Wilde

Fascinating and multi-faceted biopic of Oscar Wilde (as played by Stephen Fry) that focuses on his destructive relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, or Bosie (Jude Law). Wilde's marriage to Constance Lloyd (Jennifer Ehle) and the unfurling of his sexuality are passed over quickly, perhaps too quickly, but the film benefits from the tight focus on its central figures. It's a film of peaks and troughs; Wilde's creative output coincides with his numerous breaks from the increasingly selfish Bosie. As a comment on fame and of Victorian hypocrisy, this is interesting, but it's when the film moves into its final, tragic register that it really hits home. After being accused of sodomy by Bosie's tyrannical father Lord Queensbury (Tom Wilkinson), Wilde sues for libel. He withdraws the case but the Court still prosecutes him for gross indecency and Oscar is forced to serve the two years of hard labour during which he wrote De Profundis. Fry is perfect as Wilde and is nicely counterbalanced by Law, who is by turns capricious, needy and sympathetic. The two leads are ably supported by an excellent supporting cast, particularly Ehle, whose prison visit to her husband is the film's emotional touchstone. A witty, intelligent tribute to Oscar Wilde's legacy, this functions equally well as a three hankie period weepie.