Oscar Wilde Movies

One of Oscar Wilde's most popular plays is given a new screen interpretation in this period comedy. In New York in the early '30s, Mrs. Erlynne (Helen Hunt) is a widow who lives comfortably through the largesse of several married men, and when she runs out of wealthy suitors in Manhattan, she decides to find greener pastures among the wealthy elite of Italy's Amalfi coast. Mrs. Erlynne sets her sights on Robert Windermere (Mark Umbers), a wealthy Englishman who is married to the young, innocent and very beautiful Meg (Scarlett Johansson). Mrs. Erlynne gingerly tries to separate Robert from his wife and his money, fueling suspicions within Amalfi society as well as the audience that they are involved. Humiliated and ready to beat him at his own game, Meg begins to consider the advances of the handsome Lord Darlington (Stephen Campbell Moore), one of her husband's close friends. In the midst of all the attempted infidelity, the genially eccentric Tuppy (Tom Wilkinson) struggles to win Mrs. Erlynne's hand, while only one of the interconnected parties know that she carries a shocking secret. A Good Woman was based on Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, with its title drawn from that show's subtitle, "A Play About a Good Woman." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A made-for-TV production of one of Oscar Wilde's peerless stage comedies, this frothy satire concerns Lord Arthur Goring and his close friend Sir Robert Chiltern. Arthur is a wealthy but unambitious man who is proudly lazy and uses his not inconsiderable knowledge and wit for no profitable purpose, other than verbally sparring with Mabel Chiltern, Sir Robert's sister and a woman of no small beauty and charm. Mabel is hardly the only woman interested in Arthur, but despite the pleas of his father, Arthur has little interest in settling down with one woman. In striking contrast, Robert is a member of Parliament who is well-known for his firmly held principles and his devotion to his loving wife, Lady Gertrude. When a proposal is placed before Parliament to build a British canal through Argentina, Robert makes it clear he regards the project as a huge mistake and will speak out against it. However, one Laura Cheveley soon arrives on the scene, telling Robert it is in his best interest to support the canal plan -- and if he does not, Laura has incriminating information that could ruin his career in politics. An Ideal Husband stars Keith Michell, Jeremy Brett, Susan Hampshire, and Margaret Leighton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

"Promise to Murder" is a 60-minute TV play adapted from the Oscar Wilde short story "Lord Arthur Saville's Crime." Louis Hayward stars as a moderately successful London barrister who, at the insistence of his aristocratic aunt, agrees to have his palm read by a fortune teller (Peter Lorre). Rather disturbingly, within the next few weeks several of the palmist's prophecies come true. What really bothers the nervous barrister is that one, final prediction--that he would end up committing murder. Previously dramatized as a segment of the 1943 omnibus feature film Flesh and Fantasy, "Promise to Murder" was originally broadcast live as part of the CBS anthology Climax! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eine Frau Ohne Bedeutung was adapted by Thea von Harbou from the 1893 Oscar Wilde comedy A Woman of No Importance. Though updated to the 1930s, the story, concerning a reconciliation between an estranged father and son as orchestrated by an "unimportant" woman, remains the same. Perhaps Wilde had not intended his third act to be quite so melodramatic, but it must be remembered that von Harbou previously worked on such films as Dr. Mabuse and Metropolis. Without a thorough knowledge of German, one is hard-pressed to determine whether or not Wilde's epigrammatic dialogue survived intact. Still, audiences in 1936 were satisfied, as were the producers when Eine Frau Ohne Bedeutung turned out to be a success. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Oscar Wilde might have been amused to learn that his epigrammatic stage comedy-drama Lady Windemere's Fan was filmed in Argentina in 1947 under a title which translates as The Story of a Bad Women. Agelessly beautiful Dolores Del Rio stars as the bewitching Miss Erlyne, a woman "with a history", as they used to say. Without ever revealing her true identity, Miss Erlyne manages to save the virtue and good name of her daughter (Maria Duval), who has grown up to become Lady Windemere. In so doing, Miss Erlyne sacrifices her own opportunity for happiness in the arms of Lord Arthur (Francisco de Paula), but she manages to make her exit with head held high and a smile on her lips. Lady Windemere's Fan was previously filmed under its own title by Ernst Lubitsch in 1925; it would be remade as The Fan by Otto Preminger in 1949. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unable to rely upon Oscar Wilde's epigrammatic dialogue to carry the day (this was, after all, the silent-film era), director Ernst Lubitsch substitutes verbal wit for the visual variety in his 1925 filmization of Lady Windermere's Fan. Ronald Colman has one of his first important screen roles as the slightly caddish Lord Darlington, who is in love with the very pretty--and very married--Lady Windermere (May McAvoy). The lady is rescued from disgrace at the hands of Darlington by the notorious Mrs. Erlynne (Irene Rich), who unbeknownst to everyone is Lady Windemere's long-lost mother. Filmed at the still young-and-hungry Warner Bros. studio, Lady Windermere's Fan was an enormous hit, and an instant candidate for the many "Ten Best" lists tabulated by the fan magazines of the era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Osborne scripted this made-for-TV adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel, which charted the rise and fall of one tragically tempted man. Dorian Gray (Peter Firth) is a privileged man who sits for artist Basil Hallward (Jeremy Brett). Gray is so happy with the results that he wishes he could look that way forever; Hallward tells him it could be so, but for a terrible price. Gray soon discovers that he no longer ages, but his portrait does instead, and as he becomes more corrupt and stops putting a check on his appetites, he discovers just how great a toll is portrait is forced to bear. The Picture of Dorian Gray also features Sir John Gielgud. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Salome is a drama that oscillates between Judea in 30 A.D. to a kitsch New York in the 20th century. King Herod (Tomas Milian) is having a hard time. He is worried about the upstart Caesar, he's plagued by bad omens like the wrong birds flying in the wrong direction, and it does seem like term limits may be imposed on them. After all, he and his wife are responsible for their constituents' inability to enjoy sex; they murdered Salome's father (King Herod's brother) which has left the people with a decided lack of libido. Salome herself (Jo Champa) comes along to set things right again, and then grabs her seven veils for a performance down in a basement where the long-suffering Yokanaan (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) is tied-up in chains. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

"Her Salome Will Steal Your Breath Away" was the classic advertising slogan attached to this opulent Rita Hayworth epic -- a slogan which became laughable whenever a radio announcer would mispronounce Salome as "salami." Using the very sketchy Biblical story of the death of John the Baptist as its springboard, Salome depicts its title character, the stepdaughter of King Herod, as a victim of circumstance rather than a wanton temptress. Banished from Rome because of an unfortunate romance with the nephew of Caesar, Salome (Rita Hayworth) declares that all men are her enemies, but her resolve weakens when she falls in love with Claudius (Stewart Granger), the military commander of Galilee. Meanwhile, Salome's wicked mother, Herodias (Judith Anderson), plots the demise of John the Baptist (Alan Badel), who currently enjoys the protection of the superstitious Herod (Charles Laughton). At this point, the story departs radically from Scripture. Salome is no longer coerced by Herodias to demand the head of John the Baptist; instead, Herodias, on her own, promises Herod that Salome will perform the "Dance of the Seven Veils" for him -- but only if he beheads John first (Salome has been misinformed that the dance will save John from the headsman's sword). Somehow, scriptwriter Jesse Lasky Jr. even manages to concoct a happy ending for poor Salome, which is a lot more than Oscar Wilde or Richard Strauss were able to do. Considered an artistic flop in 1953, Salome seems somewhat better today, if only because of that powerhouse cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ken Russell's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Salome, Salome's Last Dance takes the form of a play within a film. Wilde (Nickolas Grace) arrives at a brothel with his lover, Bosey (aka Lord Alfred Douglas played by Douglas Hodge), where the proprietor, Alfred (Stratford Johns), has gathered his staff and assorted other colorful characters to mount a simple production of Wilde's new play. And so, with Alfred playing Herod, and Bosey playing John the Baptist, and with Wilde himself looking on with varying degrees of interest, the play is performed. Salome (Imogen Millais-Scott) is the daughter of Herodias (Glenda Jackson), who has abandoned her husband, since murdered, for his brother, Herod. Herod has an eye for Salome, but she mocks his interest. One evening, she hears the ranting of John the Baptist, who is Herod's prisoner, and demands that he be brought before her. She is very taken with the prophet, and attempts to seduce him while the captain of the guards, who is smitten with her, looks on. The young captain kills himself, and the prophet spurns her and is beaten. Still, she insists that she will kiss him, as he is brought away. Salome manipulates the horny Herod, who promises her anything if she will dance for him. She agrees, against the wishes of Herodias. While she performs, Wilde slips off with a young male performer, arousing Bosey's jealousy. After Salome's erotic dance (at the end of which she momentarily changes sexes), she confounds Herod by demanding the prophet's head. Russell himself has a small role in the film, as a photographer of ill repute. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

John Gielgud stars in this adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic ghost tale. Simon de Canterville (Gielgud) becomes trapped in his family's estate after he runs away instead of engaging in a duel with another man. After he dies, his ghost haunts the mansion; his soul cannot rest until his descendents restore the honor of the family name. A few centuries later, a family moves into the estate and are a bit unnerved to realize that they aren't the only ones living there. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

The whimsical Oscar Wilde fantasy yarn The Canterville Ghost is updated to WW2 in this economical but attractively produced MGM filmization. Charles Laughton plays Sir Simon de Canterville, a feckless 17th century British aristocrat who, after proving himself a coward on the field of honor, is walled up alive in his own castle by his unforgiving father (Reginald Owen). Sir Simon's ghost is doomed to haunt the corridors of Canterville Hall until one of his descendants performs a conspicuous act of bravery. 300 years later, the castle is billetted by a platoon of American soldiers-one of whom, Cuffy Williams (Robert Young), is of course a distant relation to Sir Simon. The ghost of Canterville Hall does his best to frighten away the American "intruders", but he's a fairly incompetent spirit, incapable of frightening even the young mistress of the castle, 8-year-old Lady Jessica (Margaret O'Brien). Upon learning of his family legacy, Cuffy begins worrying that he, too, will prove to be a coward when the chips are down, but with the help of the Ghost and the stalwart Lady Jessica, Cuffy is able to summon up his innate courage. Sharp-eyed viewers will spot Peter Lawford in a tiny role as Sir Simon's ill-fated brother, and cult figure Tor Johnson as Simon's fearsome jousting opponent. Though never remade theatrically, The Canterville Ghost resurfaced in TV-movie form 1986 and 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide