The Trials of Oscar Wilde

The Trials of Oscar Wilde, also known as The Man with the Green Carnation and The Green Carnation, is a 1960 British drama film based on the libel and subsequent criminal cases involving Oscar Wilde and the Marquess of Queensberry. It was written by Allen and Ken Hughes, directed by Hughes, and co-produced by Irving Allen, Albert R. Broccoli and Harold Huth. The screenplay was by Ken Hughes and Montgomery Hyde, based on an unperformed play The Stringed Lute by John Furnell (the pseudonym of Phyllis Macqueen). The film was made by Warwick Films and released by Eros Films. It stars Peter Finch as Wilde, Lionel Jeffries as Queensberry, and John Fraser as Bosie (Lord Alfred Douglas) with James Mason, Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, Maxine Audley, Paul Rogers and James Booth. Cast Peter Finch as Oscar Wilde Yvonne Mitchell as Constance Wilde Sonia Dresdel as Lady Wilde Emrys Jones as Robbie Ross Lionel Jeffries as Marquis of Queensbury James Mason as Sir Edward Carson Nigel Patrick as Sir Edward Clarke John Fraser as Lord Alfred Douglas Maxine Audley as Ada Leverson Ian Fleming as Arthur Laurence Naismith as the Prince of Wales James Booth as Alfred Wood Michael Goodliffe as Charles Gill Naomi Chance as Lillie Langtry Production In November 1959, Ken Hughes said he hoped for Laurence Olivier or Alec Guinness to play the title role. "I know American actors who would run a mile rather than play a part like this, but the film will be a flop unless Wilde is played by someone of stature," said Hughes. "We are going to have some stiff legal problems. We shall approach the Queensberry family. The Marquis will be shown as the villain and I don't know how his family will like that. As for Wilde, the film will show him deserving pity, a genius living in a superficial fantasy world."