Synopsis
In 1895, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was the most famous writer in London, and Bosie Douglas, son of the notorious Marquess of Queensberry, was his lover. Accused and convicted of gross indecency, he was imprisoned for two years and subjected to hard labor. Once free, he abandons England to live in France, where he will spend his last years, haunted by memories of the past, poverty and immense sadness.
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Cast
- Rupert EverettOscar Wilde
- Colin FirthReggie Turner
- Emily WatsonConstance Wilde
- Colin MorganAlfred 'Bosie' Douglas
- Edwin ThomasRobbie Ross
- Franca AbategiovanniFelice's Mother
- Alister CameronMr. Howard
- Anna ChancellorMrs. Arbuthnott
- Béatrice DalleCafé Concert Manager
- Tom ColleyMaurice Gilbert
Recommendations
- 80
The Guardian
This film is a deeply felt, tremendously acted tribute to courage. - 80
New York Magazine (Vulture)
The Happy Prince proves that a film can be both bleak and warm-spirited, as befits its mighty subject. - 80
Screen Daily
Wilde’s mighty struggle with himself, with his heavenly talent and earthly lusts, and the meaning of it all resonates so strongly with the direction and performance that The Happy Prince is easily elevated past period Victoriana (and that wallpaper) to move and engage in equal parts. - 80
Empire
Even if his prosthetics make him look a bit like James May, Everett is near-flawless, and his film is a superb showcase for an actor whose celebrity has at times overshadowed his talent. There’s been plenty of due diligence in terms of the details, and anyone who thinks Wilde was just the Stephen Fry of his day will learn a lot here. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Despite Everett's command in the central performance and a script liberally sprinkled with amusing bons mots, The Happy Prince generates only faltering dramatic momentum and a shortage of pathos. - 60
Variety
As a final, permanent showcase for a role Everett was born to play, then, The Happy Prince does the job. For all its passion-project hallmarks, however, it makes a shakier case for him being the filmmaker to bring it to screen. - 60
The Telegraph
Everett overdoes the lachrymosity right at the end, the one part of the film where a more subdued rigour would have served him better. At the very least, though, it’s a command performance he puts in front of us, an uncompromising feat of empathy in the role he’s made his own more than any other. - 58
IndieWire
The Happy Prince largely amounts to a bland rumination on Wilde’s lesser-known decline.
