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{{Short description|1952 film by Anthony Asquith}} | |||
⚫ | {{Infobox |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}} | |||
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{{Use British English|date=April 2016}} | |||
image = Importance earnest dvd.jpg| | |||
⚫ | {{Infobox film | ||
⚫ | |
||
⚫ | | name = The Importance of Being Earnest | ||
⚫ | |||
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| image = Importance earnest dvd.jpg | ||
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| caption = ] DVD cover | ||
⚫ | | director = ] | ||
released = {{flagicon|UK}} ] ]<br>{{flagicon|USA}} ] ] (]) | | |||
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| producer = {{ubl|Teddy Baird|]}} | ||
|
| screenplay = ] | ||
| based_on = {{based on|'']''<br>1895 play|]}} | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | | starring = {{ubl|]|]|]|]|]|]|]}} | ||
| music = ] | |||
amg_id = 1:24442 | | |||
| cinematography = ] | |||
imdb_id = 0044744 | | |||
| editing = ] | |||
| color_process = ] | |||
| released = {{Film date|1952|06|02|df=y}} | |||
| studio = Javelin Films | |||
| distributor = ] | |||
| runtime = 95 minutes | |||
| country = United Kingdom | |||
⚫ | | language = English | ||
| gross = £139,000<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Harper|first1=Sue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UyYTDAAAQBAJ&dq=vincent+porter+sue+harper&pg=PA386|title=British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference|last2=Porter|first2=Vincent|date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-815934-6|page=41|language=en}}</ref> | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''''The Importance of Being Earnest''''' |
'''''The Importance of Being Earnest''''' is a 1952 British ] film adaptation of ] by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-importance-of-being-earnest-v24442/cast-crew|title=The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) - Anthony Asquith - Cast and Crew|website=AllMovie}}</ref> It was directed by ], who also adapted the ], and was produced by Anthony Asquith, Teddy Baird, and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ad07dbf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626204336/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ad07dbf|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 June 2019|title=The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)|website=BFI}}</ref> | ||
== |
==Plot== | ||
The story takes place on 14 February 1895. It is about two gentlemen pretending to be people other than themselves. Interwoven in their storylines are two romance-stricken ladies, each possessing an unusual allegiance to the manliness of the name Ernest. London man-about-town Jack Worthing, who hides behind the name Ernest, is an aristocrat from the country with uncertain lineage. His friend, Algernon Moncrieff, is of moderate means and has also created an imaginary character, Bunbury. Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax, has caught the eye of Jack. Jack's ward in the country, Cecily Cardew, has caught the eye of Algernon. Lady Bracknell rules the roost with her heavy-handed social mores. | |||
⚫ | The film is largely faithful to Wilde's text, although it divides some of the acts into shorter scenes in different locations. Edith Evans's outraged delivery of the line "A ''hand''bag?" has become legendary. As actor ] |
||
The story begins in London. Jack and Algy are discussing life and love. Both reveal to each other their imaginary characters, Ernest and Bunbury. Jack reveals that he is in love with Algy's cousin, Gwendolen, and Algy reveals that he is in love with Jack's ward, Cecily. Both gentlemen begin to scheme the pursuit of their love. At tea that afternoon, Jack and Gwendolen secretly reveal their love for one another. Gwendolen makes it known that her "ideal has always been to love someone by the name of Ernest." Jack fears she will find out his true identity. Lady Bracknell inquires as to Jack's pedigree. Jack confesses that he does not know who his parents are because, as a baby, he was found in a handbag in a cloakroom at Victoria Station. Lady Bracknell will not allow her daughter "— a girl brought up with the utmost care — to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel." | |||
The cutting becomes perverse in (theatrical) Act Three where it starts throwing out the best jokes. It also supplies no reason for Lady Bracknell to know where Gwendolen is and follow her there - which is surreal in the wrong way. Earlier oddities include Algy asking why the giver of the cigarette case calls herself Cecily if she is Ernest's aunt, which makes no sense and sounds like a simple mistake. A political line is dumbed down for later audiences so as to result in Lady Bracknell equating Tories and Liberals - actually the opposite poles of the spectrum at the time. | |||
At the manor house in the country, Cecily is daydreaming as her governess, Miss Prism, tries to teach her German. Uninvited, Algy arrives from London and assumes the role of Ernest. While Algy and Cecily are getting acquainted in the parlour, Jack arrives in black mourning clothes and informs Miss Prism that his brother, Ernest, is dead. When Algy and Cecily come out to see him, the sad news loses its believability as everyone now thinks Algy is Ernest. In pursuit of Jack, Gwendolen arrives from London and meets Cecily. They both discover that they are engaged to Ernest, not realising one is Jack and one is Algy. When the men arrive in the garden, the confusion is cleared up. The ladies are put off that neither one is engaged to someone named Ernest. | |||
The film is noted for its acting, yet the parts played by Redgrave and Denison call for actors ten years younger. Redgrave would have been more youthful without his moustache. | |||
Lady Bracknell arrives by train. As everyone gathers in the drawing room, Lady Bracknell recognises Miss Prism as her late sister's baby's governess from twenty-eight years before. Miss Prism confesses that she inadvertently left the baby in her handbag at Victoria Station. Jack realised they are talking about him. He retrieves the handbag from his private room and shows Miss Prism. She acknowledges that the bag is hers. Lady Bracknell then tells Jack that he is her late sister's son and the older brother to Algy. Unable to ascertain who his father was, Jack looks in an Army journal, as his father was a general, and realises that his father's name was Ernest. Thus it becomes apparent that his real name is also Ernest – as Lady Bracknell says, being the eldest son, he must have been named after his father. | |||
The film stands as the most famous adaptation of an Oscar Wilde play. | |||
The film ends with Jack saying, "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital importance of being earnest." | |||
⚫ | ==Awards and nominations== | ||
⚫ | The film received a ] nomination for Dorothy Tutin as Most Promising Newcomer and a ] nomination for Anthony Asquith at the ]. | ||
==Cast== | ==Cast== | ||
{{div col}} | |||
*] as John Worthing | |||
*] as |
* ] as John (Jack) Worthing | ||
*] as |
* ] as Algernon Moncrieff | ||
*] as |
* ] as Lady Bracknell | ||
*] as |
* ] as Gwendolen Fairfax | ||
*] as |
* ] as Miss Prism | ||
*] as |
* ] as Canon Chasuble | ||
* ] as Cecily Cardew | |||
* ] as Merriman | |||
* ] as Lane | |||
* ] as Seton | |||
{{Div col end}} | |||
==Adaptation== | |||
⚫ | The film is largely faithful to Wilde's text, although it divides some of the acts into shorter scenes in different locations. Edith Evans's outraged delivery of the line "A ''hand''bag?" has become legendary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/209-the-importance-of-being-earnest|title=The Importance of Being Earnest|first=Charles|last=Dennis|website=The Criterion Collection|date=24 June 2002}}</ref> As actor ] wrote, it is a performance "so acclaimed and strongly remembered that it inhibits audiences and actors years later," | ||
providing a challenge for anyone else taking on the role of Lady Bracknell.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ian |last=McKellen |url=http://www.mckellen.com/writings/750413observer.htm |title=On The Test of Time |magazine=]|location=London |date=13 April 1975}}</ref> | |||
The film is noted for its acting, although the parts played by Redgrave and Denison called for actors ten years younger. ], who plays Miss Prism in this adaptation, played Lady Bracknell in the 1946 ] production.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8bc073cf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626204337/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8bc073cf|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 June 2019|title=The Importance of Being Earnest (1946)|website=BFI}}</ref> | |||
==Reception== | |||
] called the casting of Dame Edith Evans in the role of Lady Bracknell "true genius".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Weiler|first=A.|date=1952-12-23|title=Oscar Wilde Contributes to Film Fare|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/12/23/archives/oscar-wilde-contributes-to-film-fare.html|access-date=2023-01-29|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | ==Awards and nominations== | ||
⚫ | The film received a ] nomination for ] as Most Promising Newcomer and a ] nomination for Anthony Asquith at the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1953/film/most-promising-newcomer-to-film|title=BAFTA Awards|website=awards.bafta.org}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*'']'' (original play by Oscar Wilde) | * '']'' (original play by Oscar Wilde) | ||
*'']'' (2002 film version) | * '']'' (2002 film version) | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
===Notes=== | |||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
===Bibliography=== | ===Bibliography=== | ||
*The Great British Films, pp |
* The Great British Films, pp 156–158, Jerry Vermilye, 1978, Citadel Press, {{ISBN|0-8065-0661-X}} | ||
* Street, Sarah. ''British National Cinema.'' UK:Routledge 1997. Print. | |||
==External links== | |||
* at the ]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}} | |||
⚫ | |||
* {{IMDb title|0044744}} | |||
* | |||
* {{TCMDb title|id=79049}} | |||
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|1010431-importance_of_being_earnest}} | |||
* {{Screenonline title|452312}} | |||
{{Anthony Asquith}} | |||
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⚫ | {{DEFAULTSORT:Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film), The}} | ||
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{{1950s-comedy-film-stub}} |
Latest revision as of 09:48, 22 December 2024
1952 film by Anthony Asquith
The Importance of Being Earnest | |
---|---|
Criterion Collection DVD cover | |
Directed by | Anthony Asquith |
Screenplay by | Anthony Asquith |
Based on | The Importance of Being Earnest 1895 play by Oscar Wilde |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Desmond Dickinson |
Edited by | John D. Guthridge |
Music by | Benjamin Frankel |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Javelin Films |
Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | £139,000 |
The Importance of Being Earnest is a 1952 British comedy drama film adaptation of the 1895 play by Oscar Wilde. It was directed by Anthony Asquith, who also adapted the screenplay, and was produced by Anthony Asquith, Teddy Baird, and Earl St. John.
Plot
The story takes place on 14 February 1895. It is about two gentlemen pretending to be people other than themselves. Interwoven in their storylines are two romance-stricken ladies, each possessing an unusual allegiance to the manliness of the name Ernest. London man-about-town Jack Worthing, who hides behind the name Ernest, is an aristocrat from the country with uncertain lineage. His friend, Algernon Moncrieff, is of moderate means and has also created an imaginary character, Bunbury. Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax, has caught the eye of Jack. Jack's ward in the country, Cecily Cardew, has caught the eye of Algernon. Lady Bracknell rules the roost with her heavy-handed social mores.
The story begins in London. Jack and Algy are discussing life and love. Both reveal to each other their imaginary characters, Ernest and Bunbury. Jack reveals that he is in love with Algy's cousin, Gwendolen, and Algy reveals that he is in love with Jack's ward, Cecily. Both gentlemen begin to scheme the pursuit of their love. At tea that afternoon, Jack and Gwendolen secretly reveal their love for one another. Gwendolen makes it known that her "ideal has always been to love someone by the name of Ernest." Jack fears she will find out his true identity. Lady Bracknell inquires as to Jack's pedigree. Jack confesses that he does not know who his parents are because, as a baby, he was found in a handbag in a cloakroom at Victoria Station. Lady Bracknell will not allow her daughter "— a girl brought up with the utmost care — to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel."
At the manor house in the country, Cecily is daydreaming as her governess, Miss Prism, tries to teach her German. Uninvited, Algy arrives from London and assumes the role of Ernest. While Algy and Cecily are getting acquainted in the parlour, Jack arrives in black mourning clothes and informs Miss Prism that his brother, Ernest, is dead. When Algy and Cecily come out to see him, the sad news loses its believability as everyone now thinks Algy is Ernest. In pursuit of Jack, Gwendolen arrives from London and meets Cecily. They both discover that they are engaged to Ernest, not realising one is Jack and one is Algy. When the men arrive in the garden, the confusion is cleared up. The ladies are put off that neither one is engaged to someone named Ernest.
Lady Bracknell arrives by train. As everyone gathers in the drawing room, Lady Bracknell recognises Miss Prism as her late sister's baby's governess from twenty-eight years before. Miss Prism confesses that she inadvertently left the baby in her handbag at Victoria Station. Jack realised they are talking about him. He retrieves the handbag from his private room and shows Miss Prism. She acknowledges that the bag is hers. Lady Bracknell then tells Jack that he is her late sister's son and the older brother to Algy. Unable to ascertain who his father was, Jack looks in an Army journal, as his father was a general, and realises that his father's name was Ernest. Thus it becomes apparent that his real name is also Ernest – as Lady Bracknell says, being the eldest son, he must have been named after his father.
The film ends with Jack saying, "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital importance of being earnest."
Cast
- Michael Redgrave as John (Jack) Worthing
- Michael Denison as Algernon Moncrieff
- Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell
- Joan Greenwood as Gwendolen Fairfax
- Margaret Rutherford as Miss Prism
- Miles Malleson as Canon Chasuble
- Dorothy Tutin as Cecily Cardew
- Aubrey Mather as Merriman
- Walter Hudd as Lane
- Richard Wattis as Seton
Adaptation
The film is largely faithful to Wilde's text, although it divides some of the acts into shorter scenes in different locations. Edith Evans's outraged delivery of the line "A handbag?" has become legendary. As actor Ian McKellen wrote, it is a performance "so acclaimed and strongly remembered that it inhibits audiences and actors years later," providing a challenge for anyone else taking on the role of Lady Bracknell.
The film is noted for its acting, although the parts played by Redgrave and Denison called for actors ten years younger. Margaret Rutherford, who plays Miss Prism in this adaptation, played Lady Bracknell in the 1946 BBC production.
Reception
A. H. Weiler called the casting of Dame Edith Evans in the role of Lady Bracknell "true genius".
Awards and nominations
The film received a BAFTA nomination for Dorothy Tutin as Most Promising Newcomer and a Golden Lion nomination for Anthony Asquith at the Venice Film Festival.
See also
- The Importance of Being Earnest (original play by Oscar Wilde)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film version)
References
- Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-19-815934-6.
- "The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) - Anthony Asquith - Cast and Crew". AllMovie.
- "The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)". BFI. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019.
- Dennis, Charles (24 June 2002). "The Importance of Being Earnest". The Criterion Collection.
- McKellen, Ian (13 April 1975). "On The Test of Time". The Observer Magazine. London.
- "The Importance of Being Earnest (1946)". BFI. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019.
- Weiler, A. (23 December 1952). "Oscar Wilde Contributes to Film Fare". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
Bibliography
- The Great British Films, pp 156–158, Jerry Vermilye, 1978, Citadel Press, ISBN 0-8065-0661-X
- Street, Sarah. British National Cinema. UK:Routledge 1997. Print.
External links
- The Importance of Being Earnest at the British Film Institute
- The Importance of Being Earnest at IMDb
- The Importance of Being Earnest at the TCM Movie Database
- The Importance of Being Earnest at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Importance of Being Earnest at the BFI's Screenonline
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest | |
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Films |
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Television | |
Other |
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- 1952 films
- 1952 romantic comedy films
- British romantic comedy films
- Films shot at Pinewood Studios
- Films set in England
- Films set in 1895
- Films based on The Importance of Being Earnest
- Films directed by Anthony Asquith
- Films scored by Benjamin Frankel
- 1950s English-language films
- 1950s British films
- English-language romantic comedy films