"The Trials Of Oscar Wilde" was pretty much, a commercial failure but WHO did "tortured soul" better than Peter Finch, be it here, or "Far From The Madding Crowd" (which I sadly didn't value when I saw it in the cinema aged 15) or the cult figure of Howard Beale in "Network." You could say that Faye is "Dunawaywith" as I fast forward through her and ecumenical halfwits and the rest, Peter Finch is the star of the movie and is head and shoulders above the rest, even above the great William Holden.
As Oscar Wilde he is the perfect example of arrogance and extreme hedonism, it's quite possible to think "He had it coming to him, flaunting himself like that in Victorian Britain." and "The law was unbelievably savage towards men with his sexual proclivities." and how wretched that the "blackmailer's charter" survived until 1967, all at the same time. In that sense, this film and Dirk Bogarde's "Victim" were risky and very very brave to star in as the lead character under scrutiny.
If this film has a weakness, it's in the form of Lionel Jeffries, whose performance as the raving lunatic, Queensberry is too much of a cartoon caricature, even if the wretched oaf WAS mad. I'm not sure who I would've preferred in the role, but Jeffries was surely not the best choice around?
But apart from him, the performances are excellent, John Fraser, James Mason, Nigel Patrick and Emrys Jones give Finch a run for his money. Yvonne Mitchell seemed a bit uninspiring to me, and in their shared scenes, Maxine Audley was able to out-act her with just a look. Audley would've been the better choice as Constance Wilde. That said, Sylvia Syms played Mrs Farr in "Victim" very much the same way as Mitchell played Constance Wilde, simply not understanding losing her husband to a younger man and all the while, living a lie and dreading the mockery if the secret got out. "Dignity...always dignity." comes to mind.
The sets were fine....it's an irony that both Peter Finch and Maxine Audley appeared at Oscar's favourite theatre "St James's" before the act of vandalism that saw it demolished. COULD any actor or actress who played on that stage NOT think of its history and solid connection with Oscar Wilde's plays? The home of the Queensberry's is seen to be an uninviting, marble infested, cavernous tomb. Even without the raving mad Marquis being present, it looked a horrible place to be. Add the glorious colours and this was a movie that was meant to be seen then talked about. The music score is memorable, if a bit too strident for my own tastes.
Well worth 9/10.
As Oscar Wilde he is the perfect example of arrogance and extreme hedonism, it's quite possible to think "He had it coming to him, flaunting himself like that in Victorian Britain." and "The law was unbelievably savage towards men with his sexual proclivities." and how wretched that the "blackmailer's charter" survived until 1967, all at the same time. In that sense, this film and Dirk Bogarde's "Victim" were risky and very very brave to star in as the lead character under scrutiny.
If this film has a weakness, it's in the form of Lionel Jeffries, whose performance as the raving lunatic, Queensberry is too much of a cartoon caricature, even if the wretched oaf WAS mad. I'm not sure who I would've preferred in the role, but Jeffries was surely not the best choice around?
But apart from him, the performances are excellent, John Fraser, James Mason, Nigel Patrick and Emrys Jones give Finch a run for his money. Yvonne Mitchell seemed a bit uninspiring to me, and in their shared scenes, Maxine Audley was able to out-act her with just a look. Audley would've been the better choice as Constance Wilde. That said, Sylvia Syms played Mrs Farr in "Victim" very much the same way as Mitchell played Constance Wilde, simply not understanding losing her husband to a younger man and all the while, living a lie and dreading the mockery if the secret got out. "Dignity...always dignity." comes to mind.
The sets were fine....it's an irony that both Peter Finch and Maxine Audley appeared at Oscar's favourite theatre "St James's" before the act of vandalism that saw it demolished. COULD any actor or actress who played on that stage NOT think of its history and solid connection with Oscar Wilde's plays? The home of the Queensberry's is seen to be an uninviting, marble infested, cavernous tomb. Even without the raving mad Marquis being present, it looked a horrible place to be. Add the glorious colours and this was a movie that was meant to be seen then talked about. The music score is memorable, if a bit too strident for my own tastes.
Well worth 9/10.