The Importance of Being Earnest

Starring:Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor (II), Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Anna Massey, Edward Fox, Patrick Godfrey, Charles Kay, Cyril Shaps, Marsha Fitzalan, Finty Williams, Guy Bensley, Christina Robert, Kiera Chaplin, Alexandra Kobi, Suzie Boyle, Kate Coyne, Bernadette Iglich
Director: Oliver Parker
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Splendidly adapted from the wittiest play in the English language, The Importance of Being Earnest stars Colin Firth as an English gentleman who pretends to be his own brother, named Ernest, so he can enjoy himself in the city without besmirching his reputation at his country estate. Unfortunately, he's just fallen in love with a young woman (Frances O'Connor) who insists that she can only marry a man named Ernest--and when Firth's best friend (Rupert Everett) goes to Firth's country estate pretending to be this same brother Ernest, he falls in love with Firth's ward (Reese Witherspoon), who similarly feels that Ernest is the perfect name for a husband... The absurdity of the plot is matched by the exquisite cleverness of the dialogue, and the performances--particularly Dame Judi Dench as Everett's fearsome aunt--are excellent. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Starring Reese Witherspoon (LEGALLY BLONDE), Colin Firth (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), and Rupert Everett (MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING), here is the hilarious adventure of two dashing young bachelors and the outrageous deceptions they find themselves in over love! Whenever Worthing (Firth) wants to leave his dull country life behind, he makes visits to the city posing as his fictitious "brother" Ernest. There, he becomes smitten with the ravishing Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor, A.I.). But when Worthing is in town, his playboy pal Algy (Everett) is in the country and falling for Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily (Witherspoon) -- while also impersonating Ernest! Pandemonium ensues when these two would-be Ernests find themselves face-to-face and in the predicament of explaining who they really are!

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie.......2007-06-28

I really like this movie. It's very funny. If you like period movies you'll love this.

love this movie!.......2007-06-18

I really enjoy watching this movie. It's really funny and can be watched over and over again. I really like the music and the scenery is just beautiful.

Great Modern Adaptation, But Check out the 1952 Production as Well.......2007-05-13

I love Oscar Wilde, and this is one of my favorite works. His typical satire of high society, love, morality, and marriage are by no means lost in this work.

This film (unlike most adaptations) does a great job at staying true to its print version. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I liked the 1952 verson more. Maybe it's because that's the version I grew up with, but whatever the case maybe, do yourself a favor and check that one out as well. It's just as funny and just as charming if not more. The Importance of Being Earnest - Criterion Collection

Maybe I'm biased but..........2007-02-28

this just could not fail with me. I love Oscar Wilde and this story. I love Rupert Everett and Colin Firth. Put them all in one movie together and what you have is a delightful production complete with wonderful sets, costumes and actors who know how to deliver Mr. Wilde's acerbic wit with brilliance. If you're not acquainted with Oscar Wilde's work this is a good place to start. Then move on to "An Ideal Husband" with the, again, fabulous Rupert Everett and the ever charming Jeremy Northam. You'll not be disappointed!

an earnest review .......2007-02-13

i love this movie!!! it is really funny.i love the parts when Gwendolyn (Frances O'Connor) is driveing and the bike is faster then her and the parts when Algy (Rupert Everett) and Jack (Colin Firth) fight over food (i'll try not to tell you about that much ) there are alot more funny parts !!!!!!! i love colin firth and reese witherspoon (who plays cecily) this is one of my fave movies 2 thumbs up !!!!!!

The Oscar Wilde Collection (The Importance of Being Earnest / The Picture of Dorian Gray / An Ideal Husband / Lady Windermere's Fan)

Average customer rating:

The Oscar Wilde Collection
ejoyable
unforgivably dull
An Uneven Collection
The Best EARNEST!!

The Oscar Wilde Collection (The Importance of Being Earnest / The Picture of Dorian Gray / An Ideal Husband / Lady Windermere's Fan)
Starring: Paul McGann , Rupert Frazer , Alec McCowen , John Quarmby , and John Woodnutt
Director: Stuart Burge , John Gorrie , and Rudolph Cartier
Manufacturer: BBC Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Shaw Collection (Pygmalion / The Millionairess / Arms and the Man / The Devil's Disciple / Mrs. Warren's Profession / Heartbreak House)
Wilde (Special Edition)
The Importance of Being Earnest - Criterion Collection
The Charles Dickens Collection, Vol. 2 (David Copperfield / The Pickwick Papers / The Old Curiosity Shop / Dombey and Son)
The Charles Dickens Collection (Oliver Twist / Martin Chuzzlewit / Bleak House / Hard Times / Great Expectations / Our Mutual Friend)

ASIN: B000062XE1
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Description

"Wilde" about witty dialogue, scandalous secrets and ingenious intrigue?

Let the BBC transport you back to the decadent aristocratic drawing rooms of 1890's England. Lovingly restored, these plays feature a who's who of great actors of the British stage & screen including stars like Sir John Gielgud, Joan Plowright, Jeremy Brett, Susan Hampshire, Margaret Leighton and Gemma Jones.

Rediscover the charm and delight of Wilde's masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest - "To loose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune...to lose both seems like carelessness." - Lady Bracknell

Unleash the chilling and ruthless melodrama of Wilde's notorious novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which disturbed the very foundations of Victorian society.

Indulge yourself in the scandalous gossip and intrigue of An Ideal Husband and Lady Windermere's Fan

"I can resist everything but temptation" - Lord Darlington

Treasure the genius of Oscar Wilde in this complete collection of his major works.

"I have nothing to declare but my genius" - Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest 1988, The Picture of Dorian Gray 1976, An Ideal Husband 1969, Lady Windermere's Fan 1985

Customer Reviews:

The Oscar Wilde Collection.......2007-03-09

I originally ordered the collection to obtain LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN, a play written by Oscar Wilde, inspired by the life of Lillie Langtry, and offered to Lillie Langtry for the original stage production - which she refused for reasons of 'vanity'. The play is very well done. I was also interested in viewing THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. I was only familiar with the Hollywood version of the film. This version, in my opinion, outshines the Hollywood version one thousand fold. Very well done, and very well casted.

ejoyable.......2006-08-09

What can I say? If you like Oscar Wilde, you will enjoy these DVDs.

unforgivably dull.......2006-05-26

I am a fan of Oscar Wilde and of BBC productions, but to make Wilde's plays and stories boring takes either special effort, or decided lack of effort. I've bought this dvd but it's unlikely I'll ever watch it again.

The stagy and low-budget sets are to be expected from older BBC tv productions; the costumes are very nice. Sound and picture qualities are excellent. The actors are mostly very good especially
Susan Hampshire and Jeremy Brett in "Ideal Husband", who each provide provide sorely-needed beauty,youth, and especially, energy. (The overaged Mrs Cheavely acts well, but is miscast). But the pacing and direction of each production is so dull, that I found myself just wanting these to end quickly. The "Earnest" is so slow and boring as to be the most unwatchable of the group, and that should be a criminal offense.

An Uneven Collection.......2005-12-10

"The Oscar Wilde Collection" includes four performances of Wilde's works, and a feature on the life of Oscar Wilde. These were all broadcast on the BBC in the past, and they feature several well-known actors, such as Sir John Gielgud, Joan Plowright, Jeremy Brett, Susan Hampshire, Margaret Leighton, and more.

"The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of Wilde's greatest works. It was first performed in 1895, in the St. James' Theatre in London. However, the performance here is not the original four act version of the play. The written information lists this as being the 1988 production of the play, but the Internet Movie Database shows it as being from 1986, and one can see in the video credits that the 1986 data appears to be correct. This is the story of two men, each of whom use an unreal person to give them an excuse to avoid unwelcome situations. This practice ultimately results in causing more trouble than it avoids for each of them. The performance is good, but far from exceptional. Joan Plowright gives a decent performance as Lady Bracknell.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a performance based on Wilde's 1891 novel. This production first aired in 1976, and I don't think it is very good at all. The only thing worthwhile is the performance of Sir John Gielgud as Lord Henry Wotton. Of course, this is the one work presented here which is not a play in its original form. The story is of a man (Dorian Gray) who wishes he could stay young like his portrait, and have the portrait grow old in his place.

"An Ideal Husband" is originally from 1895, and this is my favorite of the four productions included in this collection. First broadcast in 1969, there are several great performances here. Jeremy Brett is wonderful as Vicount Goring, and Margaret Leighton (Mrs. Cheveley), Dinah Sheridan (Lady Chiltern), and Keith Michell (Sir Robert Chiltern) all deliver strong performances as well. The play involves blackmail, political corruption, and the idea that no one should be judged entirely by their past.

"Lady Windermere's Fan" is a play from 1892. This performance is from 1985, and as with "The Importance of Being Earnest" it is a good, but not great, performance. This play is about the appearance of impropriety which nearly destroys Lord and Lady Windermere's marriage, when she learns that he is spending an unseemly amount of time in Mrs. Erlynne's presence and giving her large amounts of money. Mrs. Erlynne is well played by Stephanie Turner.

The feature titled "The Life and Loves of Oscar Wilde" is well done, and provides a great deal of insight into the man and his tragic end.

The Best EARNEST!!.......2005-01-14

Wilde scholars recognize that any staging of Earnest is to be judged by the performance of the character of Lady Bracknell. In this case, Dame Joan Plowright gives the very best performance of all time: Evans and Dench can't compare! Gemma Jones is good as Prism. The guys doing Algie and Jack are good too.

The Importance of Being Earnest - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

The Importance of Being Earnest
Best Production of "Earnest". Period.
THE Importance of Being Earnest.
"Almost Perfect"
The movie gets 5 stars, the DVD only 4

The Importance of Being Earnest - Criterion Collection
Starring: Michael Redgrave , Richard Wattis , Michael Denison , Walter Hudd , and Edith Evans
Director: Anthony Asquith
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

International | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

All | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Importance of Being Earnest
The Oscar Wilde Collection (The Importance of Being Earnest / The Picture of Dorian Gray / An Ideal Husband / Lady Windermere's Fan)
The Browning Version (Criterion Collection)
Pygmalion - Criterion Collection
Kind Hearts and Coronets - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B00006673M
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Amazon.com

If you're looking for the definitive example of dry British wit, look no further than The Importance of Being Earnest. Of course, it helps to have Oscar Wilde's beloved play as source material, but this exquisite adaptation has a charmed life of its own, with a perfectly matched director (Anthony Asquith was raised in the rarified, upper-class atmosphere of Wilde's play) and a once-in-a-lifetime cast. Mix these ingredients with Wilde's inimitable repartee, and you've got a comedic soufflé that's been cooked to perfection. Opening with a proscenium nod to its theatrical origins, the film turns Wilde's comedy of clever deception and mixed identities into a cinematic treat, and while the 10-member cast is uniformly superb, special credit must be given to Dame Edith Evans, reprising her stage role as the imperiously stuffy Lady Bracknell. To hear her Wilde-ly hilarious inflections and elongated syllables is to witness British comedy in its purest form, fully deserving of the royal Criterion treatment. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Oscar Wilde's comic jewel sparkles in Anthony Asquith's film adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest. Featuring brilliantly polished performances by Michael Redgrave, Joan Greenwood, and Dame Edith Evans, the enduringly hilarious story of two young women who think themselves engaged to the same nonexistent man is given the grand Technicolor treatment. Seldom has a classic stage comedy been so engagingly transferred to the screen. The Criterion Collection is proud to present The Importance of Being Earnest on DVD for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

The Importance of Being Earnest.......2007-06-26

Asquith's impeccable adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play is a delightfully crisp, even subversive satire of British social manners and mores, featuring a splendid, quintessentially British cast. Redgrave and Denison are the epitome of rakish charm, while Greenwood and Tutin play their respective parts with perky, ladylike puckishness. No one outclasses Edith Evans, however, whose hilariously fearsome turn as the disapproving, gold-digging "gorgon," Lady Bracknell, is pure comedic genius. Bright costumes, florid set design, and cheeky "bon-mots" are all part of the fun of "Being Earnest."

Best Production of "Earnest". Period........2007-05-13

If you liked the classic Oscar Wilde play, you'll love this film. There is a new verson (2002) of this film starring Colin Firth and Ruper Everett, but this film is only worthy of a rental at best.

If you love this play, I suggest you see both but only splurge on buying this one. What's the difference between these films? Read the 1st review above, that says it all. Trust me, get this one instead, you WON'T regret it.

THE Importance of Being Earnest........2007-05-07

With all apologies to the newer movie, this is THE version of Oscar Wilde's most famous play to have. Michael Redgrave is absolutely perfectly tongue in cheek as Jack. Margaret Rutherford is Miss Prism to the nth degree. True, she mugs a bit, but who cares. She is hysterically funny. Everyone plays to perfection. And the acting style is so perfectly attuned to the crisp nature of the drama, that one has the feeling of being transported back to a different era - and a good one at that. (The restoration of color is quite good.)

But the reason to get this is Dame Edith Evans. Whether in her recording of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet or as the Aunt in Tom Jones (the older movie), she is always a wonderful character. In this the lines are molded with each and every utterance. No one who has heard it will ever forget, "Prism, where is that baby!?" For her alone you should own this movie. At around 90 minutes, it is perfection itself -- much like Gwendolyn.

"Almost Perfect".......2007-03-25

This mostly winning screen adaptation of Wilde's great farce has to its credit an ideal cast. Though there's no weak link, justice requires that that grand old dragon with the unmistakable, rumbling comic voice, Dame Edith Evans, be singled out for special commendation. As she savors the word "FOUND!!!," it's hard to understand how Michael Redgrave, playing opposite her, was able to keep a straight face. Not far behind her are Joan Greenwood who memorably purrs her witty syllables, and Margaret Rutherford who dithers about, cleverly stumbling over hers. The film also benefits from the gorgeous color which distinguished a number of British movies of the period.

The shortcomings of the film, I'd say, are as follows. First, there is a bit of serious societal subtext to the play which the film, through injudicious cutting of some of Lady Bracknell's lines, pares away. England as a greedy, commercial matriarchy ruled by the Lady Bracknells of the world is unduly subordinated. This toning down is also reflected in the over-the-top costumes given Edith Evans, so that she emerges as more clownish than formidable, more silly old lady than a potentially dangerous, meddling high society dragon. As the play veers from farce toward high comedy, this film adaptation drags it back toward farce alone.

The movie gets 5 stars, the DVD only 4.......2007-03-23

If like me you've come to associate "Criterion Collection" with "loads of fascinating extras" you may find yourself disappointed by this DVD. The extras are very few. But the movie, while not completely faithful to the play, is a joy with wonderful performances all around but especially from the incomparable Margaret Rutherford. The picture quality and sound are excellent, as one expects from Criterion.
Whether you prefer this version of the play to others available is a matter of personal taste. For me, Edith Evans' delivery of the line "Prism, where is that baby?" makes this version a joy not to be exceeded.

The Importance of Being Earnest [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

The Importance of Being Earnest [Region 2]
Starring: Michael Redgrave , Richard Wattis , Michael Denison , Walter Hudd , and Edith Evans
Director: Anthony Asquith
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000056NVI

Average customer rating:

Great Movie
love this movie!
Great Modern Adaptation, But Check out the 1952 Production as Well
Maybe I'm biased but...
an earnest review

The Importance of Being Earnest [Region 2]
Starring: Rupert Everett , Colin Firth , Frances O'Connor (II) , Reese Witherspoon , and Judi Dench
Director: Oliver Parker
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

An Ideal Husband
Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)
Mansfield Park (1999)
Emma (1996)
My Life So Far

ASIN: B000063W2L

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie.......2007-06-28

I really like this movie. It's very funny. If you like period movies you'll love this.

love this movie!.......2007-06-18

I really enjoy watching this movie. It's really funny and can be watched over and over again. I really like the music and the scenery is just beautiful.

Great Modern Adaptation, But Check out the 1952 Production as Well.......2007-05-13

Maybe I'm biased but..........2007-02-28

an earnest review .......2007-02-13

Average customer rating:

Great cast -- but it somehow doesn't quite work
Misleading reviews
WHERE IS THAT BABY!
The definitive cinematic production
A Production Worthy of Wilde!

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Importance of Being Earnest
Pygmalion
The Importance of Being Earnest - Criterion Collection
Separate Tables
The Taming of the Shrew

ASIN: B00004CZVL

Customer Reviews:

Great cast -- but it somehow doesn't quite work.......2002-09-01

Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of the most durable, witty comedy scripts in the history of English-language theater. This production, which originally aired on the BBC's "Theatre Night" anthology, features three actors I usually enjoy: Joan Plowright, Paul McGann and Alison Steadman. Yet, somehow, this production doesn't quite work.

Part of it's the pacing. Part of it is the tone, which is too leaden at spots. But mostly, I think, the problem is Rupert Frazer, who plays Algernon. He's a good actor, but he's performing the show in a different acting style from the rest of the cast, and it's very jarring. Also, he looks older than McGann, who's meant to be playing his elder brother.

There are some funny moments, including the well-played scenes between Cecily and Gwendolyn, but on the whole you're better off watching the brilliant 1952 movie version. As someone else noted, the rave reviews below refer mostly to that film adaptation, which some customers mistakenly believe is on this tape.

Misleading reviews.......2002-06-29

The customer reviews for this tape are misleading. They are written about not about the tape being offered for sale, a 1988 BBC production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Instead, they refer to the 1952 film production, with Michael Redgrave and Dame Edith Evans. This is extremely misleading: after reading the reviews, I ordered the tape thinking I would be getting the 1952 film but got the 1988 version instead.

WHERE IS THAT BABY!.......2002-06-12

At first this production seems stagey and artificial but after a few minutes and Wilde's lines take hold you realize that this is exactly what the material wants. And what material! You can see the actors' delight in this exercise of disciplined high jinks. But it is the women who really shine. Joan Greenwood's Gwendolyn is so enamoured of her own perfection that she almost can't stand it. But she does because she's a lady. Dorothy Tutin as Cecily is a sly puss who not only swallowed the canary but had it served up with a delicious cream sauce. Edith Evans pronounces Lady Bracknell's absurdities with such authority that she is almost terrifying. Like a depraved Saint. And Margaret Rutherford plays Miss Prism at full wattles. A joy.

The definitive cinematic production.......2001-02-21

Oscar Wilde's celebrated masterpiece is a comedy on three levels. First there is the denotative level, one might say, the level in which the bourgeois are entertained après dîner. It is on this level that Oscar Wilde follows the great theatrical tradition of comedy from the time of the Greeks through Shakespeare and French farce into the twentieth century to the musical comedy of the London and New York stage. His play on this level is a comedy of manners, pleasant, charming and very clever. The class conscious jokes about the lower orders and the servants are double-edged and add just a touch of squirm to the laughter of the not completely discerning audience. It is on the second level that The Importance of Being Earnest becomes one of the greatest plays ever written. On this level, the comedy is a full blown satire of Victorian society, and in particular of its audience. Wilde had the very great pleasure of flattering and making fun of the audience while being applauded for doing so. His subtitle for the play, "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" is an allusion to these two levels. It is on this second level that Wilde speaks through the voice of Lady Bracknell (and sometimes Algernon), whose ironic and unself-conscious cynicism is so like his own. It is on this level that all the fun is made of the hypocrisy of marriage and its mercenary nature, at least as practiced by the petite bourgeoisie of London town, circa 1895. But there is a third level, a level known of course to the cognoscenti of the time and to modern audiences, but for the most part never dreamed of by the London theater-goers of the day. In this regard I have recently read that "Earnest" was a slang euphemism for being gay, and I suspect this is true. Indeed, I can imagine a whole world of witticism based on being "earnest" and being "Ernest," a world now (perhaps charitably) forgotten. Certainly this knowledge sheds some light on Jack's invention of his invalid friend "Bunbury," whom he finds he must visit to escape unwanted social engagements.

One of the best things about this great play is one can appreciate it on any one of the three levels and find delight on that level alone. One can see Worthy as John Worthy, or as Jack Worthy, or as Ernest Worthy, however one likes. This adaptation, starring the incomparable Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell, and Michael Redgrave (father of Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave) as John Worthy is of course the justly celebrated, clearly definitive screen adaptation. It should be noted, however, that Lady Bracknell is the real star of the show, and when she enters a scene, she steals it. Edith Evans was brilliant and unforgettable and obviously having a wonderful time. Margaret Rutherford is a scream as Miss Prism and Miles Malleson as Chasuble is just, shall I say, darling. I should note that both the male leads were a touch too old for their parts. Redgrave was 42 and Michael Denison, who played Algernon, was 37 when the movie was released in 1952. Yet I think Oscar Wilde would have approved of the casting, probably finding it admirable and fitting that these two men about town would have avoided marriage for so many years. (I won't mention the ages of the actresses.) Joan Greenwood as Gwendolyn achieves just the right amount of flaky innocence and calculated whimsy, while Dorothy Tutin is the very definition of the spoiled, sweet and adorable, man-hunting Cecily Cardew. The direction by Anthony Asquith is unnecessarily directive in the sense that he moved some scenes around, but is essentially without harm.

The best way to appreciate this play, and to pick up all the nuances, and there are nuances aplenty--and jokes upon jokes, sharp social and political observations, and witticisms within prevarications, and lies that are truths and vice-versa--is to view the video, just appreciating it on one level, then read the script, and then view the video again. You're in for a treat.

A Production Worthy of Wilde!.......2000-11-28

For those of you who read my review on this book, you know that I gave it 4 stars. And this movie in no way falls short of the book! The right actors do the right parts, the acting is superb, the images are well done, the background music fits in nicely, and the pace is always maintained well. Subtle humor and hilarious events are juggled well. These people even managed to delete some of the material that doesn't really need to be there. It is rare these days to be able to find just the right person for the right part, create the perfect images, and maintain the essence of the book. But these people do it wonderfully! If you enjoyed the book, you WILL NOT want to miss this movie!

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Ram Dass: Fierce Grace

My Baby Know-It-All: Colors & 123's...and So Much More!

Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: The Bridge (Die Bruecke)

Various Artists - Boston Beatdown Vol. 2