Buy the DVD:

An Ideal Husband

An Ideal Husband was originally a play written by Oscar Wilde in the 1800’s, and adapted several times for film, the first being in the 1940’s. This reviewer has never seen any but this film, and a theatre production years back.

If you tend to avoid British period stories, then it’s your loss if you avoid this one. It’s a British period production, but it’s incredibly witty and funny, all thanks to the fantastic cast. Oliver did a magnificent job in directing this film.

I tend to be an Anglophile, and you might say that’s why I praise this film so highly. The real reason I praise the film highly, is that it’s a shining production with in-your-face characters who grab your attention. No, they demand your attention, not with loud and boorish conversations, but with quick witted dialogue and expressive faces. Some would suggest that if only the characters would just stop interrupting each other with remarks such as "I don’t want to listen ..."

Thank God they do, because where would this tale be if they all stopped talking and listened?

It’s a story set in 1895 London, centered around Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam), a Government minister who is an honorable and a happily married man. His wife, (Cate Blanchett), idolizes him. They have a perfect life together.

Enter the conniving Mrs. Chieveley (Julianne Moore), a business woman looking to make some money, her plan being to obtain Sir Chiltern’s support via blackmail. Sir Chiltern transgressed years before. The ideal husband sinned. And Mrs. Chieveley has the proof in a letter he wrote at that time. Sir Chiltern is beside himself with fear that he’ll lose his wife and career. His best friend, Lord Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett), though flippant and idle, answers the call for help from his friend. Coincidentally, years before, Lord Goring had an affair with the evil Mrs. Chieveley. Proving to be a true friend, Lord Goring gets mixed up in the whole mess and it becomes more funny and witty.

At the same time, Lord Goring is hounded by his father, the Earl of Caversham (John Wood) to settle down, get married and have some little ones. There is a fledgling relationship with Sir Chiltern’s sister, Mabel (Minnie Driver), and she is great at matching wits with Lord Goring. Now it may sound like a soap opera, but as the plot thickens, it gets even funnier, and Oscar Wilde’s dialogue is more intense in a comic way. Behind every sentence, there is another meaning, when you think about it. The dialogue moves fast though, so you have to pay attention.

And to add more praise, the costume designs are marvelous, colorful but not overdone. Everyone is dressed with good taste. So very, very Victorian English, you know.

Minnie Driver, Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, and Jeremy Northam, are to be praised for their performances.

Come on, don’t be a snob just because it’s a British period piece. This is not a stuffy film. Not crashingly boring, my dear.

It’s delightful and a joy to watch. I wonder why it took me so long to see it.

I recommend it even for the reluctant. You might like it.

Written by: Judith Fox

Reviewers Rating: 9
Reader's Rating: 8.75
Reader's Votes: 8

Rate It