I thought that An Ideal Husband would be just another costume drama, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went to see the film.
The film centres on professional bachelor and tireless socialite Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett) who we first see "the morning after". He is a man of elegant idleness, but he is forced to act when his friend Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) gets caught up in a delicate matter which threatens his rising political career, and marriage to Gertrude (Cate Blanchett).
To complicate matters, two women are trying to change Arthur's single status: the charmingly persistent Mabel (Minnie Driver), sister of Sir Robert; and the manipulative Mrs Cheveley (Julianne Moore). In amongst this tangled web of lies, temptations and misunderstanding, Arthur Goring must find a way of sorting out not only his friend's lives, but also his own.
The reason this film succeeds is mostly due to its base material, a play by Oscar Wilde. Director Oliver Parker has thankfully done little to try and modernise Wilde's work and has thus kept the sparkling dialogue intact and indeed, it is still relevant in today's society. In addition, Parker and Wilde manage to create convincing characters, both male and female, who are beautifully portrayed by the starry cast - all uniformly excellent.
The production design is of a very high standard so the film looks good, and the cinematography by David Johnson (who was perhaps the best thing about Hilary and Jackie) is outstanding too.
The only flaw to the film is that, for all its charms, it never looks like falling into the bracket of a "masterpiece". But, like the character of Arthur Goring, the film realises its limitations.
So, to sum up, An Ideal Husband is a delightful film which, whilst not making any serious point, will certainly keep you entertained.
The film centres on professional bachelor and tireless socialite Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett) who we first see "the morning after". He is a man of elegant idleness, but he is forced to act when his friend Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) gets caught up in a delicate matter which threatens his rising political career, and marriage to Gertrude (Cate Blanchett).
To complicate matters, two women are trying to change Arthur's single status: the charmingly persistent Mabel (Minnie Driver), sister of Sir Robert; and the manipulative Mrs Cheveley (Julianne Moore). In amongst this tangled web of lies, temptations and misunderstanding, Arthur Goring must find a way of sorting out not only his friend's lives, but also his own.
The reason this film succeeds is mostly due to its base material, a play by Oscar Wilde. Director Oliver Parker has thankfully done little to try and modernise Wilde's work and has thus kept the sparkling dialogue intact and indeed, it is still relevant in today's society. In addition, Parker and Wilde manage to create convincing characters, both male and female, who are beautifully portrayed by the starry cast - all uniformly excellent.
The production design is of a very high standard so the film looks good, and the cinematography by David Johnson (who was perhaps the best thing about Hilary and Jackie) is outstanding too.
The only flaw to the film is that, for all its charms, it never looks like falling into the bracket of a "masterpiece". But, like the character of Arthur Goring, the film realises its limitations.
So, to sum up, An Ideal Husband is a delightful film which, whilst not making any serious point, will certainly keep you entertained.
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