The Happy Prince is a thoughtful look at the last years of Oscar Wilde, with Rupert Everett clearly relishing the chance to immerse himself in the role to the point of unrecognisability. It’s generally known that Wilde lay in the gutter in his post-gaol period and looked at the stars, and The Happy Prince doesn’t spare us the details of Wilde’s rather desperate life-style in France and Italy. Grasping for money, paying for sex with minors, unwilling to write and ripping everyone off whenever he can, his genius is only glimpsed in fleeting moments, but the film generally avoids sentimentality. Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson are amongst the support, but it’s clearly a labour of love for writer/director and star Everett, who looks worryingly like Marlon Brando in his death-throes and is well worth seeing in this demanding role.
Comments
Loading…