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Oscar Wilde has become one of the most controversial and celebrated artists of the eighteenth
century. With that kind of wide spread fame, there are bound to arise many interesting theories, films, books, and rituals
to honor him. Here are some interesting tidbits about Wilde and about how his legacy has been expanded:
| Wilde Movie Poster, 1998 |
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| http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/d/d4/200px-Wilde_DVD.jpg |
Wilde was released in 1998 as a biographical
work about the author's life. Although the film is highly accurate and highly enjoyable, it was extremely controversial at
the time of its release and was not successful. The film has an incredibly talented cast who were able to both look and act
remarkably like the characters they portrayed and dialogue was often taken directly from Wilde's life. The film was nominated
for a Golden Globe award (Best Actor in a Leading Role for Fry's portrayal of Wilde) and several other honors. The cast
was as follows:
Actor
Role
The site's International Movie Database Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120514/
The Movie's Official Page (including reviews and more information about
the production team): http://www.oscarwilde.com
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| Oscar Wilde's Tomb in Pere Lachase Cemetary, Paris |
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| http://photos.igougo.com/images/p35076-Paris-Oscar_Wildes_Tomb.jpg |
In the world famous Pere Lachase cemetary lies the body
of Oscar Wilde but the story of how his tomb came to be there. its design, and even rituals about it today are, like much
of Wilde's life, quite out of the ordinary.
When Wilde died in 1900 he was still greatly controversial and viewed
as a degenerate bby most of his contemporaries. In short, Wilde's tomb was not given the respect you would expect for a man
who was once the darling of London society...he was buried in a small cemetary in an extremely unimpressive grave. Like most
of the outrages of Wilde's life, it was Robert Ross who came to his rescue after years of struggle, Wilde body was brought
back up and buried in a lavish tomb in the largest cemetary in Paris, home to the graves of hundred of famous historical,
cultural, and political figures. After Ross' death he chose to be buried along side Wilde in his tomb. The design of the tomb
encompasses a massive modernist male angel that was anotomically correct at the time of its creation. The angel's genitals
were broken off by cemetery keepers (who used them as paperweights) and their current whereabouts are unknown. In 2000, the
angel was given a makeover that included replacements for the stolen goods.
The story of Robert Ross' devotion to Wilde and his rather appropriate
(if a bit offensive) design selection are not the only interesting things about Wilde's tomb, however. Wilde's admirers,
still in massive numbers visit his tomb daily to lay lily flowers (the flower of the aesthetic movement) at the foot of his
grave. Those of his more devoted fans also show their commitment to Wilde by coating their lips with a large amount of bright
red ripstick and kissing the tomb. Compare the above photo of the statue just after it's creation to a picture of it today
and you'll be able to tell Wilde has many modern admirers.
| Oscar Wilde's Tomb Today |
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| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Oscar_Wilde_tomb.jpg/450px-Oscar_Wilde_tomb |
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