The Importance of Being Earnest

"They don't come any wilder than Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners, morals and morality!"

1952 1h 35m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 126

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“They don't come any wilder than Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners, morals and morality!”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Michael Redgrave
Ernest Worthing
Michael Denison
Algernon Moncrieff
Edith Evans
Lady Bracknell
Joan Greenwood
Gwendolen Fairfax
Dorothy Tutin
Cecily Cardew
Margaret Rutherford
Miss Prism
Miles Malleson
Canon Chasuble
Richard Wattis
Seton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anthony Asquith
Writers: Anthony Asquith
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anthony Asquith, shot by Desmond Dickinson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Benjamin Frankel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John D. Guthridge shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Michael Redgrave and Michael Denison and Edith Evans carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They don't come any wilder than Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners, morals and morality!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0044744 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anthony Asquith directs. Desmond Dickinson behind the camera. Benjamin Frankel scores. John D. Guthridge cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

174 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Anthony Asquith, shot by Desmond Dickinson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Benjamin Frankel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor John D. Guthridge shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Michael Redgrave and Michael Denison and Edith Evans carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They don't come any wilder than Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners, morals and morality!".
7IMDB entry: tt0044744 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Desmond Dickinson
Original score: Benjamin Frankel
Editing: John D. Guthridge
Costume design: Beatrice Dawson
Makeup / hair: George Blackler
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)

Also by

Anthony Asquith

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-09-09
★ 7/10
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...

Production companies