A Good Woman

Last weekend I saw the movie A Good Woman based off of Oscar Wilde's play, Lady Windermere's Fan. I would highly recommend this film. Unfortunately, the Irish born writer seems to be remembered more for his lifestyle than his art. Both the prurient and the puritan are blinded by prejudices and miss the truth behind both the writer and his writings. I will not bore you now by casting my own judgment (as I fear I lack both the talent and the right) to either sanctify or condemn him but simply recommend to you now this well done interpretation of his play.
Originally entitled, A Good Woman, Lady Windermere's Fan was Wilde's first successful play which premiered on the 20 February, 1892 at the St. James Theatre in London. The play (movie) is intrinsically moral in its tone and typically characteristic of Wilde's writing, filled with wit and wisdom! A theme which is often found recurring throughout Wilde's art and resurfaces in this particular piece is the redemption of ostensibly "evil" or "bad" people by acts of love and (or as) sacrifice along with the confounding of the "moral" and "good" appearing people when they give way to a sort of holier-than-thou attitude. When the good Lady Windermere, who is about to commit a self-destructive act, is confronted and advised by the notorious Lady Erlynne whose entrance into the Windermere's life is not quite what it appears (nor what the gossip would suggest), she scoffs at Mrs. Erlynne on the grounds that she is a woman of ill repute and says, "You whose whole life is a lie, how could you speak the truth about anything?...You talk as if you had a heart. Women like you have no hearts. Heart is not in you. You are bought and sold." Mrs. Erlynne obviously hurt, persists with selflessness, "Believe what you choose about me. I am not worth a moment's sorrow. But don't spoil your beautiful young life on my account!... You don't know what it is to fall into the pit, to be despised, mocked, abandoned, sneered at - to be an outcast! to find the door shut against one, to have to creep in by hideous byways, afraid every moment lest the mask should be stripped from one's face, and all the while to hear the laughter, the horrible laughter of the world, a thing more tragic than all the tears the world has shed. You don't know what it is. One pays for one's sin, and then one pays again, and all one's life one pays. You must never know that. As for me, if suffering be an expiation, then at this moment I have expiated all my faults, whatever they have been; for tonight you have made a heart in one who had it not, made it and broken it. - But let that pass. I my have wrecked my own life, but I will not let you wreck yours..."
Helen Hunt performs the character of Lady Erlynne marvously as does the remainder of the cast in their particular roles - all of whom charm and humor the audience. The sole performing exception, in my humble but quick to give opinion, was that of Lady Windermere as played by Scarlet Johanson - I felt the character could have been better casted. However, the early 20th century upper class attire, the gorgeous Italian coast-line scenery and music all make up for any miscasting flaws and add to the already delightfully well adapted script that leaves the viewer in want of nothing, except maybe to partake of the finer things in life accompanied by the tongue off of which would role, at will, Wilde-like wit, wisdom and humor! If you want to read more on Oscar Wilde I would suggest Joseph Pearce's book, The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, whose own wisdom and wit has found itself in this blog entry.