Wilde (1997) Reviews

• sympathetic reassessment of Wilde

  didi-52004-10-17

  This film was one of the best to appear in the late 90s, and is a sensitive, involving, honest and moving biography of one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era, the infamous Oscar Wilde. More realistic and better played than previous studies of the writer (Robert Morley and Peter Finch both played Wilde in the 1950s), this film benefits greatly from a cracking performance by Stephen Fry in the lead. Not even regarded as an actor, more of a comedian, prior to this, Fry (himself gay, and something of an intellectual) puts across all the nuances and contradictions of the subject perfectly. This Wilde is torn between what is accepted love (his wife, and children), and the 'love that dare not speak its name' (primarily his destructive relationship with the needy, selfish and petulant Lord Alfred Douglas, played here by Jude Law in the role which brought him to world attention). We see his charm and conviction when creating his plays or amusing friends, we also see his weaker side and why he was the cause of his own eventual arrest and imprisonment, we see how prison changed him and - as he wrote himself in De Profundis - broke his spirit and his health. Watch out for other, now big, names in the cast - Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Sheen, Orlando Bloom - alongside the established players such as Vanessa Redgrave (Oscar's mother, Sperenza), Jennifer Ehle (Lady Constance Wilde), Tom Wilkinson (Marquess of Queensbury, Bosie's father), Gemma Jones (Bosie's mother), and Judy Parfitt. A fitting musical score, a smattering of Wilde's epigrams, and a large chunk of his children's story 'The Selfish Giant' (driving and commenting on the action at key points) leave this film close to perfection when detailing the story of the misunderstanding of another age, not too far back from our own.

• The noblest form of love

  zaileia2004-10-19

  I saw this film for the first time over the weekend, drawn to it I'm ashamed to say for the fact that it contained Orlando Bloom's debut appearance, all one line of it. I was pleasantly surprised to discover Jude Law as Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas as well, making this film highly appealing to the voyeurs of the world. However distracting these heavenly creatures are though, they do become quite rightly overshadowed by Stephen Fry in a role that could not be more perfect for him if it were based on fiction rather than fact. I have been a fan of Oscar Wilde for some time, and this film gave amazingly accurate insight into the life of a great Irish literary. Indeed, many a speech by Stephen Fry has been quoted word for word from the actual trial monologues, and the uncanny resemblance of Fry to Wilde himself is astounding. 'Wilde' proved to be entertaining and beautiful, maintaining the historical biopic status is revels in, but never drawing away from the fact that this story is of real people and real events. So much can be gained by observing the prejudices of the past, and such sadness realized from knowing the suffering of those who were not meant for their time. 'Wilde' deserves credit in all aspects from accuracy to acting, direction and scene, it is a beautiful film and a credit not only the cast and crew, but to Oscar Wilde himself.

• The Role Stephen Fry was Born to Play

  JamesHitchcock2006-06-06

  Cinematic biographies, even when they are based on a work of non-fiction, are generally fictional in form and often follow an established literary structure. (The filmed non-fiction, documentary-style biography seems, for some reason, to be more suited to the television than to the cinema screen). "Wilde" is essentially based on that age-old literary form- the tragedy of a great man undone by a flaw in his character. It is not true to say of the film- as Halliwell's Film Guide did- that it attempts to reclaim Wilde as a heterosexual, or even to claim him as bisexual, if by that term is meant someone with an equal sexual attraction towards both men and women. It does, however, explore the paradox that a man who has today become a gay icon was a married father of two children. The impression given in the film, however, is that Wilde's marriage to Constance was not based on sexual attraction- indeed, we learn that the sexual side of the marriage came to an end, by mutual consent, after the birth of their sons. Rather, it was a marriage based upon a desire for companionship, for social respectability, for children. (Wilde is here shown as a loving father). Today Wilde is sometimes seen as a foppish, effeminate dandy whose main characteristic was a biting, cynical wit. That is not, however, how Stephen Fry portrays him in this film. He is, certainly, witty, but also kindly, sensitive and generous, without any outward display of effeminacy. He is able to inspire great love in others; two of the other characters in the film are shown as being deeply in love with him. One is Constance, who remains loyal to him throughout and even after his disgrace refuses the demands of her family and of society that she should divorce him. (Despite the general Victorian disapproval of divorce, being a divorcée was evidently regarded as a lesser social stigma than being the wife of a man like Wilde). The other is his first male lover Robbie Ross who remains a true friend even when he realises that his love is not reciprocated. The flaw which proves Wilde's undoing is not, in itself, his homosexuality; in modern times it would be a strange and politically incorrect film which tried to paint homosexuality per se as a character defect. Rather, it is his infatuation with Lord Alfred Douglas ("Bosie") which clouds his judgement and leads him to act rashly and foolishly. It is a paradox that a man who wrote so wisely and perceptively of human nature in general should have shown so little judgement when judging the nature of individuals. Bosie was a young man of noble family and handsome appearance but who otherwise had little to recommend him. Here, as brilliantly played by Jude Law, he appears as spoilt, vain, selfish, petulant and cruel. Whereas Constance and Robbie are in love with Wilde, and Wilde is in love with Bosie, Bosie is passionately and obsessively in love with himself. Apart from self-love, Bosie's one great passion in life is his hatred of his father, the Marquess of Queensberry. Admittedly, Queensberry is an arrogant and domineering bully, but Bosie takes this family quarrel beyond the limits of reason, persuading Wilde to launch an ill-advised libel suit over an intemperate remark. It is this action that destroys Wilde in two ways. Physically, it leads directly to his conviction for gross indecency and subsequent imprisonment. Spiritually, it means that the man who has always claimed to hate hypocrisy more than any other vice is forced to become a hypocrite and to perjure himself by denying his homosexuality in the witness box. Giving evidence he interprets Bosie's line about "the love that dare not speak its name" as referring to platonic friendship between an older and a younger man; such a love dare not speak its name for fear that it will be misunderstood as sexual. It is a skillful performance but an insincere one, and Wilde knows it. In his native Britain at least, Stephen Fry is perhaps not best known as an actor. While he has appeared in a number of films, he is equally well known as a comedian, television presenter and novelist. Nevertheless, he can at his best be a superb actor, and Oscar Wilde seems to be a role that he was born to play. (To declare an interest, he was a university contemporary of mine, and I knew him slightly). For all his faults and his self-destructive nature, we are always aware that Wilde is not only a great man but also a good one. This is one of the most touching performances of recent years. Fry is well supported by Law and by Jennifer Ehle as the aptly-named Constance, a woman so attractive, tender and faithful that one can easily understand how a man who was basically gay could have felt such affection for her. The one performance I was less impressed with was from Tom Wilkinson as Queensberry, who I felt was insufficiently forceful and explosive. The name of the director, Brian Gilbert, was a new one to me; I have not seen any of his other films. Nevertheless, "Wilde" is a very accomplished piece of film-making, one of the best biopics- and certainly the best literary biopic- that I have seen in recent years. 9/10

• Delicate and crushing

  ts_eh2002-07-12

  The acting in this film was superb. As had many viewers--I suspect-- I had only seen Stephen Fry in the Blackadder and Wodehouse series. How delightful to find another actor intelligent and flexible enough to range from Melchett to Oscar Wilde! One cannot help but watch his face very carefully, waiting to see the mask slip. He seems strangely delicate in his huge, crushing frame...A nice follow-up movie to Velvet Goldmine, especially once you know that some of the dialogue from the latter was lifted from the works of Oscar Wilde.

• Earnest production with a great performance by Stephen Fry

  bandw2006-07-01

  This film biography of Oscar Wilde is a showcase for Stephen Fry. He not only looks like Wilde, he breaths life into the many passages from Wilde's writings that are woven into the screenplay. The difference between reading Wilde and experiencing Fry's performance is like reading Shakespeare and seeing Olivier perform. An evening listening to Fry read from Wilde's works would be worth paying a tidy sum to attend. I had no idea that Wilde had married young to Constance Lloyd (Jennifer Ehle in a fine performance) and had two adorable boys by her. In an effective plot device, periodically throughout the movie Wilde reads to his sons from his children's story, "The Selfish Giant." The readings are presented in a way that cleverly integrates the storyline of the writing with the storyline of the movie, with Wilde being the selfish giant. And how many people know that Wilde wrote children's stories? There are many examples given of Wilde's biting wit, such as, "Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth," "The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast," and "I find that alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, can bring about all the effects of drunkenness." Fry delivers these with perfect tone. Of course a good part of the movie is devoted to Wilde's arrest and ultimate imprisonment for "indecent acts" with Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law). Wilde truly did live his life in accordance with his comment, "Where your life leads you, you must go. I defy society." As presented here, Wilde is a courageous and sensitive man who was forced into a tragedy by the strictures of a hidebound society. In current America most would judge his infractions with mild distaste at worst. There are some disconcerting transitions, mostly in scenes with Lord Douglas. Douglas is seen to have a volatile personality. He could be needy and tender, but he could also be a first-class ass and manipulator with an explosive temper. His fits of anger seemed exaggerated and disrupted the tone of the movie. I had a similar reaction to the sex scenes in terms of disrupting the flow. Robbie's initial advances were abrupt and without foundation. The explicit sex scenes between Wilde and Lord Douglas would have been better hinted at than seen - their kisses and embraces could well be imagined but they felt incongruous and unbelievable in the flesh. Wilde was much more than a wit. He could express emotions with eloquence. Consider this quote about encountering a previous lover after a hiatus of a few years: "Life cheats us with shadows. We ask it for pleasure, it gives it to us with bitterness and disappointment in its train. And we find ourselves looking with dull heart of stone at the tresses of gold-flecked hair that we once had so wildly worshiped and so madly kissed." The movie is nicely filmed with a good musical score. I wound up liking it more after having thought about it. Watching this has expanded my appreciation for Wilde as a writer and as a person - I have been left wanting to know more about him and his work.