Back home

The Importance of Being Earnest

115 votes

Two young gentlemen living in 1890s England use the same pseudonym ('Ernest') on the sly, which is fine until they both fall in love with women using that name, which leads to a comedy of mistaken identities.

Status: Released

Released Date: 1952-06-02

Runtime: 95 mins

Director: Anthony Asquith

Spoken language: English

Genres: Comedy

Original title: The Importance of Being Earnest

Production Companies: Javelin Films, British Film-Makers, J. Arthur Rank Organisation

Production Countries: United Kingdom

Cast

Michael Redgrave

Michael Denison

Edith Evans

Joan Greenwood

Dorothy Tutin

Margaret Rutherford

Miles Malleson

Richard Wattis

Walter Hudd

Aubrey Mather

Conductor (Uncredited)

Ivor Barnard

Reviews

Geronimo1967

There's little point in outlining the plot here - it's not what the film is about. It is the combination of characterisations and the wonderfully witty writing of Oscar Wilde that make this a thoroughly enjoyable film to watch. It makes no bones about it's theatrical origins - even featuring a curtain at the start and the finish, and that sets us up for a cracker of a comedy that swipes at snobbery, pomposity, crass stupidity, deception and offers us a tour de force effort from the inimitable Dame Edith Evans ("Lady Bracknell"). Anthony Asquith has created a delightfully honest interpretation of the play - the dialogue is pithy and quickly paced, few lines are wasted and the talents of Michael Redgrave, Michael Denison, Dorothy Tutin, the perfectly cast Joan Greenwood as "Gwendoline" and Margaret Rutherford as the prim "Miss Prism" combine to give us a genuinely laugh-out-loud series of scenarios that are a joy to behold. It's colourfully set, the costumes a delight (though, I felt seriously gaudy at times!) and the comically timed mannerisms, gestures and charisma of the performers is great, too. It is rare for a piece of theatrical comedy to transfer so effortlessly to the big screen, but here it all looks so very natural...

2022-09-09

Recommendations

Děvče z předměstí

1970-09-05

Bluebeard's 8th Wife

1923-08-05

John Brandon, an American millionaire, has been married seven times but never found love. Then, when

3.3

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical

2006-03-01

From an ominous Lecturer, a small 1930s middle American community learns of the Harper Affair, in wh

3.2

The Grass Is Greener

1960-12-23

Victor and Hillary are down on their luck to the point that they allow tourists to take guided tours

2.9

Eating Out: All You Can Eat

2009-10-09

Tiffani attempts to help her geeky but very cute friend Casey find true love - or at least a sexy hu

3.4

Stage Beauty

2004-09-03

Humble Maria, who outfits top London theater star Ned Kynaston, takes none of the credit for the mal

3.3

For Keeps

1988-01-15

Young high school couple Darcy Elliot and Stan Bobrucz are one year from graduation, with promising

3.6

Adam's Rib

1949-11-18

A woman's attempted murder of her uncaring husband results in everyday quarrels in the lives of Adam

Never a Dull Moment

1968-06-26

When practicing for a role, actor Jack is mistaken for the killer Ace. He doesn't realize this until

3.2

Annie

1999-11-07

Things seem pretty bad for a young girl living a "hard-knock life" in an orphanage. Fed up with the

2.7

Bushwhacked

1995-08-04

A inept courier realises he has been used by criminals to deliver money. On the run from both the cr

1.8

Love, Honor and Behave

1938-03-12

Comedy about a weak husband, afraid to say "no" to his new wife, who realizes he must assert himself

3.4

The One I Love

2014-08-08

Ethan and Sophie are a married couple on the brink of separation when, at the urging of their therap

3.4

Holiday Affair

1949-12-12

Just before Christmas, department store clerk Steve Mason meets big spending customer Connie Ennis,

Umenie komédie

1984-01-01

3.5

Pygmalion

1938-10-06

When linguistics professor Henry Higgins boasts that he can pass off Cockney flower girl Eliza Dooli

3.1

Flower Drum Song

1961-11-09

A young woman arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown, from Hong Kong, with the intention of marrying a

3.1

Babes in Toyland

1934-12-14

Ollie Dee and Stannie Dum try to borrow money from their employer, the toymaker, to pay off the mort

3.3

Platinum Blonde

1931-10-31

Ann Schuyler is an upper-crust socialite who bullies her reporter husband into conforming to her hig

3.8

Band of Outsiders

1964-08-05

Cinephile slackers Franz and Arthur spend their days mimicking the antiheroes of Hollywood noirs and