The Happy Prince

The last years of Oscar Wilde: the rapid failure from glory (was he once the most famous man in London?) into the darkness of imprisonment (they didn’t forgive anyone his homosexuality in the 19th century). Now in Paris, on his deathbed, Oscar Wilde observes his own life with ironic distance and regards the difficulties that beset him, with detachment and humor. He recalls his past and reviews the failed attempt to reconcile with his long-suffering wife, and the ensuing reprisal of his love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas…

Star actor Rupert Everett has already played Wilde in several pictures (but anyway, the most exotic of his roles is Grigory Melekhov in the TV series And Quiet Flows the Don). Everett ventured to make his Director’s debut only at 59 years. The Happy Prince is a passion project that pays effective tribute to Oscar Wilde with a poignant look at his tragic final days. Not only the film title is borrowed from one Wilde's fairy tale (to tell, not a fairy tale at all), but the same free dramatic structure without boring reasonableness. As the Master said: Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.

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