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Wilde - Special Edition

Wilde - Special Edition

List Price: $29.95
Your Price: $23.96
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Society often forgives the Criminal;
Review: It never forgives the Dreamer, -Oscar Wilde. As an Oscar Wilde enthusiast I was very impressed by this film, my first out-of-book experience with Wilde's life. Before I watched the movie, I briefly reviewed the biography The Dramatic Life and Fascinating Times of Oscar Wilde, by Martin Fido and was very quite thrilled to find many direct quotes in the movie. Though not entirely historically accurate, it was commendably close for a modern feature film. Stephen Fry captures all of Wilde's wit and courage perfectly. The bratty Bosie, came to life before my eyes with a depth I never before imagined, as played by the divinely beautiful Jude Law. Law reveals Bosie as both a spoiled child and a young man desperate for love and attention in ways he does not understand. This movie offers a touching look at the binding love that "dare not speak it's name." The most moving scene is most definately where Wilde says goodbye to Bosie from prison. As their time runs out they clasp hands through the bars and the camera cuts to the side to show Bosie among the wives of all the the other prisoners. I reccommended for all Wilde fans out there. Though it lacks all the detail of Wilde's literary life, it displays in full color all the raw (and sometimes naked) beauty and tragety in the life of this historical genuis.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Wilde deserved better (part 2)
Review: As a rule, I don't like to put movies down too hard in my reviews, but this time I can't overstress how unhappy I am to have wasted two hours of my time watching something so unpleasant. Wilde has got to be the worst movie I have seen in the past few years. I am saying this from the standpoint of someone who absolutely loves Oscar Wilde and happens to know plenty about him as an artist and as a homosexual.

The actual facts may come near enough the truth, but the whole atmosphere of the movie is completely off-key. To put it mildly, it is squalid, and squalor - of all things - seems to me to be the one Oscar Wilde would have tried the hardest to keep out of his life. In this movie, on the contrary, Wilde's life is mercilessly presented as turbid, unrighteous and overall devoted to nothing else but physical pleasure - mainly to cheap sex-making.

All this, to make things even worse, in the company of the most revolting creatures imaginable - all of them being, in one way or in another, quite pathetic. Of course, Lord Alfred Douglas wins first prize in this "moral hideousness" contest. Annoying as "Bosie" must have been in real life, I find it hard to believe that he could have been so to that extent. There must have been something pleasant about him, besides his plump lips and rear-end.

To make it short, there is not one character in this film with a well-rounded personality - they are all, with no exception, caricatures of the "real thing." The acting is poor and the dialogues flat. And that's not it, I'm afraid... The cinematography is repetitive and rhetorical, and the score is honestly hard to put up with. I was shocked to find out that a person as intelligent and fascinating as Oscar Wilde was could be described with such shallowness. This movie, in my opinion, does Wilde no justice at all.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Earnest? It might be important...
Review: I like Oscar Wilde. When I rented this movie, knowing that Wilde was homosexual, I expected there to be some homoerotic moments. However, I didn't expect these scenes to emerge quite so quickly, and last nearly the entire course of the film. I did enjoy the film--Fry and Law were amazingly like the characters they portrayed--but I was kind of surprised at how much of the film focused on Wilde's sexual side. I suppose I was thinking that the movie would have been more about his works than about his sexuality. It was educational, though, and provided an interesting glimpse into Victorian England's society and expectations.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Quite Good
Review: I thought that this film was very good...wonderful acting by Mr.s Fry and Law(esp. Law, he was excellent as Bosie)...terrific portaryal of Victorian England, it was just good all around!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Every piece works separately; all pieces put together-don't
Review: I wish I could say that I simply loved this film, because it hurts me to say that I don't. I can't defend it, no matter how much I love Stephen Fry, Oscar Wilde, Jude Law, and British cinema itself. Something in this film just does not click. The cast is superb (especially, Vanessa Redgrave and Jude Law, who each get 5 stars on my list). The costumes are great. The story is more or less historically correct. Mr. Fry is amazingly LIKE Oscar Wilde himself (physically and mentally). However... after watching this film four times (first time, during film festival, where Mr. Fry presented the film himself... Of course, everyone waited for Jude Law), I think that the best film about Oscar Wilde is still ahead of us.... This film did open a new level of discussion, though... It is a pitty that Mr. Fry and Mr. Law had played in this one, because I don't think it is humanly possible to find two other men, who would be so perfect for their roles: one - almost Oscar Wilde himself in his looks, talent, heritage, and personal life; another - so devastatignly and ruthlessly beautiful that he could cause destruction of a human soul. But, hey, may be they could shoot "Wilde-2" in a good old Hollywood tradition? After all, we did not see Wilde die at the end of this film. He still had two years to live after the film was over.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: some might like it...
Review: I saw this movie in literature class a few months ago. We were reading some of Wilde's work and I guess our teacher wanted to give us some info about his life. Anyway, this is NOT the kind of film you should show 15 year old students... The acting is good but I think the movie should focus more on his work. Some people might like it but I (and the rest of my class) didn't enjoy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb Movie - Wonderful Acting
Review: This is by far the best movie made in recent years. I have always been a fan of Oscar Wilde and to see Steven Frye play him so elegently was a wonderful gift to the artists' soul. I don't think that anyone else could have played the part with such belief and feeling - he was flawless.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of Jude Law's greatest performances
Review: I work in a library and Oscar Wilde materials do not circulate very much. I must say he is a terrific writer and this video is excellent and to the point covering his life and his lifestyle. The performances are amazing by all the talented actor's, male and female, but no performance was as great as Jude Law's. Just watching the movie to see Jude perform was worthwhile.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: beautiful and well-done
Review: I am so glad I came upon this wonderful movie and discovered Oscar Wilde! I had never read a thing by Mr. Wilde (I rented this movie because Jude Law was in it), but after watching "Wilde", I got a book of his works, and he is now my all-time favorite author. "Wilde" is a fabulous movie about an exraordinary and fascinating man--his life, rise to fame and fortune, and terrible downfall. Stephen Fry is excellent through and through--he was born to play Oscar. Jude Law, playing Oscar's selfish, petulant, but extremely handsome lover Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, is equally brilliant, giving Bosie a wicked charm--you hate him, and yet you're drawn to him. This magnetic charisma is what trapped and ultimately ruined Wilde. The supporting actors are all great--I especially enjoyed Michael Sheen as Robbie Ross, Oscar's undyingly loyal young friend, and Jennifer Ehle as his wife Constance. Overall, this is a just plain good movie, and I highly recommend it. And one last thing: hats off to the casting director--the actors all look close to identical to the people they portray.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: -
Review: I loved this movie tremendously and was repulsed and attrated to Bosie.


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