TV Pick: Oscar Wilde’s Great Fall

Rupert Everett plays an ageing Oscar Wilde lying on his deathbed in a Paris hotel room. From there, The Happy Prince moves between the present and Wilde’s memories, portraying a celebrated genius trying to hold on to love, creativity and dignity after public humiliation and personal collapse.

The film recalls Wilde’s failed attempt to reconcile with his wife, Constance, and his effort to revive his love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas. It also follows the devotion of his friends Reggie Turner and Robbie Ross, who tried, unsuccessfully, to save the writer from himself.

The title refers to Wilde’s fairy tale The Happy Prince. Its themes of tenderness, sacrifice and compassion echo through the film’s portrait of a man who, in the article’s words, lived and died for love.

The Happy Prince was released in Britain in 2018 and directed by Everett, who also stars alongside Colin Firth, Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas and Emily Watson. The 100-minute biographical drama will be shown on TV SLO 1 on Monday, September 5, at 11:05 p.m. Vikend rates it four out of five.