Oscar Wilde lives! Things haven't changed that much from the 1890's to the 1990's, in the social fabric anyway. This fact is abundantly witnessed by the very well-received film adaptation of his romantic comedy of political ambition and sexual intrigue, The Ideal Husband.
The film stars Rupert Everett as Lord Goring, the dashing roue and party-goer known equally for his elegance, and his refusal to take anything seriously. That is, until he is called in to resolve a very delicate matter by his life-long friend Sir Robert Chiltern, played by Jeremy Northam, and Goring rises magnificently to the occasion.
Chiltern is a man who has everything the ideal husband of the charming lady Chiltern, played by Cate Blanchett, he is a brilliant politician and a perfect gentleman. Everything is ideal until a plotting adventuress, Mrs Chevely, cleverly played by Julianne Moore, threatens to reveal a dark secret from his past and blow the whole shooting match.
Goring gets all tangled up in a web of lies, temptations and trysts as only Wilde could create. The quite overwhelming charms of Chiltern's sister. Mable, played by the versatile Minnie Driver, (remember Grosse Point Blank?), complicate Goring's steadfast hold on his bachelorhood. Director Oliver Parker says he thinks the play "has terrific contemporary connections, even though it was written more than 100 years ago." Producer Uri Fruchtmann states it succinctly:
"All good plays are relevant because all good plays are about people. Fundamentally, people have not changed." This, of course, is something Wilde knew all along.
The film starts Thursday at Caribbean Cinema's Market Square East and is rated PG.
