Fifty years after the making of this quintessentially British comic classic it was remade starring Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Judi Dench and the then almost incandescently famous Reese Witherspoon, to give it a bit of global appeal. Thatâs a great cast â three Oscar-winners and a scene-stealer par excellence (see Everett in My Best Friendâs Wedding for evidence of that). So no argument there.
But they still couldnât beat the original. Thatâs because they really, really donât make them like this any more. No one speaks like Edith “a handbag” Evans. No one resembles Margaret Rutherfordâs preposterously dotty, doting Miss Prism. As to direction, what hotshot these days would settle for the approach of Anthony “Puffin” Asquith â put actors on stage, bung camera in front of them, shout âactionâ â a technique so simple itâs almost avant-garde?
It was typical of Asquith, who knew not to get in Oscar Wildeâs way, especially when Wilde is delivering a story about subterfuge and false identity teetering on the edge of the unfollowable, thatâs when heâs not delivering epigram by the kilogram.
The two male leads, Michael Redgrave and Michael Dennison, are possibly a full decade too old to be playing young bucks, itâs true, but everything else is as bright and perfect as the Technicolor cinematography.
Interesting factoid: it was Asquithâs father, as Home Secretary (and a future Prime Minister), who had ordered the arrest of Oscar Wilde for homosexual acts.
The Importance of Being Earnest â at Amazon
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Š Steve Morrissey 2013
