Film Forum

In a cheap Paris hotel, Oscar Wilde (Rupert Everett) lies on his death bed, as the past floods back: Was he once the most famous man in London? An artist crucified by a society that once worshipped him? This moving yet thoroughly unsentimental drama of Wilde’s final years, following his time in Reading Gaol, examines his attempt to reconcile with his long-suffering wife Constance (Emily Watson), the ensuing reprisal of his toxic love affair with Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas (Colin Morgan), and the warmth and devotion of his friends Robbie Ross (Edwin Thomas) and Reggie Turner (Colin Firth). From Dieppe to Naples to Paris, Wilde lives the life of a penniless vagabond, shunned by former acolytes, but revered by outlaws and urchins to whom he tells his stories. His incomparable wit remains ever sharp. THE HAPPY PRINCE is a portrait of the dark side of a genius who lived and died for love in the last days of the nineteenth century.

UK      2018     104 MINS.          SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Reviews

“As Oscar Wilde, Rupert Everett lifts THE HAPPY PRINCE into the stratosphere.”
– David Edelstein, Vulture

“A labor of love for Everett. He proved his credentials by starring to great acclaim as Wilde in a revival of David Hare’s play The Judas Kiss.”
– Hamish Bowles, Vogue

“There’s genuine pathos in Mr. Everett’s portrayal… Mr. Everett gives (Wilde) a grandeur that prohibits pity.”
– Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

“Rupert Everett in top form. Tells the gay scribe’s tragic, slyly poetic story in a dreamy, inventive and beautifully crafted way that decidedly sets it apart. Everett’s portrayal of the grand and wily Wilde proves a hand-in-glove fit… he channels Wilde’s literary bearing, clever wit and absinthe-tinged wooziness with poignancy and pathos.”
– Gary Goldstein, LA Times

“Rupert Everett is magnificent in a dream role. A powerful parable of passion and redemption. It is a part he was born to play, and he does it with exactly the right kind of poignantly ruined magnificence. Expertly interspersed with flashbacks to Wilde’s great days. A deeply felt, tremendously acted tribute to courage.”
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)

“Rupert Everett is an exceptional Oscar Wilde.[He] summons the ghost of the ruined and ruinous Oscar Wilde - and the flickering shades of Visconti - for his directorial debut. (The film) moves and engages in equal parts… Everett’s performance marks a career-best. It’s his own tender screenplay, however, and a burnished combination of empathy and realism that makes the picture, with its all-Europe sets and lustrous lighting and design, a strongly cinematic statement from an actor whose intelligence, up to now, has always outshone the films he has appeared in. Everett has also guided his co-stars to shine. His ANOTHER COUNTRY co-star Colin Firth as Wilde’s friend Reggie Turner, Colin Morgan as Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, Emily Watson as Wilde’s wife Constance and newcomer Edwin Thomas as his stalwart friend and erstwhile lover Robbie Ross all deliver strong, grounded performances.”
– Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily