The Oscar Wilde Collection (The Importance of Being Earnest / The Picture of Dorian Gray / An Ideal Husband / Lady Windermere's Fan)

Description

"Wilde" about witty dialogue, scandalous secrets and ingenious intrigue?

Let the BBC transport you back to the decadent aristocratic drawing rooms of 1890's England. Lovingly restored, these plays feature a who's who of great actors of the British stage & screen including stars like Sir John Gielgud, Joan Plowright, Jeremy Brett, Susan Hampshire, Margaret Leighton and Gemma Jones.

Rediscover the charm and delight of Wilde's masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest - "To loose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune...to lose both seems like carelessness." - Lady Bracknell

Unleash the chilling and ruthless melodrama of Wilde's notorious novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which disturbed the very foundations of Victorian society.

Indulge yourself in the scandalous gossip and intrigue of An Ideal Husband and Lady Windermere's Fan

"I can resist everything but temptation" - Lord Darlington

Treasure the genius of Oscar Wilde in this complete collection of his major works.

"I have nothing to declare but my genius" - Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest 1988, The Picture of Dorian Gray 1976, An Ideal Husband 1969, Lady Windermere's Fan 1985

Customer Reviews:

The Oscar Wilde Collection.......2007-03-09

I originally ordered the collection to obtain LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN, a play written by Oscar Wilde, inspired by the life of Lillie Langtry, and offered to Lillie Langtry for the original stage production - which she refused for reasons of 'vanity'. The play is very well done. I was also interested in viewing THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. I was only familiar with the Hollywood version of the film. This version, in my opinion, outshines the Hollywood version one thousand fold. Very well done, and very well casted.

ejoyable.......2006-08-09

What can I say? If you like Oscar Wilde, you will enjoy these DVDs.

unforgivably dull.......2006-05-26

I am a fan of Oscar Wilde and of BBC productions, but to make Wilde's plays and stories boring takes either special effort, or decided lack of effort. I've bought this dvd but it's unlikely I'll ever watch it again.

The stagy and low-budget sets are to be expected from older BBC tv productions; the costumes are very nice. Sound and picture qualities are excellent. The actors are mostly very good especially
Susan Hampshire and Jeremy Brett in "Ideal Husband", who each provide provide sorely-needed beauty,youth, and especially, energy. (The overaged Mrs Cheavely acts well, but is miscast). But the pacing and direction of each production is so dull, that I found myself just wanting these to end quickly. The "Earnest" is so slow and boring as to be the most unwatchable of the group, and that should be a criminal offense.

An Uneven Collection.......2005-12-10

"The Oscar Wilde Collection" includes four performances of Wilde's works, and a feature on the life of Oscar Wilde. These were all broadcast on the BBC in the past, and they feature several well-known actors, such as Sir John Gielgud, Joan Plowright, Jeremy Brett, Susan Hampshire, Margaret Leighton, and more.

"The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of Wilde's greatest works. It was first performed in 1895, in the St. James' Theatre in London. However, the performance here is not the original four act version of the play. The written information lists this as being the 1988 production of the play, but the Internet Movie Database shows it as being from 1986, and one can see in the video credits that the 1986 data appears to be correct. This is the story of two men, each of whom use an unreal person to give them an excuse to avoid unwelcome situations. This practice ultimately results in causing more trouble than it avoids for each of them. The performance is good, but far from exceptional. Joan Plowright gives a decent performance as Lady Bracknell.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a performance based on Wilde's 1891 novel. This production first aired in 1976, and I don't think it is very good at all. The only thing worthwhile is the performance of Sir John Gielgud as Lord Henry Wotton. Of course, this is the one work presented here which is not a play in its original form. The story is of a man (Dorian Gray) who wishes he could stay young like his portrait, and have the portrait grow old in his place.

"An Ideal Husband" is originally from 1895, and this is my favorite of the four productions included in this collection. First broadcast in 1969, there are several great performances here. Jeremy Brett is wonderful as Vicount Goring, and Margaret Leighton (Mrs. Cheveley), Dinah Sheridan (Lady Chiltern), and Keith Michell (Sir Robert Chiltern) all deliver strong performances as well. The play involves blackmail, political corruption, and the idea that no one should be judged entirely by their past.

"Lady Windermere's Fan" is a play from 1892. This performance is from 1985, and as with "The Importance of Being Earnest" it is a good, but not great, performance. This play is about the appearance of impropriety which nearly destroys Lord and Lady Windermere's marriage, when she learns that he is spending an unseemly amount of time in Mrs. Erlynne's presence and giving her large amounts of money. Mrs. Erlynne is well played by Stephanie Turner.

The feature titled "The Life and Loves of Oscar Wilde" is well done, and provides a great deal of insight into the man and his tragic end.

The Best EARNEST!!.......2005-01-14

Wilde scholars recognize that any staging of Earnest is to be judged by the performance of the character of Lady Bracknell. In this case, Dame Joan Plowright gives the very best performance of all time: Evans and Dench can't compare! Gemma Jones is good as Prism. The guys doing Algie and Jack are good too.

Average customer rating:

Oscar Wilde Collection Gift
Starring: Oscar Wilde Collection Gift
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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