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The Importance of Being Earnest (Criterion Collection)
 
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The Importance of Being Earnest (Criterion Collection)

Starring: Ivor Barnard, Edith Evans Director: Anthony Asquith MPAA Rating: UNRATED
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 49.99
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The Importance of Being Earnest (Criterion Collection) + The Importance of Being Earnest (Widescreen) + An Ideal Husband
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  • This item: The Importance of Being Earnest (Criterion Collection) DVD ~ Ivor Barnard

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  • The Importance of Being Earnest (Widescreen) DVD ~ Rupert Everett

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The Importance of Being Earnest (Criterion Collection)
74% buy the item featured on this page:
The Importance of Being Earnest (Criterion Collection) 4.0 out of 5 stars (22)
CDN$ 37.49
The Importance of Being Earnest (Widescreen)
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The Importance of Being Earnest (Widescreen) 3.8 out of 5 stars (65)
CDN$ 14.49
Importance of Being Earnest
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Importance of Being Earnest
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Product Description

From Amazon.com

If you're looking for the definitive example of dry British wit, look no further than The Importance of Being Earnest. Of course, it helps to have Oscar Wilde's beloved play as source material, but this exquisite adaptation has a charmed life of its own, with a perfectly matched director (Anthony Asquith was raised in the rarified, upper-class atmosphere of Wilde's play) and a once-in-a-lifetime cast. Mix these ingredients with Wilde's inimitable repartee, and you've got a comedic soufflé that's been cooked to perfection. Opening with a proscenium nod to its theatrical origins, the film turns Wilde's comedy of clever deception and mixed identities into a cinematic treat, and while the 10-member cast is uniformly superb, special credit must be given to Dame Edith Evans, reprising her stage role as the imperiously stuffy Lady Bracknell. To hear her Wilde-ly hilarious inflections and elongated syllables is to witness British comedy in its purest form, fully deserving of the royal Criterion treatment. --Jeff Shannon

Video Details

Oscar Wilde's comic jewel sparkles in Anthony Asquith's film adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest. Featuring brilliantly polished performances by Michael Redgrave, Joan Greenwood, and Dame Edith Evans, the enduringly hilarious story of two young women who think themselves engaged to the same nonexistent man is given the grand Technicolor treatment. Seldom has a classic stage comedy been so engagingly transferred to the screen. The Criterion Collection is proud to present The Importance of Being Earnest on DVD for the first time.
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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful production of Wilde's famous comedy., July 31 2006
By Ms. H. Sinton "dragondrums" (Ingleby Barwick. U.K.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This 1952 version of the Oscar Wilde classic romantic is as good to watch today as it ever was. Michael Redgrave stars as Ernest Worthing, (whose name, in fact, is really John), a man who, as a baby, had been found in a bag in the cloakroom at Victoria Station. The story is a comedy of errors and confusions around names, in particular the name Ernest. Mr Worthing wants to marry Gwendoline, daughter of the formidable Lady Bracknell. He dare not tell his beloved that his name is not really Ernest as she has expressed a desire only to wed a man of that name. Gwendoline's cousin, Algernon, is pursuing Mr Worthing's ward, Cecily, but she does not know his real name, she believes he is called Ernest. The comedy starts when Cecily and Gwendoline meet for the first time and realise they are both betrothed to 'Ernest Worthington'. The film stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Prism and Dame Edith Evans as the snobbish Lady Bracknell. Both actresses play their roles extremely well, as you would expect from such grand dames of the stage.
There are a few extras on this DVD (region 2 version) which include a profile of 'The Importance of Being Earnest', a 'behind the scenes' gallery, a theatrical trailer and biographies of the main actors and the director. The picture is crystal clear and the colours bright. Sound quality is good and there are subtitles for the hard of hearing. All in all, a very good version of one of Wilde's best known and loved works.
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4.0 out of 5 stars The Importance Of A Good Commentary!!, Feb 4 2004
By chris meesey Food Czar (The Colony, TX United States) - See all my reviews
Comparing the 1952 film adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest with the 2002 is problematic, and in many ways, futile. Both films are marvelous and perfect representatives of the acting/film styles of their respective time periods. The 1952 version is structured like a play; the action even begins and ends with a curtain, as if the viewer were in an upper box of a grand theatre or opera house. Similarly, the acting is quite stagy; viewers who prefer their actors to perform their parts in the cinema the same way they would perform them on stage will most likely enjoy this version. In particular, Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell is the epitome of the stage Grand Damme, the empress of her sex, aloof, imperious, cascading from a great height, and perfectly marvelous. Dorothy Tutin as Cecily and Moliere translator Miles Malleson as Rev Chausible are also standouts in their respective roles. The little-known Michael Dennison is an unexpected pleasure as Algernon, complete with ever-present roguish grin, while Joan Greenwood is very pretty but almost a little too stagy to be an effective Gwendolyn. Both Margaret Rutherford as Miss Prism and Michael Redgrave as John Worthing are somewhat miscast; sure, they are dazzling talents, but each is too thoroughly grounded and earthy for the roles they play, particularly Miss Rutherford, who was perhaps the definitive Madame Arcati in Noel Coward's classic Blithe Spirit, filmed only a few years earlier. Still, all the actors are quite effective in their roles; the problem with this DVD lies with the presentation itself: There is no commentary. Of course, director Anthony Asquith is long gone (he died in 1968), but Criterion could and should have called on a film historian, or better yet, a member of the directors own family could have supplied an excellent commentary. Helena Bonham-Carter is not only a luminous actress, she is also Asquith's grand-niece, and it would have been nice to have approached her about the possibility of providing a commentary in this case; a current actresses thoughts and views of how this classic was presented two generations ago would have been priceless. Still, this is an excellent DVD, and a worthwhile film adaptation to add to your collection, especially if you are willing to provide your own running commentary.
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5.0 out of 5 stars One of the funniest plays ever and one of the best casts, Dec 12 2003
By B. Margolis (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This 1952 Technicolor film classic bring together one of all-time funniest plays in the history of the English language with a dream cast featuring Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans, Joan Greenwood, Margaret Rutherford and Miles Malleson.

This film is beautifully mounted; superb direction by Anthony Asquith and terrific color photography by Desmond Dickinson.

The Oscar Wilde Victorian comedy is a laugh-a-second series of absolute silliest situations.

If you enjoy Classic British Cinema, a brilliant play or any of the above actors, this wonderful DVD MUST be part of your collection.

As usual, the quality is typically the best non-restored quality people have come to expect from Criterion.

Only the lack of a commentary track or a documentary on the making of this priceless film is lacking.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific movie, good DVD
Many of the reviews here have a lot to say about the movie itself, but not much about the DVD presentation. That the movie is excellent is not in dispute. Read more
Published on Jan 3 2003 by Steven W. Hill

5.0 out of 5 stars The Criterion version is the best version by far.......
Two film versions of Oscar Wilde's IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST are now available on DVD. If you know nothing of the play or subsequent movie versions of the play, you might... Read more
Published on Nov 16 2002 by Dianne Foster

5.0 out of 5 stars classic comedy-of-manners (or lack there of!!!)
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is one of the most beloved movies of all time. It's deserved status as a classic is not disputed with this reviewer. Read more
Published on Oct 28 2002 by Byron Kolln

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless - A must-have
I disagree with Patrick Moore's quibbles, and am delighted that sound and color recorded over 50 years ago survive so well. Read more
Published on Oct 4 2002 by Irreverent

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless - A must-have
I disagree with Patrick Moore's quibbles, and am delighted that sound and color recorded over 50 years ago survive so well. Read more
Published on Oct 4 2002 by Irreverent

3.0 out of 5 stars Great cast -- but it somehow doesn't quite work
Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of the most durable, witty comedy scripts in the history of English-language theater. Read more
Published on Sep 1 2002 by Steven Capsuto

5.0 out of 5 stars Correcting some technical misinformation given below
I would like to correct one bit of confusion in the Patrick Moore review below. While I would also quibble with how bad he finds the sound quality (there are mild... Read more
Published on Aug 3 2002

2.0 out of 5 stars Too bad the VHS version is out of print.
Do not be misled by favorable reviews of the VHS version. This is one of my favorite movies, but the Criterion DVD production does not do it justice. Read more
Published on July 31 2002 by Patrick More

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the finest film version of the great Wilde play
Despite a couple of weaknesses in the production, the remains far and away the best version of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. Read more
Published on July 31 2002 by Robert Moore

4.0 out of 5 stars It could have, should have...,but
This is certainly a dream cast. The perfomances should have been definitive.
However, undoubtably reflecting the director's preference, the pacing of the dialogue is simple too... Read more
Published on July 18 2002 by Arthur J. Keeler

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