Review of Wilde (1997) by Thomas W — 16 Aug 2013

Wilde may be a decent biopic of literary genius and wit extraordinaire Oscar Wilde, but it leaves its viewer feeling little or learning anything more than a quick perusal of a Wilde Wikipedia page will teach one.

The film has lavish costumes and sumptuous art direction/set design which splendidly recreates the late 1800's of London high society, and Stephen Fry (Gosford Park) does a nice job in a very rare leading role as Wilde.

The movie tells the story of Oscar Wilde as a married man with two children (his loving wife is played by Jennifer Ehle - Sunshine) who loves his family and becomes morally perplexed and torn by the situation he finds himself in -- he gives into his homosexual urges and takes a string of younger lovers as he delighted in others giving into hedonism and living their lives freely without societal restrictions.

Wilde was the toast of London high society when some of his stage plays hit it big; but he had a precipitous downfall when the father, the Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton), of one of his young lovers, Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law - The Holiday) accused him of criminal immorality and Wilde's integrity didn't allow himself to fully deny his relationship with the younger man which he also saw as a form of artistic expression.

Throughout it all Wilde had an array of supporters but they were not enough to allow Wilde to re-enter London society after the incidents that led to his arrest and sentencing for hard labor (for such heinous crimes!).

A different time ... a different place. Wilde could have given us more of the man who is without doubt one of the cleverest to ever pick up a pen and write; but the story is kept rather simple and presents its audience with the basic set of facts.

Wilde's lone novel -- The Picture of Dorian Gray -- is one of my three favorite pieces of fiction. The man was blessed with a way with words ... but he was also given some character flaws others couldn't tolerate or accept.

I was awed by his work ... I wish I would have also been awed with this biopic instead of being merely satisfied with it.