The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest (Criterion #158).
1952 The Rank Organisation & Janus Films.
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Michael Denison, Edith Evans, Joan Greenwood, Margaret Rutherford, Miles Malleson, Dorothy Tutin
Director: Anthony Asquith
Available from Amazon.

Obviously, this is not the 2002 version with Reese Witherspoon. Sorry to disappoint.

Anthony Asquith directed this largely faithful adaptation of Oscar Wilde's stage play starring Michael Redgrave as the rich bachelor Jack Worthing. He has a friend, Algernon Moncrieff (Denison), who is broke and living on credit. Jack has a country getaway where he goes on weekends, leaving Algernon so curious that he tries to figure out where this retreat is, exactly.

Jack is also in love with Gwendolen (Greenwood), Al's cousin, and he also has a ward, Cecily Cardew (Tutin), who lives at the country estate and studies with Miss Prism (Rutherford). Algernon finds out about Cecily, so he arrives at Jack's weekend place claiming to be Jack's brother Ernest. Jack has been leading a double life, at the country home with Cecily, and another one in London, passing himself off as his non-existant brother Ernest, and that's who Gwendolen has just gotten engaged to, as she's always wamted to marry an Ernest.

Whenever he wanted to sneak off to the city to be with Gwendolen, Jack told Cecily that his brother Ernest was in trouble in the city. Unfortunately for Jack, Cecily has been intrigued from the very start since she's always wanted to wed a man named Ernest. She and Algernon quickly fall in love.

The major problem is, of course, neither man is actually named Ernest, and it could lead to great disappointment for the ladies...until Lady Bracknell (Evans) and Miss Prism realize that there's a solution that will make everyone happy.

Recommended movie.

Oh yes, we can't forget the movie's signature line..."A handbag?!"