The Happy Prince - L'ultimo ritratto di Oscar Wilde

If you are an admirer of Rupert Everett, you must see this film. if you are one of admirers of Oscar Wilde , you must see this film. I admit, I am both. Oscar Wilde was one of familiar names across my childhood for his tales. at first moment, I saw the title of film and the suggestion than it represents an adaptation of the tale with same title was the first temptation. Rupert Everett was a discover from the "90 's . and one who I admire role by role. so, ambiguous expectations , tensioned in part. from the actor. but, more, from the director. and "The Happy Prince" was the perfect answer to each of expectations. I saw it with not real comfortable feelings. because the adaptations of Oscar Wilde life are many and, for me,Stephen Fry was the ideal Oscar Wilde. I discovered the film after I was read the last lines of Peter Ackroyd "The last testament of Oscar Wilde". and I discovered seeng the film not only the images of book, but the subtle and precise and seductive force of Rupert Everett talent, not exactly a revelation but a clear win in a not comfortable battle. I discovered the traits of Constance Hollande in the fine and nuanced and wise performance of Emily Watson. and a Bossie who give to me confirmation about the art of Colin Morgan. after its end, an only thought - the director could be better. the lead actor did an admirable work. and the cinematography is real great. so, "The Happy Prince".

"And all men kill the thing they love/ By all let this be heard/ Some do it with a bitter look/ Some with a flattering word/ The coward does it with a kiss/The brave man with a sword!" Oscar Wilde (Rupert Everett)

Because I am a devoted fan of Oscar Wilde, I had to open this review of The Happy Prince with his famous final stanza from The Ballad of Reading Gaol. It's his wisdom for those foolishly thinking love is always benign, and it signals Wilde's own ironic awareness of his complicity in landing for two deadly years in Reading for gross indecency (homosexuality).

The stanza also may allude to the disaster he brought the many he loved, male and female. As his first and final love, Robbie Ross (Edwin Thomas), declares, "He'll eat you."

The Happy Prince tells of Wilde's last days after his tragic imprisonment; he is subject to taunts even from Parisians, so famous was he round the world. An "exiled fairy" he called himself. Because homosexuality was outlawed in England, it is especially ironic that the once most famous author of the 1890's should be vilified with universal shame.

In 2017 he and other convicted sodomites were pardoned, small comfort to those of us who believe he could have had more greatness like The Importance of Being Earnest and The Ideal Husband to come.

This film carefully chronicles Wilde's self-destructive self-indulgence, living high when he didn't have the funds and returning to the arms of Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas (Colin Morgan), the beautiful young man he loved, whose love cost Wilde the years in jail and everything else. Wilde himself says, "I am my own Judas."

The recurring theme song, "The Boy I Love is Up in the Gallery," resonates with the joy and sorrow he brings to himself. Empathetic director-actor Everett also suffered professionally when he came out at the age of 25. This film, however, should bring him universal acclaim.

That story of Wilde's life is available on film and in biography, but Everett has given us the final period not dramatically and universally enjoyed until now with a fine performance he sharpened from many years playing the doomed wit on stage, set here in Paris, Normandy, and Naples, and set production in Bavaria and Belgium.

This Wilde is disconsolate, weary, and dissolute with not enough of his witticisms and epigrams to my liking. In fact, as seemingly realistic as it is, it is perhaps too gloomy for a general audience. But for literature and art house lovers, it's nectar.

Somewhere in the middle of the film, Wilde says his most famous final words: "I am dying beyond my means. I can't even afford to die. This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One of us has got to go." Wilde is arguably the most quoted author after Shakespeare, and these words show how even death by meningitis can't stop his wit.

BTW: Research his countless epigrams-you'll spend an afternoon in bliss. These are three samples:

"I think that God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability."

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."

"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his."

Dorothy Parker gives the ultimate praise:

"If, with the literate, I am Impelled to try an epigram, I never seek to take the credit; We all assume that Oscar said it."

All credit to Rupert Everett for bringing to life his story of Wilde's final years following his exile from England after his release from prison.

The film is never less than interesting and often fascinates but it suffers because Everett cannot fully live up to his decision to play the lead, write the script and helm the picture. He's best when acting but even this falters in some scenes with Bosie that are distinctly undercooked. The script in parts needed a tighter edit and there's only so much reflected light in the camera that you can put down to cinematic meaning making and artistic licence. Sorry Rupert - just too little butter over too much bread I'm afraid.

However, the film is never less than distracting and Everett successfully makes Wilde the man that he was: At once irritating, outrageous but always to be loved. His performance of Wilde incited many emotions in me but I always returned to compassion.

Worth a look!

Rupert Everett was born to play Oscar Wilde, at least the older Wilde, (Everett is now 59). I'd already seen him play Wilde on stage, magnificently, in David Hare's "The Judas Kiss"; now he has written and directed the film "The Happy Prince" which deals in large part, (it's mostly told in flashback), with the period after his release from Reading Gaol. He, of course, takes on the role of Wilde once again and gives the kind of performance that should get him an Oscar of a different kind.

This is no vanity project but one full of passion and love of his subject. He gives us an Oscar that is vain, glorious and in the throes of the most terrible pain; this is an Oscar warts and all. He dominates every frame of the picture but has also assembled a superb supporting cast. Both Colin Morgan as Bosie and Edwin Thomas as Robbie Ross are splendid but so too are Emily Watson as Constance, Colin Firth as Reggie Turner, John Standing as his doctor and Tom Wilkinson as the priest who gives him the last rites. These may amount to nothing more than cameos but what glorious cameos they are. This is an actor's piece and no mistake.

However, for a work that is primarily literary and for a first-time director Everett also displays a very keen visual eye. This is a handsome period piece but far from a stuffy one. Everett manages to capture the flavour of Oscar's rise and fall beautifully. Here is a film that is heartbreakingly sad and strangely uplifting at the same time, a real testament to Wilde's genius, (it's certainly the best Wilde movie to date), and one of the best LGBT-themed films of recent times. Unmissable.

Sorry to dampen your spirits. I wanted to like this film a lot but it fails to excite. Fails to ignite and in the end feels like a muddled wet blanket excuse for a movie making experience. Hey, the scenery, the camera work and attention to detail is great. Very evocative. The actual story and editing is less so. It strikes me as the type of film a real enthusiast for Oscar Wilde would make as a homage to the man and then struggle through heaps of revisions and funding cuts and criticism from various studios to get it made and then at the end - prove that the critics were right. It's not very good because the writer's vision splendid didn't really cut through or know what it sought to portray except to say - "I love Oscar Wilde!" Because in the end, we as passive viewers don't really care about Oscar at all. Towards the end of the film, I turned to my wife and whispered to her that this film despite its best impulses, actually damns Oscar Wilde as a self indulgent narcissist. A prat by sheer accident. I don't think that was the intention of the film-makers! She agreed. No real insight to the creative spirit of the man and she lost interest and went to bed. The trailer looked terrific but the movie despite it's best endeavours to immortalise the man - actually makes you lose all sympathy for him and strangely you feel unmoved by his predicament at the end.