| The
Review: |
All I can truly remember of "The
Importance of Being Earnest," outside of going back and reading
the play prior to seeing Oliver Parker's latest film adaptation,
is sitting in my 12th grade English class and reading the
play, act by act, and pausing in between to pick apart the
various hidden meanings, metaphorical phrases, and other trinkets
of literature that, to me, seemed overworked and rather tiresome.
As a case study in a high school class, Oscar Wilde's play
wasn't much of an interest to me; as a witty, well-written
read in my spare time, I enjoyed every word of it. ***
I guess the same manner of thinking
could be applied to Parker's film version of the play, which
provides a great deal of enjoyment while retaining much of
the humor, both vocal and situational, as well as regailing
Wilde's overall theme for the piece, that it is better to
be earnest about one's feelings that deceptive. I didn't have
to look too hard for the message, I was enlightened by the
experience, I laughed and felt exhilarated by the dialogue,
and felt nothing but giddiness while partaking of the film's
many light-hearted pleasures. ***
For the most part, the movie has
captured the play without major flaws, save for a sequence
in which one character gets a tattoo, and several fantasy
sequences that seem out of place and too artsy. We are introduced
to best friends Algernon (Rupert Everett), a carefree, debt-riddled
aristocrat with nary a gloomy thought weighing on his shoulders,
and Jack (Colin Firth), who travels into the city from his
country estate under the name of Ernest. "Why are you Ernest
in town and Jack in the country?" Algy asks of his friend.
The answer is quite simple: "When one is placed in the position
of guardian," informs Jack, "one has to adopt a very high
moral tone on all subjects. And as a high moral tone can hardly
be said to conduce very much to either one's health or one's
happiness, in order to get up to town I have always pretended
to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest." ***
A simple lie, really, with the best
of intentions. But as we all know, the road to hell is paved
with good intentions, and while Jack's situation doesn't quite
reach that destination, it sure becomes a complication. He
has come to the city to propose to his longtime adoration,
Gwendolyn (Frances O'Connor), who simply adores him not because
of his wealth or stature, but for his name as she knows it
to be, Ernest. "It is a divine name," she tells him as he
proposes to her. "It has a music of its own. It produces vibrations."
Oh, boy. ***
Just as the play, the movie has
a lot of fun with the situation he has found himself in, as
well as that of Algy, who later tricks Jack by arriving at
his country estate under the guise of his brother, Ernest,
who immediately sets out to court Cecily (Reese Witherspoon),
of whom Jack is guardian. Much of the comedy here is kept
low-key, reminding us that a film not reduce itself to slapstick
gags and instances of crude humor to attain a laugh or two.
Much of it is conversational, such as the scene in which Lady
Bracknell (Judi Dench), Gwendolyn's inquisitive, protective
mother, questions her daughter's prospective husband about
his lifestyle: ***
Bracknell: Do you smoke? ***
Jack: Well, yes, I must admit I
do smoke. ***
Bracknell: I am glad to hear it.
A man should always have an occupation of some kind. ***
Then there is the scene in which
Cecily and Gwendolyn meet for the first time, and begin to
make the discoveries their suitors have worked so hard to
hide. They do their best to avoid vocal confrontations, Gwendolyn
making smug remarks about Cecily's looks and mannerisms, Cecily
gingerly placing four cubes of sugar into her company's tea
cup and serving her cake instead of the requested bread and
butter. The scene is absolutely hilarious, and to me, Parker's
screenplay captures the true spirit of the humor and witty
dialogue that Wilde instilled into his work. ***
In addition to the comedy, Parker
employs the talents of a cast that inhabits the characters
magnificently. Judi Dench steals the show as Lady Bracknell;
her abrasive wit and stone-cold features fit right into her
role, and the results are brimming with hilarity and authenticity.
Rupert Everett and Colin Firth put on all the charm and grandeur
they can muster, and pull it off, while Frances O'Connor and
Reese Witherspoon are as light as a June breeze as they carry
on with their suitors. ***
I'm sure I will receive endless
amounts of flack for my comments here, those that will mainly
focus on my inability to pinpoint Wilde's various literary
devices and make a sound judgment as to whether Parker's film
does them justice or not. And I don't care. I had a great
time with "The Importance of Being Earnest:" taken as a light-hearted,
well-acted, aptly-directed costume comedy, you can't really
go wrong with it. Just enjoy it for what it is, and leave
the literary scholars to do the scrutinizing.
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| Image
and Sound |
The magnificent 2.35:1 anamorphically
enhanced image is a splendid display of visual excess that
dazzles the eyes this way and that. Colors take the top billing
here, registering accurately in terms of fleshtones and saturation
without bleeding or smearing. The dream sequences are especially
mesmerizing in their hues, but everything else, from the lush
greenery to the frilly costumes, is bursting with color. Edges
are extremely well-defined and detail is enormously admirable,
and while there does appear to be some edge enhancement in
some places, it doesn't get in the way. Blacks are solid throughout,
and little noise or artifacts make their way into the scene,
making this one of Miramax's best image transfer efforts to
date. ***
The sound isn't exactly as mind-boggling,
but it suits the material. Much of the film is comprised of
score and dialogue, both of which have been well-recorded
and make full use of the soundfield at hand. The center channel
is always alive, as are the front and surround channels, which
fill the room with Charlie Mole's terrific music to enlighten
an already-comical sequence. Deep bass is reserved pretty
much throughout, with some small instances of score-related
stress.
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