The Happy Prince **** (2018, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas, Tom Wilkinson) – Movie Review

In his tour-de-force labour of love The Happy Prince, Rupert Everett tells the story of the last days in the tragic times of Oscar Wilde, a pitiful wreck of a broken man, more sinned against than sinning, just like King Lear, who was equally conceited, foolish and misguided but also warm, loving and good hearted.

As is well known, Wilde is brought down by his obsessive love for a handsome wastrel – Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas (Colin Morgan) and allows this to destroy him in the first place, with the help of the shameful laws in Britain at Wilde’s time of and Bosie’s vindictive, homophobic father, then won’t allow his friends to bale him out of his French exiled mess. None of Wilde’s famous wit is going to help him escape his appalling fate.

It is a horrible, heartbreaking story, and as writer, director and star Everett brings out the full poignancy and power of it. Tears must be shed for Oscar.

Obviously The Happy Prince is The Rupert Everett Show, and he is pretty darned near magnificent, getting deep in touch with all the pathos and humour he can find in the character. But Everett also gets by with a little help from his friends, Colin Firth as Robbie Ross, Emily Watson as Oscar’s estranged wife Constance Wilde, and Edwin Thomas as Robbie Ross (all of them very good), along with (briefly but effectively) Tom Wilkinson as the last-rites priest Father Dunne, Anna Chancellor as the kind Mrs Arbuthnott, Julian Wadham as the nasty Top Hat, Béatrice Dalle as the French Café Manager, Ronald Pickup as the Judge and John Standing as Dr Tucker. All of them could have more to do but then it is The Rupert Everett Show.

The cinematography and production are outstanding, looking lush and expensive, helping Everett produce a cinema-worthy biopic out of what is essentially an intimate drama, not just a standard TV episode. But it is Everett’s heart-on-sleeve passion for the project that really makes the film special.

At the end we read the the British Government has recently in 2017 pardoned Wilde along with many others (including Alan Turing) jailed and broken for being gay. It all seems too little and too late.

Other Oscar Wilde films include The Trials of Oscar Wilde with Peter Finch, Oscar Wilde. with Robert Morley and Wilde with Stephen Fry.

Rupert Everett, nominated for directing and starring in the Oscar Wilde biopic The Happy Prince, was named British/Irish actor of the year at the 2019 London Film Critics’ Circle awards.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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