The Importance of Being Oscar
Oscar Wilde's bright and contentious career before his gay offenses trial and sad fall from grace is chronicled in this star-studded BBC film. Freddie Fox, Claire Skinner, Anna Chancellor, and James Fleet star in adaptations of Oscar-winning comedies like The Importance of Being Earnest and stories like The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Canterville Ghost. Stephen Fry, Wilde's grandson Merlin Holland, and his most recent biographers, among others, present fascinating stories of how his own life influenced his writing. His Irish background, early profession, marriage, and the significance of women and men in his life all come together in a nuanced and powerful characterization and celebration that gives meat to the bones of a man who is all too frequently caricatured.