The Importance of Being Earnest is a British film adaptation of the play by Oscar Wilde. It was directed by Anthony Asquith, who also adapted the screenplay, and was produced by Teddy Baird. The film is largely faithful to Wilde's text, although it divides some of the acts into shorter scenes in different locations. Edith Evans's outraged delivery of the line "A handbag?" has become legendary. As actor Ian McKellen has written, it is a performance "so acclaimed and strongly remembered that it inhibits audiences and actors years later" providing a challenge for anyone taking on the role of... Lady Bracknell. The film is noted for its acting, yet the parts played by Redgrave and Denison call for actors ten years younger. Margaret Rutherford, who plays Miss Prism in this adaptation, played Lady Bracknell in the 1946 BBC production. The film received a BAFTA nomination for Dorothy Tutin as Most Promising Newcomer and a Golden Lion nomination for Anthony Asquith at the Venice Film Festival.
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| Release date: | June 2, 1952 |
| Directed by: | Anthony Asquith |
| Runtime: | 95 Minutes |
| Producer: | Earl St. John, Teddy Baird |
| Editor: | John D. Guthridge |
| Music by: | Benjamin Frankel |
| Cinematography: | Desmond Dickinson |
| Screenplay by: | Anthony Asquith |
| Adapted from: | The Importance of Being Earnest |
| Genre: | Comedy |