MOVIE REVIEW: The Happy Prince

The later life of Oscar Wilde is brought to the big screen with Rupert Everett writing, directing, and starring as the Dublin Born writer who had it all and through temptation lost it all. We meet him first in his final days in Paris where he’s living in a small room, without much cash, and the years of drinking, drugs, and sex have taken their toll on his mind and body.

When you read that the actor is the writer is the director on a project there is a part of me that cringes with what is going to be on the screen. When I read that Rupert Everett was going to do this with Oscar Wilde I actually calmed down a little. I knew that he wouldn’t do a bad job with Oscar, and that he understood the character of the writer, and the excesses that he indulged in through his life. The film starts by explaining the downfall of one of the most famous faces and characters in London of the time. How a misjudged attempt to defend himself against a court case became his downfall. If you don’t know that during his height of fame he was more popular than Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran combined.

The film is all about the aftermath of the court case and the two years of hard labour that he was sentenced to, remembering at this time that homosexuality was a criminal offence in England. He leaves England in shame, having destroyed the reputation of his wife, and close friends, to the shores of France. But it doesn’t take long for his personal life to follow him there, having to change his name, and living wild with money that was collected for him and the four pounds a week that his estranged wife afforded him. There are many times where the film gets confused by the constant swinging through his life which left me a little confused to how the story is going.

Everett has never been better, having a proper meaty role to get his teeth into, and showing that the lack of respect is also showing the lack of creative output. Usually Everett is the over the top villain, or playing in one of Wilde’s roles. He’s joined by Colin Firth, Emily Watson, and Colin Morgan.

The production values are really good and the costuming is fantastic, also I have to give massive props to the make up department who transform Wilde from the hopeful man who arrives in France to the dying washed up writer surrounded by well wishers and those who really cared for him at the end. This is a tragic story of a man who had it all, but temptation and the indulgent lifestyle tore his talent down, along with the injustice of the time towards homosexuals. Did it give me a deeper insight into one of my favourite writers? The short answer is no. It’s an enjoyable companion piece to the Stephen Fry movie Wilde, with solid performances, and high production values. Worth catching if you can, and if you are interested in the writer, then it’s one to watch.

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