July 30, 2003
Ernestly!
Movie Review - Last night Claire and I stayed up to watch the 2002 rendition of "The Importance of Being Earnest", a classic play by the legendary Oscar Wilde. (You can read the play here from Project Gutenberg.) I was surprised that Claire endured it with all the Victorian English used in the film. I think she was really entranced by the scenery, the beautiful costumes, and, of course, the chance to stay up late (very important to a seven year old!). Every so often I paused the DVD to help her catch up on the humor of the dilemmas that the play develops.
As one movie reviewer I read said, Oscar Wilde might be a bit upset with the modern rendition. While I really did enjoy the movie, the current rendition plays down the satirical commentary on Victorian England and is much more of a romantic comedy. I read the play in high school senior year English class. If you are not familiar with the theme, the play involves two bachelors, Jack and Algernon -- one in the city and one in the countryside. They both develop alternate personalities when they are in the other domain. They both use the name "Ernest" when doing so. They each fall deeply in love with two women - Jack with Gwendolen and Algernon with Cecily. Trouble ensues when Cecily and Gwendolen accidentally meet each other at Jack's estate. At first they are very pleasant:
CECILY. [Advancing to meet her.] Pray let me introduce myself to you. My name is Cecily Cardew.
GWENDOLEN. Cecily Cardew? [Moving to her and shaking hands.] What a very sweet name! Something tells me that we are going to be great friends. I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong.
CECILY. How nice of you to like me so much after we have known each other such a comparatively short time. Pray sit down.
Later they discover that they are both engaged to an Ernest Worthing, and the pleasantries cease:
GWENDOLEN. [Meditatively.] If the poor fellow has been entrapped into any foolish promise I shall consider it my duty to rescue him at once, and with a firm hand.
CECILY. [Thoughtfully and sadly.] Whatever unfortunate entanglement my dear boy may have got into, I will never reproach him with it after we are married.
GWENDOLEN. Do you allude to me, Miss Cardew, as an entanglement? You are presumptuous. On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty to speak one's mind. It becomes a pleasure.
CECILY. Do you suggest, Miss Fairfax, that I entrapped Ernest into an engagement? How dare you? This is no time for wearing the shallow mask of manners. When I see a spade I call it a spade.
The story has plenty of other plot twists and turns. If you can follow Victorian English, I highly recommend it despite it's slight change of emphasis into a romantic comedy.