The Importance of Being Earnest [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Anthony Asquith's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's witty play of mistaken identities stars Michael Redgrave as rich bachelor Jack Worthing. Jack's friend is Algernon Moncrieft (Michael Denison), a poor bloke living on credit. Jack refers mysteriously to Algernon about his country retreat, which drives Algernon to distraction, trying to figure out where Jack goes on the weekends. Jack is also in love with Algernon's attractive cousin Gwendolen (Joan Greenwood). He also has a ward, Cecily Cardew (Dorothy Tutin), who lives at the country estate and studies with local spinster Miss Prism (Margaret Rutherford). When Algernon learns of Cecily, he arrives at the country home claiming to be Jack's brother Earnest, knowing Jack had previously regaled Cecily with tales of having to bail the fictitious Earnest out of scrapes so he could sneak out to the city. Having set her eyes on "Earnest" in the flesh after having heard countless tales of his intrigues, Cecily immediately falls in love with Earnest. Meanwhile, Jack comes back to the country dressed in black, determined to announce to the group the demise of the fictional Earnest. As a result, Jack is stupefied when he sees Earnest standing in front of him. Meanwhile, Algernon's aunt, Lady Bracknell (Edith Evans) refuses to grant permission for Jack and Gwendolen's engagement. However, when Lady Bracknell finds out that Algernon is in love with Cecily, she asks Jack for his blessing on their marriage. Of course, Jack won't give his blessing until Lady Bracknell gives her blessing to his proposed marriage to Gwendolen. All is at a standstill until Lady Bracknell recognizes Miss Prism as a governess from the past who holds secrets concerning both Jack and Algernon. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • Digital transfer
  • Rare production stills with notes by film historian Bruce Eder
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Anthony Asquith

• Producer:

  Teddy Baird

• Screenwriter:

  Anthony Asquith

• Play Author:

  Oscar Wilde

• Cinematographer:

  Desmond Dickinson

• Composer (Music Score):

  Benjamin Frankel

• Editor:

  John Guthridge

• Art Director:

  Carmen Dillon

• Costume Designer:

  Beatrice Dawson

REVIEW:

• Wordplay and situation comedy rule in this 1952 Anthony Asquith adaptation of the Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) play satirizing the marriage and social customs of the English upper crust of the 1890s. All the cast members perform wonderfully, but it is Dame Edith Evans who most engages the audience as snooty Lady Bracknell. Dressed in gaudy Victorian laces and a hat growing a garden of flowers, she turns the queen's English into windy tirades in which every syllable becomes two and parallel sentence structure becomes a lethal weapon. Of her nephew, she says, "He has nothing and looks everything." Of a family that boasts three residences but still comes a-cropper, she says, "Three addresses always inspire confidence, even in tradesmen." Lady Bracknell unwittingly epitomizes a central motif in the film -- and, of course, in the Wilde play -- when she disingenuously criticizes the aristocracy's preoccupation with appearances, "We live in an age of surfaces." Michael Redgrave and Michael Denisor sprinkle zesty wit into their performances as suitors vying to be called Earnest in order to win the hands of their ladies fair, two featherbrains portrayed with charming stupidity by Joan Greenwood and Dorothy Tutin. Meanwhile, roly-poly Canon Chasuble (Miles Malleson), who is given to napping at his desk under a kerchief, woos Miss Letitia Prism (Margaret Rutherford), tutor to one of the featherbrains. Once upon a time, Miss Prism mistook a baby for a book manuscript and placed the poor little chap in a handbag in a railway station and the book in a baby carriage. The fates of all the central characters depend on Miss Prism's recollection of that unfortunate incident. All in all, this is a delightful film that succeeds magnificently with nary a hint of violence or untoward behavior. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi