Wilde (DVD, 2001, Special Edition)

"Wilde" is among the best films of 1997. It is much more than a biopic of Oscar Wilde, one of the finest Irish poets & playwrights of the Victorian era.

In this film, Wilde (Stephen Fry) struggles with being gay & married with children. It was illegal to be gay, the 'love that dare not speak its name', during Wilde's lifetime. His male lover's, Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas' (Jude Law), ruthless, selfish, narcissism was so destruction that what Bosie imposed upon Wilde led to his misery.

Oscar Wilde was an infamously gay genius & known by his contemporaries as, "The First Modern Man." Wilde's sexuality both inspired some of his best writing & his worst depressions. He tried admirably to be the perfect husband & father inspite of accepting that he was gay. That is, until Bosie's abusive father, the Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson), brought legal action against Wilde in order to destroy him & impose control-over Bosie's private adult life.

Oscar Wilde's trial was sensationalized. He preferred to stand trial rather than leave his homeland & young sons. On the witness stand, Wilde freely admitted to being gay, out & proudly and philosophically well spoken. He stood up to Victorian puritanical sex customs, an unjust law & before countless gay peers as a representative for them. As a result, Wilde was convicted & sentenced to 2 years of hard labor; an ordeal he barely survived.

Stephen Fry, who is openly gay, delivers this definitive portrayal of the great 19th century Irish poet & playwright. The pace of the film is slow like Victorian times. There are gorgeous gay male love scenes. Vanessa Redgrave plays Wilde's mother, Lady Speranza Wilde, with her usual statuesque elegance & terrific sensitivity for ethnic relevance & sexual conflicts. Jude Law's Bosie is nearly hateable & yet can still be empathized with as the son of a very abusive father. Jennifer Ehle plays Oscar's wife & the mother of his sons, Lady Constance Wilde, as a loving, devoted partner who is supportive of her husband, even though she doesn't quite understand Oscar's same-gender sexual attractions. Michael Sheen plays Robbie Ross, one of Wilde's young gay friends who would like nothing better than to be his primary love interest.

Some of Wilde's actual statements & celebrated writing are incorporated into the script. Most especially from the story Wilde wrote for his sons, "The Selfish Giant" (which has been read as symbolically autobiographical). This story is used to punctuate important scenes & key points the film is making. Wilde's children's story is brilliantly used to bring this film to a befitting enough close for such a gentleman giant of literary arts & sociologically advanced insights.

This special edition is the widescreen version, which highlights the glorious settings. The musical score is fitting enough to deserve to be Dolby Digital 2.0. This version is the English language one.

There is also special audio commentary by the formiddable cast & crew. The film's original trailers are included. Plus, there are also 2 featurettes:
"Still Wild About Wilde," and "Simply Wilde." The menu is interactive & includes the ability to make scene selections.

The text & photo gallery includes filmographies, production notes & a still photo montage. The DVD includes the complete content of the official film website. In all, a truly memorable tribute to the Gay Irishman, Oscar Wilde~