An Ideal Husband (I) (1999)

Minnie Driver: Mabel

Photos 

Quotes 

• Mabel : To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing, and one does not see anything until one sees its beauty.

• Mabel : You are very late!

  Lord Arthur Goring : Have you missed me?

  Mabel : Awfully!

  Lord Arthur Goring : Then I am sorry I did not stay away longer. I like being missed.

  Mabel : How very selfish of you!

  Lord Arthur Goring : I am very selfish.

  Mabel : Lord Goring, you are always telling me about your bad qualities.

  Lord Arthur Goring : I haven't told you half of them as yet, Miss Mabel.

  Mabel : Really? Are the others very bad?

  Lord Arthur Goring : Quite dreadful! When I think of them at night, I go to sleep at once.

• Mabel : Lord Goring, I gather you're to be congratulated.

  Lord Arthur Goring : Well, there's nothing I like more than to be congratulated, though invariably I find the pleasure immeasurably increased when I know what for.

• Lord Caversham : Now, if you don't make her an ideal husband, I'll cut you off with a shilling.

  Mabel : An ideal husband? Oh, I don't think I should like that.

  Lord Caversham : What do you want him to be then, my dear?

  Mabel : I think he can be whatever he chooses.

  Lord Caversham : You don't deserve her, sir.

  Lord Arthur Goring : My dear father, if we men married the women we deserved... we should have a very bad time of it.

• Lord Arthur Goring : I love you... I love you.

  Mabel : Is that your reason then?

  Lord Arthur Goring : Mmm. Mabel, I said...

  Mabel : I know.

  Lord Arthur Goring : Well? Couldn't you you love me just a little bit in return?

  Mabel : Arthur, you silly! If you knew anything about anything, which you don't, you would know that I absolutely adore you.

  Lord Arthur Goring : Really?

  Mabel : Mmm.

  Lord Arthur Goring : Well, why didn't you say anything before?

  Mabel : Because, dear boy, you never would have believed me.

• Tommy Trafford : Miss Mabel, I hope you'll be able to make our usual appointment, as I have something very particular I wish to say to you. Good day, ladies.

  Mabel : When Tommy wants to be romantic, he talks to one just like a doctor.

• Lord Arthur Goring : Shouldn't you be in bed, Miss Mabel?

  Mabel : Lord Goring!

  Lord Arthur Goring : My father always tells me to go to bed, so I don't see why I shouldn't give you the same advice. I always pass on good advice. It is the only sensible thing to do with it.

  Mabel : Well, it's very kind of you to offer, Lord Goring.

• Gertrude : Lord Goring, you are talking quite seriously.

  Lord Arthur Goring : You must forgive me, Lady Chiltern. It won't occur again.

  Gertrude : No, I like you to be serious.

  [Enter Mabel] 

  Mabel : Gertrude, please don't say such a dreadful thing to Lord Goring. Seriousness would be very unbecoming to him. Good morning, Lord Goring. Pray be as trivial as you can.

• Mabel : Do you have anything you wish to say to me, Lord Goring?

  Lord Arthur Goring : Um. No. No, I don't think so.

  Mabel : Then I don't want to hear it. Good night.

• Mabel : Are you coming to the music room?

  Lord Arthur Goring : No. Not if there's any music going on, Miss Mabel.

  Mabel : Well, the music is in German, so you would not understand it.

  Lord Arthur Goring : Quite so. Quite so.

• Mabel : Well, I must tell you that I like your bad qualities and I would not have you part with a single one.

  Lord Arthur Goring : It shows your admirable good taste.

• Mabel : I could see by the glare in his eye he was about to do it again!

• Mabel : He proposed to me in broad daylight in front of that dreadful statue of Achilles. Oh, really the things that go on in front of that work of art are quite appalling. The police should interfere!

• Mabel : Lord Goring, what dreadful manners you have, leaving just as I arrive. I'm sure you were badly brought up.

  Lord Arthur Goring : Mm, I was.

• Gertrude : I'm sorry, Mabel, I'm not in the mood for modern art. You don't mind, do you, if Arthur escorts you in my place?

  Mabel : As long as he promises not to be too serious. For I have observed a worrying trend.

  Sir Robert Chiltern : I swear on my life to be utterly trivial and never to keep my word.

  Mabel : In which case I shall be delighted.

• Mabel : Gertrude, are you quite well?

  Gertrude : Me? Yes, of course. No, I'm not at all.

• Mabel : It certainly didn't look that way.

  Lord Arthur Goring : There's a great deal of difference between looking and seeing, isn't there, Miss Mabel?

• Mabel : I remarked that I was shortly to meet Lord Goring, as we had an appointment to visit the new modern art exhibition at the Grosvenor which, quite frankly, apart from two studies in grey by Whistler, was exceedingly forgettable. And that's exactly what Lord Goring proceeded to do. Namely forget it - before he even saw it, for he never appeared, a fact which I find most upsetting on behalf of myself and Mr Whistler. We're both deciding whether or not to forgive him.