A Good Woman 2004

      This film is based on a four-act comedy play written by Oscar Wilde in 1892 and titled Lady Windermere’s Fan.  It is also based on a screenplay by Howard Himelstein.  In 1930, Mrs. Erlynne, who describes herself as poor and infamous is driven out of New York City society by jealous wives.  She sees a news photo of wealthy Lord Windermere and his young wife.  She decides to head for the Amalfi Coast to be with the rich and famous for "the season" and to snare Mr. Windermere.  Gossips twitter as he spends his afternoons with her, his wife is blissfully innocent as she blushingly fends off attentions from a young English nobleman and an international playboy who thinks he's in love.  Mrs. Erlynne is also pursued by a worldly-wise older English nobleman.  Mrs. Windermere's twentieth birthday party approaches and these events all play out amidst numerous amoral Wildean aphorisms (a pithy observation that contains a general truth but lacks moral sense).  

     I thought this film was very good.  The major categories of direction, editing, performances, design, make up, costume, music are all included and well done.  There is also attention to detail in the sets.  I especially liked the clothing of this period and the characters attempting to follow or decry the social mores!!  The visual scenery is spectacular at the Italian Riviera.  Of course, a suitcase or two full of money will help you have a very good time!!  5* (I really liked this movie)  

93 min, Drama, directed by Mike Barker and based on a screenplay by Howard with Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Wilkinson, Milena Vukotic, Stephen Campbell Moore, Mark Umbers, Roger Hammond, John Standing, Tom Wilkinson, Giorgia Massetti, Diana Hardcastle, Shara Orano, Jane How, Bruce McGuire, Michael Stomme, Antonio Barbaro.

Note:  Imdb 6.5* out of 10* with 11,495 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 37% with 83 critic reviews 49% with 100,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 53 out of 100 with 29 critics 6.5 out of 10 with 18 user scores, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 1321 reviews.

Special Note:  The historic airliner used at the end of this movie is a De Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane, built in Britain in the 1930s. This one is registration D-ILIT, and is privately owned in Germany. It is fully airworthy, as can be seen in this movie and appears at air displays.  Joseph Fiennes was originally offered the role of Lord Darlington but he turned it down to play Bassanio in Michael Radford's adaptation of The Merchant of Venice of 2004.  The instrument being played in the band at the party is not a cornet, but a flugelhorn. In some of the musical selections, the sound heard is that of an unmuted trumpet, in others, it is that of a trumpet with a Harmon mute. The flugelhorn, as shown has an entirely different timbre.

Mistakes:  The band playing at Mrs Windemere's party includes a guitarist playing a Gibson electric guitar (Gibson pearl-inlaid logo is visible). This is 6 years before Gibson released its first commercial electric guitar (the ES-150) in 1936. Electric guitars were an experimental novelty in 1930.  Cast members are shown smoking filter tipped cigarettes which were not available in the 1930s.