The Happy Prince
A dying Oscar Wilde revisits the loves, betrayals, and social persecution that transformed celebrity into exile and poverty.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- tragic
- intimate
- quiet evening
- literary film night
What critics said
Critics generally found Rupert Everett's passion project to be a poignant and sensitively photographed tribute to Oscar Wilde's tragic final years.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Oscar Wilde's death-bed recollections trace his physical, financial, and reputational deterioration after public acclaim and imprisonment.
Wilde's relationship with Alfred Douglas and the social reprisals surrounding his sexuality shape the film's central conflict.
The Paris hotel-room frame prompts Wilde's memories of Constance, Bosie, Robbie Ross, and his travels through Europe.
The film contrasts cheap hotel rooms, illness, poverty, and absinthe-fuelled decline with carefully rendered memories of Wilde's earlier celebrity and travels.
Films like The Happy Prince, and why
Wilde
shared biographical drama form, literary subject, tragic decline, and queer historical context
The Imitation Game
shared period setting, lgbtq+ themes, social prejudice, and emotionally devastating artist portrait
Capote
shared intimate biographical drama, forbidden desire, and melancholic examination of a celebrated creative figure
A Single Man
shared romantic tragedy, historical social repression, and visually composed period-drama style
Movie Details
- Director
- Rupert Everett
- Release Date
- 2018-04-12
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (194)
Cast
- Rupert Everett
- Colin Firth
- Emily Watson
- Colin Morgan
- Edwin Thomas
- Franca Abategiovanni
- Alister Cameron
- Anna Chancellor
- Béatrice Dalle
- Tom Colley
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Happy Prince about?
- A dying Oscar Wilde revisits the loves, betrayals, and social persecution that transformed celebrity into exile and poverty.
- What is The Happy Prince like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Happy Prince as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Happy Prince violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Happy Prince as mild.
- What did critics think of The Happy Prince?
- Critics generally found Rupert Everett's passion project to be a poignant and sensitively photographed tribute to Oscar Wilde's tragic final years.
- Which films are like The Happy Prince?
- Films with a similar feel include Wilde, The Imitation Game, Capote, and A Single Man.
- How long is The Happy Prince?
- The Happy Prince runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Happy Prince?
- In United States, The Happy Prince is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
