''An Ideal Husband'', also known as ''Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband'', is a 1947 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

adaptation of the 1895 play by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. It was made by

London Film Productions London Films Productions is a British film and television production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda and from 1936 based at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. The company's productions included ''The Private Life o ...

and distributed by

British Lion Films British Lion Films is a film production and distribution company active under several forms since 1919. Originally known as British Lion Film Corporation Ltd, it entered receivership on 1 June 1954. From 29 January 1955 to 1976, the company was kn ...

(UK) and

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

(USA). It was produced and directed by

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Lajos Bíró Lajos Bíró (; born Lajos Blau; 22 August 1880 – 9 September 1948) was a Hungarian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who wrote many films from the early 1920s through the late 1940s. Life He was born in Nagyvárad, Kingdom of Hunga ...

from Wilde's play. The music score was by

Arthur Benjamin Arthur Leslie Benjamin (18 September 1893, in Sydney – 10 April 1960, in London) was an Australian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. He is best known as the composer of '' Jamaican Rumba'' (1938) and of the ''Storm Clouds Cantata'', f ...

, the cinematography by

Georges Périnal Georges Périnal (1897 Paris– 23 April 1965 London) was a French cinematographer. He is best known for his works with Jean Grémillon, René Clair, Jean Cocteau, Michael Powell, Charlie Chaplin, Otto Preminger. Partial filmography * '' Six e ...

, the editing by

Oswald Hafenrichter Oswald Eduard Hafenrichter (10 April 1899 – 18 May 1973) was an Austrian-British film editing, film editor with more than seventy feature film credits. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for ''The Third Man'' (1949 ...

and the costume design by

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theat ...

. This was Korda's last completed film as a director, although he continued producing films into the next decade. The film stars

Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress notable for her film career in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Manhattan and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Goddard initially began her career a ...

Michael Wilding Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he also made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, '' Under Capric ...

Diana Wynyard Diana Wynyard, CBE (born Dorothy Isobel Cox; 16 January 1906 – 13 May 1964) was an English stage and film actress. Life and career Born in Lewisham, South London, Wynyard began her career on the stage. After performing in Liverpool and Lon ...

Hugh Williams Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (6 March 1904 – 7 December 1969) was a British actor and dramatist of Welsh descent. Early life and career Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (nicknamed "Tam") was born at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex to Hugh Dafydd Anth ...

C. Aubrey Smith Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (21 July 1863 – 20 December 1948) was an English Test cricketer who became a stage and film actor, acquiring a niche as the officer-and-gentleman type, as in the first sound version of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937) ...

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...

and

Constance Collier Constance Collier (born Laura Constance Hardie; 22 January 1878 – 25 April 1955) was an English stage and film actress and acting coach. She wrote hit plays and films with Ivor Novello and she was the first person to be treated with insu ...

Plot

The story takes place in London, 1895. The main characters are Mrs. Laura Cheveley (

), who has recently returned to Britain after living in Vienna; Sir Roger Chiltern (

), a government minister with a reputation for honesty; his wife Lady Gertrude (

), who disapproves strongly of immorality and dishonesty; Mabel Chiltern (

), Sir Robert's younger sister; Lord Arthur Goring (

), an unmarried and unconventional young man; and his father, the Earl of Caversham (

), who is eager to have his son marry and settle down. At a lavish party hosted by the Chilterns, Mrs. Cheveley tries to extort Sir Roger into supporting a bill to provide government financing for what he considers to be a fraudulent scheme. Mrs. Cheveley has incriminating letters that he wrote many years earlier that allowed him to use advance knowledge of the financing of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

to establish his fortune and career. He initially refuses but gives in to save his reputation. Before leaving the party, Mrs. Cheveley tells Lady Gertrude, a former schoolmate, that her husband will support the canal scheme, which surprises the politician's wife. As the party ends, Arthur and Mabel notice an unusual

brooch A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with vitreous enamel, ...

that someone had lost. Goring knows that he had given that brooch to someone in the past and keeps it, hoping that it will be asked for. Sir Roger, confronted by his wife about his change of position, writes a letter to Lady Cheverley to tell her that he will speak against the bill. The next morning, Sir Robert reveals Lady Cheveley's blackmail attempt to Arthur, who urges him to let his wife know about his own past indiscretion, even if it will ruin her regard for her husband. Sir Robert refuses to tell her the truth and decides to look for some way to blackmail Mrs. Cheveley instead. Arthur, who was once engaged to her, thinks that plan will not work. Mrs. Cheveley arrives to ask if anyone has found a brooch she had lost at the party. Lady Gertrude tells the woman that she has despised her dishonesty ever since they were in school together and that Sir Robert will speak against the bill in Parliament that night. Mrs. Cheveley retaliates by telling her how her husband made his fortune. Sir Robert orders Mrs. Cheveley to leave. His wife is repelled by his past behavior and he responds saying that no one could live up to the ideal image she had of him. That evening, Lady Gertrude writes an unsigned note to Arthur asking for his help. Arthur tells Mrs. Cheveley that he has her brooch and knows that she stole it from an important society woman. He removes the incriminating brooch when she gives him the letter she was using to blackmail Sir Robert. She, however, takes Lady Gertrude's note as she leaves, planning to use it to make Sir Robert believe that his wife is having an affair with Arthur. Lady Gertrude in turn now says that she has learned the power of forgiveness. That night, Mrs. Cheveley watches from the women's gallery in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

as Sir Robert denounces the canal scheme. The next day, Lord Caversham again admonishes his son, Arthur, to marry. Arthur complies and proposes to Mabel. Lady Gertrude arrives and Arthur tells her of Mrs. Cheveley's intention to destroy her marriage, using the unsigned note. When she gives it to Sir Robert, though, he takes the letter to be proof his of wife's need and love for him. Now willing to give up his position in society and live a contented life with Lady Gertrude, Sir Robert is offered an important Cabinet position by Lord Caversham. Arthur persuades her to let her husband remain in public life. Lady Cheveley leaves, not apparently upset that her schemes have failed.

Cast

as Mrs. Laura Cheveley *

as Viscount Arthur Goring *

as Lady Gertrude Chiltern *

as Sir Robert Chiltern *

as Earl of Caversham, Goring's Father *

as Miss Mabel Chiltern, Sir Robert's sister *

as Lady Markby *

Christine Norden Christine Norden (born Mary Lydia Thornton; 28 December 1924 – 21 September 1988) was a British actress. Early life Norden was born in Mowbray Terrace, Sunderland. She was the daughter of a bus driver. Her childhood home was in Chester Ro ...

as Mrs. Margaret Marchmont * Harriette Johns as Olivia, Countess of Basildon *

Michael Medwin Michael Hugh Medwin, OBE (18 July 1923 – 26 February 2020) was an English actor and film producer. Life and career Medwin was born in London. He was educated at Canford School, Dorset, and the Institute Fischer, Montreux, Switzerland. He ...

as Duke of Nonesuch * Michael Anthony as Vicomte de Nanjac * Peter Hobbes as Mr. Eddie Montford * John Clifford as Mr. Mason, the Chiltern Butler * Fred Groves as Phipps, Goring's Butler * Michael Ward as Mr. Tommy Tafford

Production

The costly production was held up due to a strike by the crew. The union objected to American actress Paulette Goddard's personal, Swedish-born hairdresser, claiming an English person could do the job. Korda was also criticized for halting shooting to procure a genuine emerald necklace for Goddard to wear in one scene, a controversial extravagance during Britain's post-war austerity period. However, Korda's use of the Royal Household Cavalry in an outdoor scene was so impressive that the company wore the uniforms from the film for the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth to

Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

. Shooting took 66 days. Goddard's husband,

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...

, was making ''

Mine Own Executioner ''Mine Own Executioner'' is a 1947 British psychological thriller drama film starring Burgess Meredith and directed by Anthony Kimmins, and based on the novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. ...

'' for Korda at the same time. After filming, the two of them appeared on stage in Dublin in '' Winterset''.

Reception

The film, along with two others from Korda, ''

'' and ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writte ...

'', as well as other British films, were picketed in some American cities by the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

Boycott Committee, headed b
Johan J. Smertenko
who was active in supporting the establishment of the

State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The group wanted to draw American attention to British policies in the Palestine Mandate. Korda, however, suggested that the boycott might also be used by American interests in retaliation for distribution quotas imposed on American films by Britain. The film's American distributor, Twentieth Century Fox, did pull Korda's films from its theaters. Smertenko and the Sons of Liberty announced an end to the boycott in December 1948.

Box Office

The film was one of the most popular movies at the British box office in 1948. According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'', the most successful at the box office in 1948 Britain was ''The Best Years of Our Lives'', with ''Spring in Park Lane'' being the best British film and next best being ''It Always Rains on Sunday'', ''My Brother Jonathan'', ''Road to Rio'', ''Miranda'', ''An Ideal Husband'', ''Naked City'', ''The Red Shoes'', ''Green Dolphin Street'', ''Forever Amber'', ''Life with Father'', ''The Weaker Sex'', ''Oliver Twist'', ''The Fallen Idol'' and ''The Winslow Boy''. However, it performed disappointingly in other markets.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ideal Husband, An 1947 films Films directed by Alexander Korda London Films films British films based on plays Films based on works by Oscar Wilde Films produced by Alexander Korda British comedy films 1947 comedy films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films