Jennifer Ehle in Wilde (1998)

Clips

Pics

Review

WILDE Lots of naked men, humping and Oscar Wilde quotes but there’s not much else in this slow-moving homage to a hero homo. The story of Oscar Wilde's life, his obsessions and his persecution by the Morality Brigade towards the close of the 19th century are well know to many, so a biopic of the man's life should hold great appeal. There's more than enough of interest in Wilde's illustrious life to make probably three great biopics but sadly Brian Gilbert's rendition of the great scribe's life seems to be more than a little obsessed with his gay side. Hey, we know the man bit his fair share of pillows and we know his young boy-toy brought about his downfall (in more ways than one) but then what? What brought him to that point? What happened to him after it? These are parts of Wilde's life ignored, for the most part, by a filmmaker and writing team that seems to only care about who Wilde slept with, not who he was.

Stephen Fry, it must be said, IS Oscar Wilde. His appearance, his delivery of the man's words, his demeanor, his slightly mentally unbalanced reality, Fry could only be considered to be perfect casting here. Not so Jude Law, who's portrayal of Wilde's boy-on-the-side, "Bosey", is so one-note and histrionic that you more than a few times expect to see Wilde attack him with a sock full of pennies. I would have.

On the other side of the sexual coin is Wilde's wife, played here by the beautiful Jennifer Ehle, who took all the insults, innuendo and abuse and stuck by Wilde regardless. Hers, along with Wilde himself, is one of the few three dimensional characters in this film, which gets lost in the same dreary petty details of Wilde's homosexual past that the moralists themselves got stuck on back in the day. Hidden in amongst a parade of naked guys, Ehle stands out like a beacon if womanly sexuality, though you're never given more than a cleavage shot throughout the flick as a pay-off for sitting through the endless amounts of boy-humping. Vanessa Redgrave also makes a showing but an all too brief one, for an actress of her stature, playing one of the most important women in his life (his mother).

One high point of proceedings is a particularly gruff Tom Wilkinson as the Lord Queensbury, the father of Bosey and Wilde’s arch-nemesis in the fight to clear his name. Wilkinson puffs up like a bullfrog whenever he encounters Wilde and demonstrates that he’s more than the resident English nice guy in Hollywood.

Certainly, Wilde's life was a mixture of sheer joy and sheer torture and when Gilbert allows the camera to explore beyond the surface you're drawn right in but just as quickly you're out again, as Bosey twats about in his rent-boy suit with his rent-boy hair and compels everyone to "look at me, look at me, I’m pretty!"

A depressing failure in terms of what the could have been, Wilde is nonetheless an interesting film, if you know Wilde's work. Having given the world such works as The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, the Portrait of Dorian Gray and Salomé, some of us expected the man to be given something a little closer in quality in tribute.

Nudity report: Well, there’s plenty of it but the clips of 99% of it would be more suited on the long-anticipated Mrs. Skin website, rather than here. Simply put, the boys let it all hang out and nude up a storm, especially Jude Law who seems intent on smooching and humping anything with balls (with the exception of Vanessa Redgrave). The lone female object of our affection is Jennifer Ehle, who really doesn’t show much beyond a fine-looking chunk of cleavage, though it is a fine chunk indeed. Zoe Wanamaker pops up here and there as Wilde’s confidante ‘the Sphinx’ but her face has more potholes than Route 66, so if you’re looking for a little female nudey action, this won’t be your first stop. Instead, take a look at The Camomile Lawn (listed on this site), a mini-series in which Ehle gets her ample orbs out on more than a few occasions, during sex, while changing and in a nice soapy bath. It’s worth a look, though you’re probably going to struggle finding it anywhere except right here – in our member’s section.

Critics: Ebert: 3.5/4, IMDB7.0/10, Berardinelli: 3.5/4, Apollo Guide: 79/100, OZ: 3/5

Box Office: Released in the USA on May 1 1998. It was nominated for one Golden Globe and two BAFTA’s, despite earning only $2m on a $10m budget.

Versions: VHS/DVD. Unlike the UK DVD version, which strangely features six fewer minutes of footage than the American release (and not a lot else), the US (region 1) special edition DVD of Wilde offers a host of extras. Production notes, audio commentary with cast and crew, a featurette (Simply Wilde), a photo montage, trailers and the entire Wilde website on DVD-ROM make up a decent purchase, even if the flick itself is a little pedestrian.


Written by: OZ