The turmoil in poet/playwright Oscar Wilde's life after he discovers his homosexuality.The turmoil in poet/playwright Oscar Wilde's life after he discovers his homosexuality.The turmoil in poet/playwright Oscar Wilde's life after he discovers his homosexuality.
- Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
- 4 wins & 8 nominations total
Jackson Ellis Leach
- Cyril Wilde, aged 4
- (as Jackson Leach)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOrlando Bloom made his film debut in this film, with a brief appearance as a "Rentboy."
- GoofsWhen Oscar Wilde visits his wife's grave near Genoa, the headstone states "Wife of Oscar Wilde." It originally stated only "Constance Mary, daughter of Horace Lloyd, Q.C." and "Wife of Oscar Wilde" was not added until later.
- Quotes
Oscar Wilde: [last lines]
Oscar Wilde: In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants. The other is getting it.
- Crazy creditsThe credits are in the style of the black-ink drawings of Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), leading artist of the Aesthetic movement and colleague of Wilde for whom he illustrated the text of "Salome" in 1894. In the opening credits the pictures reflect the character being played or suggest the role in the production team.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Venice Report (1997)
- SoundtracksAh, Leave me not to Mine Alone
from "The Pirates of Penzance"
Words and Music by W.S. Gilbert (as Gilbert) & Arthur Sullivan (as Sullivan)
Featured review
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.
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.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- 王爾德與他的情人
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,158,775
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $69,424
- May 3, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $2,158,775
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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