The Importance of Being Earnest (The Criterion Collection)

The Importance of Being Earnest (The Criterion Collection)
by Anthony Asquith

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DVD Reviews of The Importance of Being Earnest (The Criterion Collection)

DVD Review: Still the finest film version of the great Wilde play
Summary: 5 Stars

The more significant advantage of the earlier film is the absolutely stunning performances of many of the actors. On a head to head comparison, the newer film suffers dreadfully in comparison. Michael Redgrave has a much solider grasp of the lead role than Colin Firth, and relative unknowns Michael Dennison and Dorothy Tutin are more effective in their performances than Rupert Everett and Reese Witherspoon. Likewise, the great Margaret Rutherford and Miles Malleson surpass Tom Wilkinson and Anna Massey as Miss Prism and Rev. Chasuble. Dame Judi Dench is one of the foremost actresses of her age, but Dame Edith Evans was an even more formidable presence in hers, and in this battle of acting heavyweights, Dame Evans wins by a large margin. But the biggest difference lies in the performances of Joan Greenwood and Frances O'Connor in the role of Gwendolen Fairfax. I am two-thirds in love with Frances O'Connor, and have been since seeing her in MANSFIELD PARK. I continually regret that she is in too few films. Despite this, Joan Greenwood's performance is quite unforgettable. She without any question possessed the most sensual voice I have ever heard, and the way she could take an absolutely trivial line and make it a thing of beauty is unique. Her voice was, in fact, a bit over-the-top. It was too lush and rich for many roles. But it was perfect for this role. Joan Greenwood was a beautiful woman, but she is one of the few beauties I have seen whose looks were eclipsed by her voice.

The amazing thing is that the cast of the more recent film is not at all bad. In fact, in many ways it is very good. The problem for the new film is that the cast of the old one was just so extraordinarily great.

The big problem with the new film is the direction. Oliver Parker made a bevy of unfortunate decisions in crafting the film, like having the initial conversation between Worthing and Algernon take place in a bordello instead of Algy's flat. The notorious tattoos were dreadful beyond comprehension. The final shot, where Lady Bracknell discovers that Mr. Worthing is lying about his first name, was an unjustifiable bit of revisionist mischief making. Anthony Asquith, the director of the 1952 version, isn't at all flashy or virtuosic, but he does have the good sense to get out of the way and let the words carry the film. The viewer won't come away thinking about how marvelously the film was directed, but neither will he or she be thinking about how badly it was done.

I don't recommend against seeing either of these film versions of Wilde's great play, but if one were to see only one, I would definitely urge seeing the earlier one over the new one.

Description of The Importance of Being Earnest (The Criterion Collection)