The Trials of Oscar Wilde

Cast

• Peter Finch as Oscar Wilde
• Yvonne Mitchell as Constance Wilde
• Sonia Dresdel as Lady Wilde
• Emrys Jones as Robbie Ross
• Lionel Jeffries as Marquis of Queensbury
• James Mason as Sir Edward Carson
• Nigel Patrick as Sir Edward Clarke
• John Fraser as Lord Alfred Douglas
• Maxine Audley as Ada Leverson
• Ian Fleming as Arthur
• Laurence Naismith as the Prince of Wales
• James Booth as Alfred Wood
• Michael Goodliffe as Charles Gill
• Naomi Chance as Lillie Langtry

Production

In November 1959, Ken Hughes said he hoped for Laurence Olivier or Alec Guinness to play the title role. "I know American actors who would run a mile rather than play a part like this, but the film will be a flop unless Wilde is played by someone of stature," said Hughes. "We are going to have some stiff legal problems. We shall approach the Queensberry family. The Marquis will be shown as the villain and I don't know how his family will like that. As for Wilde, the film will show him deserving pity, a genius living in a superficial fantasy world."

Vyvyan Holland (Wilde's son) said "the film company has not approached me. I should be very glad to act as advisor although I cannot say I would approve until I have seen the script".

In February 1960, it was announced Peter Finch would play the role for a fee of £25,000. "I'm scared stiff," said Finch. "Mind you the fact it's such a challenge is one reason I'm so keen. It's exciting to do something everybody says you can't."

The production was filmed in Technirama. The movie was an anomaly among the output of Warwick Productions which specialised in action films.

''Oscar Wilde'' Lawsuits

It was one of two films about Wilde released in 1960, the other being 20th Century Fox' Oscar Wilde starring Robert Morley. According to production designer Ken Adam, producer Irving Allen set up four editing rooms for the production, working in parallel during principal photography; this meant that the film could be screened in the West End seven weeks after the start of filming.

Warwick took out an injunction against the makers of Oscar Wilde claiming copyright infringement in two books. The claim was unsuccessful.

Release

The film was released at midnight on Saturday, 28 May 1960 at Studio One in London before its general release on 30 May 1960. It was released a week after Oscar Wilde.

In June 1960 Warwick announced it would not make films through major studios but would produce and distribute films itself with a slate of pictures worth $8 million a year: "three big films a year" plus eight others which it would finance through Eros (that would cost an estimated $3 million all up). Eros would distribute The Trials of Oscar Wilde in the UK.

In May 1961 Eros ran into financial difficulties, while distributing The Trials of Oscar Wilde and several staff were fired. Four films were awaiting distribution - Johnny Nobody, Middle of Nowhere, Carolina and Lies My Father Told Me.

Reception

Critical

In his review of the film, Bosley Crowther wrote: "Mr. Wilde himself could not have expected his rare personality or his unfortunate encounters with British justice on a morals charge to have been more sympathetically or affectingly dramatized. In comparison to that other British picture about the same subject that opened [in New York City] last week, this one is more impressive in every respect, save one." Crowther concludes the review saying "The only thing is you wonder if this is a fairly true account, if Mr. Wilde was as noble and heroic as he is made to appear. And if he was, what was he doing with those cheap and shady young men? It looks to us as if they are trying to whitewash a most unpleasant case, which is one of the more notorious and less ennobling in literary history."

John Simon described The Trials of Oscar Wilde as "an unjustly neglected movie".

Variety magazine, commenting on the performances, said "Peter Finch gives a moving and subtle performance as the ill-starred playwright. Before his downfall he gives the man the charm that he undoubtedly had....John Fraser as handsome young Lord Alfred Douglas is suitably vain, selfish, vindictive and petulant and the relationship between the two is more understandable. Where Trials suffers in comparison with the B&W film is in the remarkable impact of the libel case court sequence. James Mason never provides the strength and bitter logic necessary for the dramatic cut-and-thrust when Wilde is in the witness box."

The film has been called "Hughes' one undeniable classic."

Box office

Kine Weekly called it a "money maker" at the British box office in 1960. The magazine elaborated that the film "did marvelously in good and high class halls but faltered a bit in industrial areas. All the same it's one of the outstanding productions of 1960."

Accolades

Influence

The film was the inspiration for a promotional film made for the Rolling Stones song "We Love You"; the 1967 film, directed by Peter Whitehead, featured Mick Jagger as Wilde, Keith Richards as the judge in the Wilde trial, and Marianne Faithfull as Bosie.

References

References

1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090116053548/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/374801?view=release Release information] from the [[BFI National Archive]] Film & TV Database
2. Alexander Walker, ''Hollywood, England'', Stein and Day, 1974 p138
3. Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 360
4. "[ Oscar Wilde; Typescript ] The Stringed Lute. A Play Based on the life of OSCAR WILDE [Playwright's own copy]. WITH Typed Letter Signed P. Macqueen discussing play with W. MacQueen-Pope, theatre historian, revealing pseudonym | Richard Ford".
5. Vagg, Stephen. (8 December 2025). "Forgotten British Film Moguls: Cubby Broccoli and Irving Allen".
6. Goring, Edward. (17 November 1959). "Oscar Wilde's life story to be filmed". [[Daily Mail]].
7. Tanfield, Paul. (16 February 1960). "Mr Finch signs for Oscar Wilde and £25,000". [[Daily Mail]].
8. [http://www.scriptfactory.co.uk/go/Training/Extract_285.html A Kubrick Masterclass with Sir Ken Adam, Hosted by Sir Christopher Frayling] {{webarchive. link. (2 September 2010 , from [[The Script Factory]])
9. (19 May 1960). "'Wilde' injunction plea fails".
10. Myers, Harold. (1 June 1960). "A Queer Rivalry: 2 'Oscar Wildes'".
11. (31 August 1960). "Warwick Gives in on 'Wilde' Title Change".
12. (29 June 1960). "Broccoli-Allen self-financing".
13. (17 May 1961). "Eros, small Brit indie, runs into money trouble".
14. Crowther, Bosley. (28 June 1960). "Wilde Absolved: Writer's 'Trials' Get New Examination". The New York Times.
15. (1983). "John Simon: Something to Declare Twelve Years of Films From Abroad". Clarkson N. Potter Inc..
16. Rich.. (1 June 1960). "Film Reviews: The Trials of Oscar Wilde".
17. Vagg, Stephen. (14 November 2020). "Ken Hughes Forgotten Auteur".
18. Billings, Josh. (15 December 1960). "It's Britain 1, 2, 3 again in the 1960 box office stakes".
19. Kin Weekly 15 December 1960 p 10
20. "BAFTA Awards (1961)". [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]].
21. "The Trials of Oscar Wilde – Golden Globes".
22. "2nd Moscow International Film Festival (1961)". MIFF.
23. [http://www.oscholars.com/TO/Forty-five/Main/editorial.htm Oscar in Popular Culture]{{dead link. (January 2018)