Fridae

This film about gay writer Oscar Wilde was banned in Singapore for 10 ridiculous years. Now that the typically erratic censors have come to their senses and lifted the ban � his plays and novels are standard texts in Lit courses here, for goodness sake! � Shaw Organization is showing Wilde for the first time.

Many literate queers are, of course, familiar with the name Oscar Wilde. Long before the fashionable folks from Sex and the City and Ugly Betty turned bitching into an art form, there was Oscar Wilde � playwright, wit and social philosopher who defined "fabulousness" in the Victorian era.

His quips like, "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train" and "A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction" made him the toast of the town.

However, Wilde was gay (of course) and his dalliances with boys eventually landed him in prison in what the newspapers described as "the most horrible scandal which has disturbed social life in London for many years". By then, Wilde was married � as was expected of men of his time � which made the scandal harder to accept by even his friends.

This film, titled simply Wilde, takes us through that particularly difficult period of his life. Directed by Brian Gilbert, Wilde is played by gay actor/comedian/director/writer Stephen Fry who certainly looks the part. But more importantly (and perhaps surprisingly), Stephen manages to imbue his character with a fragility and vulnerability that belie his outward flamboyance.

Contrary to what one might expect of the movie, Wilde is not a knee-slapping comedy similar to his most famous plays like The Importance of Being Earnest. Rather, it is quite a serious drama that tries to portray the man and his dilemmas as accurately as any film could.

If you haven't seen Wilde, it is the must-see of the week.