A solid biopic about Oscar Wilde with a terrific Rupert Everett in the leading role. A great transformation not only physically but also his whole mechanisms as an actor are totally redefined. I would not be surprised if his performance as legendary poet and playwright Oscar Wilde will actually get him Oscar attention next year. Its definitely a performance they soak up and adore. The film itself was fine, but nothing to write home about. I had some troubles with Rupert Everett's direction actually. It could have been better set up and the narrative was a bit weird at times. Performance wise it was not only because of Everett's undoubtedly great performance good. Emily Watson shines as his estranged wife but I had hoped she would have more screen time as she really lived that character and although the screen time was limited she really shined in all of her scenes. Colin Firth was good as well and took care about some comedic relief in a at times too dry biopic.
The score was good and the cinematography fine - offering a lot of beautiful sceneries. Definitely worth to check out for the performance and if you are a fan of Wilde himself as they depict him and his work and language just well.
70 Reviews
Sentimental, sad look at Wilde's later life
PeachesIR18 June 2020
"The Happy Prince" is an interesting, sad look at the great poet and playwright Oscar Wilde at the end of his life, when he lived in poverty, declined health and social exile in France. The film seems like a labor of love for Rupert Everett, its star and director, but the finished product looks a bit low-budget and claustrophobic. The shaky camera work was distracting at times. Anyone who loves Wilde will appreciate this film's sensitive exploration of his inner thoughts and emotions, and how he suffered after his trial, incarceration and social exclusion for his sexual relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas at a time when sex between two men was illegal in England. Although Wilde is shown here living freely in France, he is separated from his two children and his career has been destroyed, so Everett delves into these painful aspects of the writer's later life, partially through dreamily lit flashbacks. "The Happy Prince" is a touching, rather slow film for Wilde fans, but I prefer Stephen Fry's crackling portrayal in Brian Gilbert's "Wilde" (1997), and that earlier film is better overall, perhaps due to superior direction and production quality.
Fails o Ignite
frank-665-1616209 October 2018
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.
The brilliant, last tragic days of genius Oscar Wilde. Great biopic.
JohnDeSando23 October 2018
"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."
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."
A worthy effort
johnandbarrington30 May 2018
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!
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!
Sensitive and compelling but I felt unmoved
willst0120 June 2018
Rupert Everett fulfils a long-held ambition here to make a film about the last days of Oscar Wilde, and in the title role he is simply terrific - he is never off the screen. To write it and direct it as well, however, is to take on too much; indeed the need for an objective view is often apparent when it comes to narrative and structure. The film starts slowly (with a dreadful cardboard cut-out of London by night that could have taken from Olivier's wartime Henry V) and it's some time before the flashbacks (and flashbacks within flashbacks) begin. Supporting performances, especially from Colin Morgan as Bosie and Emily Watson (under-used) as Constance, are excellent and the photography,(particularly in the Italian sequences) beautiful, though I found the half-shadows of the faces in the candlelight rather tiresome. I must add that, for someone who is penniless and constantly on the run, Wilde does possess a large wardrobe. There is more humour than one might expect (I won't spoil your enjoyment by quoting any of the jokes but I found the sequence where the priest (Tom Wilkinson) comes to give Wilde the extreme unction especially hilarious). Great attention is paid to the soundtrack, but why the use of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony at the end? All in all a fine effort, but I did leave the cinema strangely unmoved.
Triumph for Everett
andyge14 July 2018
This is a considerable personal achievement for Rupert Everett who scripted, directed and starred in this film of Oscar Wild's little known final years. The story is always interesting and the direction has moments of genius however it is Everett's wonderful performance that lifts this film above the ordinary. This is a part that he seems to have been born to play and he captures all the pain and regret leading up to Wild's death.Excellent support from Firth,Morgan and especially Edwin Thomas. The best scenes and essence of the story are captured when Everett is singing 'The boy I love is up in the gallery' in a Paris music hall and when he tells the story of the 'Happy Prince'... you can physically feel the pain of a wasted and lost talent.
A disappointment to be sure.
adamjohns-4257510 January 2021
I feel it only fair to compare this film to the earlier production 'Wilde' starring Stephen Fry. Frankly Stephen did a far superior job.
Rupert not only wrote and performed in this one, but he also directed it and as such it came across as a self indulgent film made for him only and not so much for the audience. There is also something smarmy about him that makes it seem vulgar when held up against Mr. Fry's Oscar.
It was quite crudely made and I don't mean the sexy bits, because everyone knows I enjoy those. If anything you didn't see enough for my tastes, but I mean crude in the way of its rough and unpolished finish. I think that done with a more subjective eye, a better budget and locations, sets, etc, the final days of Oscar could be delivered as a masterpiece of the screen. He is a well renowned figure and his death must surely be as interesting as his works and his "Scandalous" life, but Rupert really missed the mark here.
I felt the timeline was all over the place and I did get a bit lost a couple of times. Flashbacks are fine, but it needs to be clear that we are seeing them or have been seeing them for it to work. They were also not the fantastic instances in Mr Wilde's life that we would all crave to see, but a mere recent history before his passing.
No one stands out as a particularly outstanding performer here, but I did like Edwin Thomas as Robbie Ross and not just because he is cute.
Quite simply it does not have the charm and appeal of 'Wilde' and it is very dark in its way, perhaps that was deliberate to show the decline in his fortunes, but it just made it all feel dreary to me.
It was quite crudely made and I don't mean the sexy bits, because everyone knows I enjoy those. If anything you didn't see enough for my tastes, but I mean crude in the way of its rough and unpolished finish. I think that done with a more subjective eye, a better budget and locations, sets, etc, the final days of Oscar could be delivered as a masterpiece of the screen. He is a well renowned figure and his death must surely be as interesting as his works and his "Scandalous" life, but Rupert really missed the mark here.
I felt the timeline was all over the place and I did get a bit lost a couple of times. Flashbacks are fine, but it needs to be clear that we are seeing them or have been seeing them for it to work. They were also not the fantastic instances in Mr Wilde's life that we would all crave to see, but a mere recent history before his passing.
No one stands out as a particularly outstanding performer here, but I did like Edwin Thomas as Robbie Ross and not just because he is cute.
Quite simply it does not have the charm and appeal of 'Wilde' and it is very dark in its way, perhaps that was deliberate to show the decline in his fortunes, but it just made it all feel dreary to me.
Everett's Oscar is an Oscar-worthy performance
MOscarbradley27 June 2018
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.
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.
Wild About Bosie
writers_reign9 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
We are, of course, blessed in England with a language in which often a single word can be made to do double duty and capture a given situation to perfection. I employ such a word in my summary where 'wild' refers not only to the focus of the film Oscar Wilde but also to his ambivalent feelings to his bete noire Lord Alfred Douglas aka Bosie, the object of Wilde's love/lust who treated him abominally and could truthfully be described as Wilde's nemesis.
Rupert Everett's passion for and commitment to the project is undeniable and shines through every frame but like at least one other person writing here I was strangely unmoved ultimately and I cry at card tricks. There was in England - indeed may still be - a manufacturer of brass instruments named Boosey & Hawkes which allowed the observation that Oscar Wilde was fond of blowing his own trumpet - a Bosie & Hawkes. Bosie, it appears, was bad for Wilde in more ways than one.
Not about Oscar.
peterkettle-904-4447172 July 2018
This Oscar Wilde movie - written, directed, and starring Rupert Everett - turned out to be a vacuous vanity production, with no chronology, and no idea, no attempt even, to examine or describe Oscar. This was a portrait of a fairly good actor who should never be allowed to direct, and one who has no narrative sense of the writer's art. Fortunately there were good actors in the background, such as a scene stealing Tom Wilkinson. Colin Firth, Anna Chancellor and Emily Watson provide lessons in how to act to Rupert, which sounds unkind, but this is because the film dwells on Everett narcissistically. It's failure is entirely down to him. It is not a film about the genius it set out to explore. It's all about Rupert dressing up.
Acting masterclass
simon-199-8023558 June 2018
This was an absorbing tale largely because I hadn't a clue about Wilde's last days. The acting was excellent, each actor delivering a completely believable naturalistic turn. Despite the great support acting if the lead, Rupert Everett ( almost unrecognisable) hadn't been so completely absorbing it could have been dire. He was remarkable, managing the multiple tones and moods Wilde goes through. A tale of sadness and joy and redemption. Such an interesting movie.
Everettwhere
Horst_In_Translation26 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"The Happy Prince" is a new British historic drama focusing on the final years in the life of renowned British writer Oscar Wilde. The latter is played by Golden-Globe nominated actor Rupert Everett (slightly under the age of 60) and this film is also the first theatrical release by him as writer and director, so obviously it is a project pretty close to his heart. It runs for 105 minutes and features more established British actors like Firth, Watson and Wilkinson next to Everett, but eventually their characters may bear some significance, but it's all about Everett's Wilde and nobody else. With the exception of the final moments, he is in every scene and he simply makes the movie and everything about it. The film is less about his art really because there are many moment when we hear that his writing career was basically over, for example when he mentions that he sold his newest work to several publishers without having written a single word about it. It's not a biopic. The focus is just on the man's last years and how he was struggling not necessarily with his homosexuality, but with how homosexuality was perceived back in the day. His own approach to (gay) love was dedicated and true, even if the man he showed an interest in did not always have an easy time due to who Wilde was. The part with the alias is the best example. But also they struggled with his preferences because it is never really clear who he loves, who he is just interested in and who he cares deeply about. the only similarity there is that basically all his love interest were considerably younger than him, even very young at times like the flower vendor near the end. The film is as much about homosexuality as it is about everything else. The scene with all these men meeting and one guy's mother eintering the room and expressing her reluctance with the scenario clearly thinking they hid women somewhere while not even getting close to the core of the men's sexual preference because of who she was and how stuff like that had no place in her life by any means. Then there is also the aspect of money, financial struggles and how Wilde eventually moved that deep into poverty that he had to ask a fan for some money in what was maybe the most heartbreaking scene of the film as his sexual tendencies destroyed not only his career, but his life as a whole. The meltdown scene with the boys following him and bullying him is the most obvious example there. Still, he can be lucky throughout the entire film that he never lost touch with friends or was really completely alone, also thanks to his charisma for sure, which stayed for a long time after his writing skills had faded away apparently. For example, during several occasions you see that he was a pretty appreciated entertainer and singer too and not because he was everybody's fool. So I give a big thumbs-up to Everett here, it's fairly impressive for a rookie project there's no denying. And it's obvious that he drew a lot of inspiration from all the big filmmakers he already worked with when making this collaboration between several European countries. It's not a film that will attract a great deal of awards recognition during the big ceremonies I'm afraid, even if it was rock solid in terms of sets and costumes and make-up. I definitely enjoyed the watch and it never dragged and for a film as close to 2 hours as to 90 minutes, that is always a success. I somehow doubt Everett can repeat the awards success Fry had with the same character many years before, but it would not be undeserving at all. And I am writing this as somebody who has virtually no connection with Oscar Wilde as I have not read a single piece of his works I think and also as somebody who is not that big on period pieces in general. But this one deserves to be seen for sure. A thumbs-up without a doubt. Go check it out. Everetts portrayal alone is worth the entire watch.
the expected Mr. Wilde
Kirpianuscus29 April 2018
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".
Good, but not perfect.
anenglishmanabroard9 August 2018
The story is a challenging one to tell, and although all concerned make a valiant attempt to capture the genius and tragedy of the man, somehow the end result is not entirely convincing. At times, a little over dramatic and cliched; and excessively focused on Wild's sexuality. At the end of the film one feels one knows more about Wilde, but does not know him better.
Nothing new to say but beautifully filmed and acted
ponty-846991 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Although it focuses on the less well-known final years of Wilde's life, the script follows a traditional arc and has little new to say about the writer or his relationships.
Ross and Douglas are presented as daggers drawn in the service of a script which identifies them as Wilde's 'good' and 'bad' angels. The reality was much messier, and records show that during Wilde's lifetime they remained friends, at least on the surface. It was only a good while after his death that they fell out, with appalling consequences for both of them. In this context, the film's depiction of the altercation between the two men at Wilde's funeral is particularly ridiculous. If the eye witness account of the poet Paul Fort is to be believed, there was a hysterical scene when Douglas tried to throw himself into the grave, but it didn't lead to fisticuffs with Ross.
This aside, there is much to enjoy in the film, not least Rupert Everett's compelling central performance, its impressionistic structure and the stunning cinematography and costumes. There are also interesting and nuanced supporting performances from Emily Watson and Colin Morgan, even within the strait jacket of a script that has little to add to received wisdom about their characters.
Ross and Douglas are presented as daggers drawn in the service of a script which identifies them as Wilde's 'good' and 'bad' angels. The reality was much messier, and records show that during Wilde's lifetime they remained friends, at least on the surface. It was only a good while after his death that they fell out, with appalling consequences for both of them. In this context, the film's depiction of the altercation between the two men at Wilde's funeral is particularly ridiculous. If the eye witness account of the poet Paul Fort is to be believed, there was a hysterical scene when Douglas tried to throw himself into the grave, but it didn't lead to fisticuffs with Ross.
This aside, there is much to enjoy in the film, not least Rupert Everett's compelling central performance, its impressionistic structure and the stunning cinematography and costumes. There are also interesting and nuanced supporting performances from Emily Watson and Colin Morgan, even within the strait jacket of a script that has little to add to received wisdom about their characters.
Not so Wild(e)
kosmasp15 August 2020
Oscar Wilde - you may have heard the name, you may even know what he did for a living, but did you know what he was like privately? I can only speak for myself: I didn't. I had no idea he was homosexual. That does not take anything away from his work and all the things he wrote. It was hard to sustain or even survive with that sexual preference though, at the time he lived.
Even today there is still a lot of hate against people who identify as gay. Mostly disguised as religious believe, people get a lot of hate. It is more than a shame we have not overcome these things and seem still not able to just let people live their lifes the way it makes them happy. Now go back over a century. As I said, I had no idea about his sexual preference, so I didn't know what this would be about and I also cannot attest if the movie depicts things as close to the truth as they happened. But the story is quite engaging and the actors do the rest. If you are not easily offended by what this movie is about, it is quite decently told
Even today there is still a lot of hate against people who identify as gay. Mostly disguised as religious believe, people get a lot of hate. It is more than a shame we have not overcome these things and seem still not able to just let people live their lifes the way it makes them happy. Now go back over a century. As I said, I had no idea about his sexual preference, so I didn't know what this would be about and I also cannot attest if the movie depicts things as close to the truth as they happened. But the story is quite engaging and the actors do the rest. If you are not easily offended by what this movie is about, it is quite decently told
Syphilis?
WVfilmfem15 December 2018
The sets, actors are superb. This film reveals the obvious degenerate and selfish behavior of Wilde in his pursuit of his sexual preferences, to the emotional abuse toward his wife, whom he married for money, and as an appearance of propriety. It is likely that he contracted syphilis due to his irresponsible behavior, and passed it to his wife. Online articles dispute this, but both his and her symptoms point to latter stage syphilis. In the end, he comes off as a selfish cad, unable to discern good from bad, love from lust. 4 stars for the acting and set designs.
Oscar Wilde's 'afterlife' - bravo, Rupert Everett
davidgee30 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
There have been three excellent previous screen versions of Wilde's fall from grace, but THE HAPPY PRINCE outshines them all.
Pre- and post-Fall are interwoven. Oscar tells 'The Happy Prince', his dark (Grimm) fairy story, to his children in flashbacks from Paris, where he also tells it to a couple of street kids who have become the children of his exile although the older brother is also his rent-boy. Bloated and dishevelled, the old Oscar still has the appetites which sent him to prison. And he still loves Lord Alfred Douglas, who joins Oscar in a villa in Naples (with more rent-boys) in Naples for a few bickering months. Robbie Ross (Edwin Turner) and Reggie Turner (Colin Firth) are the last London friends who offer loyalty and handouts.
Everett's Wilde is as poignant as Stephen Fry's but even more pitiable as poverty and ill-health overcome him. Colin Morgan gives 'Bosie' his prettiest incarnation since John Fraser in 1960. Emily Watson shines in brief scenes as Oscar's wife Constance, also forced into exile by his disgrace. Tom Wilkinson contributes a vivid cameo as the priest brought to Oscar's hotel deathbed. The famous lines about the wallpaper and 'dying beyond my means' are not forgotten; and Everett has scripted a few one-liners Oscar would happily steal the credit for.
The final scenes almost certainly take liberties with the facts, but they add an operatic grandeur to the 'Last Act'. Rupert Everett's long struggle to realise this project is a splendid homage to the tragedy of the 'comeback' that was Wilde's greatest drama, his greatest tragedy. The movie deserves to be garlanded with awards: an Oscar for Oscar!
Pre- and post-Fall are interwoven. Oscar tells 'The Happy Prince', his dark (Grimm) fairy story, to his children in flashbacks from Paris, where he also tells it to a couple of street kids who have become the children of his exile although the older brother is also his rent-boy. Bloated and dishevelled, the old Oscar still has the appetites which sent him to prison. And he still loves Lord Alfred Douglas, who joins Oscar in a villa in Naples (with more rent-boys) in Naples for a few bickering months. Robbie Ross (Edwin Turner) and Reggie Turner (Colin Firth) are the last London friends who offer loyalty and handouts.
Everett's Wilde is as poignant as Stephen Fry's but even more pitiable as poverty and ill-health overcome him. Colin Morgan gives 'Bosie' his prettiest incarnation since John Fraser in 1960. Emily Watson shines in brief scenes as Oscar's wife Constance, also forced into exile by his disgrace. Tom Wilkinson contributes a vivid cameo as the priest brought to Oscar's hotel deathbed. The famous lines about the wallpaper and 'dying beyond my means' are not forgotten; and Everett has scripted a few one-liners Oscar would happily steal the credit for.
The final scenes almost certainly take liberties with the facts, but they add an operatic grandeur to the 'Last Act'. Rupert Everett's long struggle to realise this project is a splendid homage to the tragedy of the 'comeback' that was Wilde's greatest drama, his greatest tragedy. The movie deserves to be garlanded with awards: an Oscar for Oscar!
Sad movie about Ego and Genius
tm-sheehan9 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
My Review - The Happy Prince - 7/10
I have to be honest I can't say I enjoyed this movie as there's not a joyful moment in it but it's very good Cinema and a labour of love and ego by writer,director and star Rupert Everett . This film was ten years in the making while Everett finished the script and found finance and production funding.
After seeing Mapplethorpe the other night ,another biopic of an iconic 20th Century Gay icon ( Oscar just saw 1900 in before his death ) which I think is the better movie the one common thread in both personalities is their shared enormous ego and their genius . It's astonishing to think that it was only 60 years between Mapplethorpe 's great fame and Oscars sad premature death Oscar was 46 and Mapplethorpe was 42.
Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying " The moment is now choose to use your ego instead of Letting it use you."
In both cases I think Wilde and Mapplethorpe's ego was their ultimate destroyer. Emily Watson ,who plays Constance Wilde in the movie says at one point when talking to Edwin Thomas cast as Oscar's one last true friend and past lover Robbie Ross that Oscar destroys everyone who loves him and there's an element of truth in that.
I didn't realise till the end credits that Robbie's ashes are entombed with Oscar . I remember visiting Oscar Wilde's Tomb at Père-Lachaise cemetery and then it was covered with lipstick kisses ,it 's now been cleaned and has a glass barrier to stop this from happening,he's even been robbed of affection after Death.
The inscription on Oscars tomb reads -And alien tears will fill for him Pity's long- broken urn, For his mourners will be outcast men, And outcasts always mourn.
I was very pleased to hear that Bowsie Lord Alfred Douglas played exceptionally well by Irish actor Colin Morgan died in 1942 penniless, he was certainly a shallow and was the prime cause of the ruin and disgrace of Oscar Wilde.
I hope this is the last movie about the life of Oscar Wilde , it's a very good portrayal not at all sympathetic and I'm not certain how accurate? The difference I think in Stephen Fry's interpretation in his film Wilde is it showed the wit and humour and the affection Wilde had for his wife and family after all he wrote the Happy Prince story for his sons in 1888.
Rupert Everett has written ,directed and starred in The Happy Prince ,never a good idea I think as ego has to rule in the end but saying that he had done a good job and just covered the sad last few years of Wilde's absinthe,cocaine soaked years after his torturous trial and cruel imprisonment in Reading Gaol.
Strange to think Oscar Wilde's torment sowed the seeds for Gay Liberation but it wasn't till Stonewall in 1969 when Robert Mapplethorpe was becoming famous that the seeding started to grow and in 72 countries in the world today homosexuality is still criminalised, we can't be complacent.
I have to be honest I can't say I enjoyed this movie as there's not a joyful moment in it but it's very good Cinema and a labour of love and ego by writer,director and star Rupert Everett . This film was ten years in the making while Everett finished the script and found finance and production funding.
After seeing Mapplethorpe the other night ,another biopic of an iconic 20th Century Gay icon ( Oscar just saw 1900 in before his death ) which I think is the better movie the one common thread in both personalities is their shared enormous ego and their genius . It's astonishing to think that it was only 60 years between Mapplethorpe 's great fame and Oscars sad premature death Oscar was 46 and Mapplethorpe was 42.
Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying " The moment is now choose to use your ego instead of Letting it use you."
In both cases I think Wilde and Mapplethorpe's ego was their ultimate destroyer. Emily Watson ,who plays Constance Wilde in the movie says at one point when talking to Edwin Thomas cast as Oscar's one last true friend and past lover Robbie Ross that Oscar destroys everyone who loves him and there's an element of truth in that.
I didn't realise till the end credits that Robbie's ashes are entombed with Oscar . I remember visiting Oscar Wilde's Tomb at Père-Lachaise cemetery and then it was covered with lipstick kisses ,it 's now been cleaned and has a glass barrier to stop this from happening,he's even been robbed of affection after Death.
The inscription on Oscars tomb reads -And alien tears will fill for him Pity's long- broken urn, For his mourners will be outcast men, And outcasts always mourn.
I was very pleased to hear that Bowsie Lord Alfred Douglas played exceptionally well by Irish actor Colin Morgan died in 1942 penniless, he was certainly a shallow and was the prime cause of the ruin and disgrace of Oscar Wilde.
I hope this is the last movie about the life of Oscar Wilde , it's a very good portrayal not at all sympathetic and I'm not certain how accurate? The difference I think in Stephen Fry's interpretation in his film Wilde is it showed the wit and humour and the affection Wilde had for his wife and family after all he wrote the Happy Prince story for his sons in 1888.
Rupert Everett has written ,directed and starred in The Happy Prince ,never a good idea I think as ego has to rule in the end but saying that he had done a good job and just covered the sad last few years of Wilde's absinthe,cocaine soaked years after his torturous trial and cruel imprisonment in Reading Gaol.
Strange to think Oscar Wilde's torment sowed the seeds for Gay Liberation but it wasn't till Stonewall in 1969 when Robert Mapplethorpe was becoming famous that the seeding started to grow and in 72 countries in the world today homosexuality is still criminalised, we can't be complacent.
The Happy Prince
jboothmillard13 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I saw Rupert Everett talking about this film during his Life Stories interview with Piers Morgan, it is his debut as writer and director, I was looking forward to it. Basically, set in 1897, Oscar Wilde (Rupert Everett) has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for gross indecency (homosexuality was illegal at the time). Separated from his wife and children, he arrives in Dieppe, where old friends Reggie Turner (Colin Firth) and Robert "Robbie" Ross (Edwin Thomas) are waiting for him. Wilde assumes the alias of Sebastian Melmoth and tries to rebuild his life. He also wants to make peace with his wife Constance Lloyd (Emily Watson) and writes to her. He is recognised and taunted by some young Englishmen who pursue him into a church. He violently defends himself and receives a severe warning from the police. Oscar reunites with his old lover Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas (Merlin's Colin Morgan), which angers Robbie, whose secret love for him has never been reciprocated. Oscar and Bosie flee together to Naples, where they live for some time in a house in Posillipo. Soon Lady Douglas, Bosie's mother, stops her son his allowance, saying she will resume payments, and give a £200 payoff to Oscar, if the two lovers separate. Despite Oscar's anger, they give in and separate. Shortly afterwards Constance, who had forbidden Oscar any contact with Bosie, dies from complications following surgery, and Oscar is denied any contact with their two children. Now incapable of writing, Oscar goes to Paris, where he lives off his wits and the charity of his old supporters. He is reunited Reggie and Robbie and shortly after finds Bosie, whose has received a large inheritance following the recent death of his father, but Bosie angrily refuses to help him. Meanwhile, Oscar begins to show strange symptoms, including coughing blood, he assumes it is mussel poisoning, but then suspects that it may be syphilis. Oscar shares his misery with two begging brothers he meets, he also tells his fairy tale The Happy Prince, which he always told his children. Oscar's illness gets worse, and he receives a painful surgical operation to treat an abscess (his right ear drum was ruptured in a fall, leading to a collection of pus, swelling and inflammation to cause bacteria) in his ear. His uncertain physical state causes post-operative infections. With his last strength Oscar asks for an extreme Catholic anointing, only to die surrounded by the few friends he has remaining. Oscar passes away from meningitis. At Oscar's funeral, Robbie complains to Bosie that he was a hypocrite, because he mourns the death of the man who had always loved him and whom he had abandoned without showing any gratitude. Bosie says that his words are dictated by jealousy, and that only he will be remembered alongside Oscar Wilde, while Robbie will be forgotten. The epilogue says that Bosie died alone and penniless in 1945, while Robbie died in 1918 and was buried with Oscar. In 2017, Oscar was pardoned together with other people convicted of homosexual offences. Also starring Tom Wilkinson as Father Dunne, Anna Chancellor as Mrs. Arbuthnot, Julian Wadham as Mr. Arbuthnot, Béatrice Dalle as Café Manager, John Standing as Dr. Tucker, and Ronald Pickup as Judge. Everett plays the central role as the fallen playwright, gay martyr and self-destructive cynic, and his writing and direction is reasonably good. It is an interesting portrait of a Victorian icon in his final years, it has flashbacks seeing Wilde's previous glittering success, the subject of horrifying homophobic prejudice is strong, it is obviously a story leading to tragedy, but there are moments of humour to soften it a little, it is a reasonably entertaining biographical drama. Worth watching!
"I'm dying beyond my means"
gradyharp3 March 2019
"I'm dying beyond my means"
Rupert Everett wrote, directed and stars in this visit to the life and fame of Oscar Wilde. Though the film has strong moments the manner of relating this view of Wilde's latter days is somewhat jumbled by the preponderance of French dialogue, strange insertions of the story The Happy Prince as related by Wilde, and somewhat clumsy use of flash-forwards and flashbacks that take the focus of the film's message of how Wilde dealt with his sexuality.
The film suggests the untold story of the last days of brilliant writer Oscar Wilde who in the last part of the 19th century succumbed to his sexual proclivities in homophobic England, where homosexuality was punishable by imprisonment, his prison time, and the striving to find his place upon release from prison. As the synopsis states, 'In a cheap Parisian hotel room Oscar Wilde (Rupert Everett) lies on his deathbed. The past floods back, taking him to other times and places. Was he once the most famous man in London? The artist crucified by a society that once worshipped him? Under the microscope of death he reviews the failed attempt to reconcile with his long suffering wife Constance (Emily Watson), the ensuing reprisal of his fatal love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas aka Bosie (Colin Morgan), the warmth and devotion of Robbie Ross (Edwin Thomas), who tried and failed to save him from himself, and constant friend Reggie Turner (Colin Firth). Travelling through Wilde's final act and journeys through England, France and Italy, the transience of lust is laid bare and the true riches of love are revealed. It is a portrait of the dark side of a genius who lived and died for love. A touching moment takes us off guard as Father Dunne (Tom Wilkinson) offers last rites at story's end.'
Rupert Everett is impressive in his complete submersion in the character of Oscar Wilde. The supporting cast is also very strong. There seems to be a disconnect between the concept and aim of the film and its execution: it wanders a bit much but is still full of entertaining and touching moments.
The film suggests the untold story of the last days of brilliant writer Oscar Wilde who in the last part of the 19th century succumbed to his sexual proclivities in homophobic England, where homosexuality was punishable by imprisonment, his prison time, and the striving to find his place upon release from prison. As the synopsis states, 'In a cheap Parisian hotel room Oscar Wilde (Rupert Everett) lies on his deathbed. The past floods back, taking him to other times and places. Was he once the most famous man in London? The artist crucified by a society that once worshipped him? Under the microscope of death he reviews the failed attempt to reconcile with his long suffering wife Constance (Emily Watson), the ensuing reprisal of his fatal love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas aka Bosie (Colin Morgan), the warmth and devotion of Robbie Ross (Edwin Thomas), who tried and failed to save him from himself, and constant friend Reggie Turner (Colin Firth). Travelling through Wilde's final act and journeys through England, France and Italy, the transience of lust is laid bare and the true riches of love are revealed. It is a portrait of the dark side of a genius who lived and died for love. A touching moment takes us off guard as Father Dunne (Tom Wilkinson) offers last rites at story's end.'
Rupert Everett is impressive in his complete submersion in the character of Oscar Wilde. The supporting cast is also very strong. There seems to be a disconnect between the concept and aim of the film and its execution: it wanders a bit much but is still full of entertaining and touching moments.
Well acted, filmed and scored
edgeofreality19 February 2020
Little to add to all the other reviews. Everett as Wilde, and all the cast around him, are uniformly fine, the sets and photography and music all work well too. The film is depressing because you know it is leading to a sad end - isn't all of life? Anyway, that said, though it holds few surprises, it is an honest attempt to show the downward spiral of a man partly exiled by a hypocritical society, and partly by his own contradictions (and self-destructive passion for a scorpion of a man). Perhaps a little less wallowing in the mud, and a little more time spent on the other characters, would have shed more light on what drove Wilde to betray himself and those who really loved him for a young male tramp.
Uncredible and unnecessary.
khunkrumark18 February 2019
Aging former great writer of plays gets drunk, gets laid and makes a fool of himself in his final days.
The lead character elicits no compassion or sympathy, despite his sickness and in spite of who he is... which would be fine if there was a point to filming this. There's no story to speak of, the flashbacks are too brief to enjoy and there's no interesting distraction from the lead character.
Heavy going would be putting it mildly!
The lead character elicits no compassion or sympathy, despite his sickness and in spite of who he is... which would be fine if there was a point to filming this. There's no story to speak of, the flashbacks are too brief to enjoy and there's no interesting distraction from the lead character.
Heavy going would be putting it mildly!
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