Review of Importance of Being Earnest, The

Introduction

Being based on what is perhaps one of Oscar Wilde`s best known plays this 1952 version directed by Anthony Asquith is still one of the best screen adaptations of his plays.

Coining the phrase "A HANDBAG!" from Lady Bracknell dialog the film assured a place in popular culture, portraying as it does a poignant satire of Victorian Briton.

In some ways it is easy to look upon the play as the `There`s Something About Mary` of its day offering a camp comedy that was possibly just a little to close to the bone back then.

Video

The disk is presented in an Imperial print (4:3) and from a technical standpoint the print is in fairly good condition, it would be grossly unfair to compare this with modern releases but it certainly offers the best version of the film I have seen and is quite watch able with no major problems.

The menus are simple, functional and actually quite nicely done.

Audio

The Audio is a Dolby Mono track and is a little muted and flat but serviceable none the less.

Features

For a budget release we actually get a fair range of extras including the de-facto trailer, a short documentary on the play and some reasonable biographies and promotional stills.

Conclusion

This is a classic 50`s film and is a must have if you`re a Wilde fan. The disk is actually very good for a budget release, especially when compared to some of the other recent release on the same label.

It should certainly provide some camp amusement until next years `remake` hits the Cinemas.