The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960)

The portrait of a world more than the image of a great writer. the motif - the subtle, fine performance of Peter Finch and the chance to have as partner Lionel Jeffreys. because the purpose is not only to give a film about errors or sins or judgement but about the spirit of a world, looking to give to appearences the lead importance. it is not the picture of a victim but the exploration of the mechanism of a society. that could be the motif for who you feel the work of Peter Finch as more than the exposure of Oscar Wilde life traits. it is a proposition for understand. the forms and rules and expectations of a world defined by strong rules . and an existence less than idealistic you imagine. but loyal, too loyal to his principles. a must see film. for performances, for story. and, maybe, for the subtle moral behind the first impressions.

Beautifully Filmed in Technicolor with a Script that Incorporates Many of Wilde's Famous Witticisms. Peter Finch is Not Physically what One Conjures when an Image of the Successful Playwright and Author Comes in the Mind, but He is Playing the Gay Martyr as the Man in His Forties and Not the Flamboyant Peacock of His Early Manhood.It is a Daring Film for its Time and was Predictably Shunned by Some Theatres and had No Air Time on American TV for Decades. But it is All Done with a Subtlety and Sensitivity that is Palatable for Any Audience and is a Heartfelt and Sad Rendition of what led to Oscar Wilde's Imprisonment for Two Years for the Crime of Practicing Homosexuality.The Acting is Superb All Around with Lionel Jeffries as Lord Queensberry (yes, of boxing rules fame) as a Villain Worth Hating and by All Accounts Fairly Accurate. The Movie Moves Along at a Steady Pace and is Informative and Entertaining but Ultimately Downbeat. It is Only a Small Portion of the Life of Oscar Wilde and is this Slice that was Decidedly Devastating. Not Only for His Hard Labor Prison Term but the Insensitivity of His Wife that Forbade Oscar from Ever Seeing His Children Again. He Never Recovered and Died Penniless. The Film Ends as He is Released from Incarceration and Never goes into the Post Traumatic Downfall. The Trials both Personally and Judicially were Enough Sadness in an Otherwise "Gay" Life (happy and carefree) and Lifestyle (Bisexual) of the Most Quoted Man of His Era.

Peter Finch gives a top drawer performance in the title role of the Trials of Oscar Wilde. It's the story of a man who was a celebrity raconteur and playwright and his fall from grace because of Victorian mores about homosexuality.Today a man like Wilde would not be compelled as Victorian society did compel homosexuals to marry and have children and deny to the world who they were and how they love. Just think that a century later after the controversy surrounding Wilde, we are discussing gay marriage and it's being legalized in many countries. Wouldn't it have all been simpler if Oscar had been allowed to marry Bosy.When the film opens Wilde is already a successful author of many plays and stories and maybe the most quoted man of wit in his time. He's married with two children, but he's got a side life as a gay man. He's got to take his partners where he finds them, a lot of street kids for the most part. And then he falls head over heels for Lord Alfred Douglas played by John Fraser. Fraser is the son of the Marquis of Queensbury, the same guy who thought up the rules for prize fighting. He's a rough and crude man played with relish by Lionel Jeffries. Of course the thought of a gay son is an abomination to him. Can't be that young Bosy is gay, it's that Wilde guy he's hanging out with.Queensbury calls Wilde a "sodomite" and Wilde foolishly decides to sue him for libel. And then the trials take place, first the civil suit and then the criminal trial because sodomy was indeed a criminal offense back in the day.I often wonder why the real Wilde did not just deal with Queensbury in one of his plays. In real life and in the film Queensbury was a boorish lout who could have so easily been caricatured and laughed out of relevancy. Queensbury retained as his attorney Edward Carson, maybe the best barrister of his day. Later on he led the Ulster contingent in Parliamant and was probably the man most responsible for those six counties of Northern Ireland remaining in the United Kingdom.Let's just say that Oscar Wilde uttered one witticism too many during his time on the witness stand and James Mason who gives a great performance as Carson just moves in for the kill. With an international gay movement in full swing now Oscar Wilde and his story may seem quaint to some, but it is relevant today to show that it wasn't that long ago that being who you were was a crime. And a reminder of where gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/transgender folks will be if our hard won rights even as incomplete as they are yet are ever allowed to recede.

One never quite believes the character given a rather masculine portrayal by Peter Finch is involved in a love affair with the young Lord Alfred Douglas, but the tentative treatment of the film's subject matter is understandable since homosexuality was still illegal in Britain at the time of its release. More importantly, however, is how effectively the film relates the story of a man who is ruined by a society which can be so hateful. Although Wilde is portrayed at first as an arrogant and indulgent celebrity, as his love for his family and his torn loyalties are revealed it becomes hard for one to feel no sadness as he is made to pay with public disgrace and a jail sentence. John Fraser is perfectly cast as the spoilt and manipulative Douglas.