into a truly three-dimensional individual. Volatile, passionate, occasionally spiteful, and often impatient, Bosie has the kind of multifaceted personality that captures and holds our attention. Law's careful performance makes it impossible to love or hate the man -- at times, he's a monster; at other times, he's an angel. The supporting cast includes Vanessa Redgrave as Wilde's mother, Tom Wilkinson (THE FULL MONTY) as Bosie's brutish father, Michael Sheen as Wilde's first male lover, and a woefully underused Jennifer Ehle (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) as Wilde's wife. Despite limited screen time, Ehle manages to fashion Connie Wilde into a heartbreakingly sympathetic character, which makes the truncation of that subplot all the more frustrating.
One of the many things WILDE does right is to convey a sense of the man apart from his work. During the course of the film, Wilde is often compared to some sort of literary prophet (he has "disciples"), and it's easy to see how young men would be attracted to this charming, erudite man who uses his "wit as a foil." Ultimately, while WILDE lacks the depth and substance of the best biographical features, it's nevertheless a strong enough contender to deserve a trip to the local theater, especially with pickings so slim this summer.
Copyright 1998 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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