The Importance of Being Earnest
Directed by Anthony Asquith
Written by Oscar Wilde
1952/UK
British Film-Makers in association with Javelin Films (both uncredited)
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.
I find this to be supremely re-watchable.
Jack Worthing (Michael Redgrave) and Algernon Moncrieff (Michael Denison) have a lot in common, despite their non-stop bickering. They both have created elaborate excuses to leave their obligations behind on a moment’s notice. Jack has invented an imaginary younger brother named Errnest, whose constant scrapes call him back to town from his country house. In town, he uses the name Ernest and in this guise has won the heart of Gwendolyn Fairfax (Joan Greenwood). Algernon, Gwendolyn’s cousin who lives in town, has a chronically ill friend named “Bunbury” who lives in the country and requires his constant attention.
Jack works up the courage to propose to Gwendolyn and is readily accepted. The catch is she loves him largely because of his pseudonym, Ernest. Jack’s second problem is that Gwendolyn’s harridan of a mother (Edith Evans) is a stickler for “family” and he has none to produce.
Matters only get more complicated when Algernon shows up at Jack’s country house posing as Jack’s younger brother Ernest. He and Jack’s ward Cecily fall immediately in love. Of course, Cecily loved him before she met him, largely because of his enticing name, Ernest. With Margaret Rutherford as Cecily’s governess, Miss Prism, and Miles Matheson as the country rector, Canon Chasuble.
This is a decidedly stage-bound version of the Oscar Wilde farce. It works extremely well due to the pitch perfect performances and the already artificial nature of the proceedings. The entire thing is quotable. Highly recommended.
Clip – Lady Bracknell quizzes Jack on his lineage – very possibly the funniest scene in the play
