Film #109 - The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Viewed April 19, 2006
The Importance of Being Earnest is the first filmed adaptation of the famous play of the same name by Oscar Wilde. Earnest has always been one of my favorite plays, ever since I saw it when I was in high school. I even played the lead role of Jack Worthing in a Community Theater production several years ago.
The cast is strong, with Michael Redgrave giving a wonderful reading of Jack. He is portrayed a bit older than jack usually is, but nothing out of the realm of possibility. Michael Denison, who portrays Algernon matches him effectively. (And I would like to note that if I didn’t know better, I’d say that Denison was re-incarnated as Richard E. Grant, given how similarly they look, move and carry themselves.)
The girls are also effective, with Joan Greenwood’s throaty voice giving Gwendolyn a gravity she usually lacks. Dorothy Tutin’s Cecily is more lightweight (if that’s possible), but that’s the nature of the character, so it works just fine. Edith Evans’ Lady Bracknell and Margaret Rutherford’s Miss Prism could stand to ratchet it down a notch, but they aren’t too far out there.
The direction could be a bit stronger, as the whole thing really seems like a filmed stage production, rather than a movie unto itself, but this was common in the day for adapted plays. (Earnest goes so far as to actually open at a theater, on a stage and transitions into the movie.) In the end, The Importance of Being Earnest is a faithful adaptation that does as good a job as could be hoped of bringing a beloved play to the big screen.