A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE

UK/Ireland, 1994, 90 minutes, Colour.
Albert Finney, Brenda Fricker, Michael Gambon, Tara Fitzgerald, Rufus Sewell, Patrick Malahide, Anna Manahan.
Directed by Suri Krishnamma.

A Man of No Importance is set in Ireland, in the Dublin of the 1960s. The variation on the title of Oscar Wilde's play is intentional because Alfie, an ageing bus driver (played with gusto by Albert Finney) parallels his modest life with that of Wilde. He is also staging Wilde's Salome with his friends in an amateur company.

While generally humorous in tone, the film has many serious themes, especially about Alfie's sexual orientation, his trying to cope and the violence and humiliation that parallels what Wilde experienced a hundred years earlier. It is a comic/serious plea for tolerance.

Albert Finney has had a very successful screen career, starting in the 1960s with The Entertainer, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and Tom Jones. He was appearing in films through the 70s and into the 80s with Oscar nominations for The Dresser and Under the Volcano. At the beginning of the 21st century, he was still top-lining films such as Erin Brockovich and Big Fish. Brenda Fricker had won the Oscar for My Left Foot. Michael Gambon was beginning to appear increasingly on-screen in character roles. Tara Fitzgerald and Rufus Sewell were in the early years of their successful careers.

1. The title of the film? The parallel with Oscar Wilde's Woman of No Importance? The paralleling of Alfie Byrne with Oscar Wilde?

2. The Dublin settings, the streets, the buses? The butcher shop? The hall and the rehearsals? The atmosphere of Ireland in 1963? The musical score? The songs by Cole Porter and other popular American writers? Love Letters, Mambo Italiano, Theme for Young Lovers and other melodies by Percy Faith.

3. The focus on Alfie, his age, appearance? His driving the buses? His cheerfulness, his emulating Oscar Wilde in his manner, in his sayings? His encounter with the passengers? Jovial? His friendship with Robbie, working with him, trying to persuade him to be the male lead in his production of Salome?

4. The production of Salome, the church hall? His meeting with Adele, seeing her on the bus, choosing her for the title role? His persuading her to take the part? Mr Carney the butcher, his moral stances, cast as King Herod, complaints? His growling to Lily, suggestions that the play is blasphemous? Their decision to stop the play and oppose Alfie?

5. Alfie, his friend Baldy, their discussions, Baldy warning Alfie about Carney and his behaviour? Alfie and his stubbornness? Continuing with the play? The details of the play, his direction, Wilde's words and characters? Adele, her crying, her being pregnant?

6. Alfie, his Catholic background, going to confession, his discussion with the priest, the discussion about Adele's pregnancy and the father of the child? The priest, his criticism of Alfie, presuming that Alfie is the father? Alfie's reaction, upset, rushing out of the church, going to see Adele, discovering her in bed with her boyfriend?

7. Alfie, the emulation of Oscar Wilde, his putting on make-up, the cape, going through the streets of Dublin? The gay bar, meeting Kitty, the flirtation? The violence, the assault on Alfie and his being robbed, his friend and the attack? His being taken home by the police, Carney and Lily seeing him?

8. His embarrassment about his homosexuality, his deciding to kill himself, jumping into the canal - but the water being shallow?

9. The reaction at work, his boss and the criticisms, his statement that Robbie was disgusted, transferring? Carney and his attack? The contrast with the attitude of the passengers? Adele and her support, her going to England, her saying goodbye?

10. Alfie, the church hall, his reflection on what had happened, Robbie coming, saying that he would be in the play? His explanation about the transfer, his not wanting it? Their reading of Oscar Wilde's poetry? A future for Alfie?

11. Albert Finney's nuanced performance as Alfie, age, experience, inexperience, homosexuality in Ireland in the 1960s, his coming out, his shame, feeling that he should kill himself? The final support and his having some hope?

12. Carney, Michael Gambon's style, the butcher, his criticisms of Alfie, his teaming up with Lily, the complaints, the attack on the play, seeing him coming home from the bar, the continued antagonism?

13. Lily, Brenda Fricker's style, her support of her brother, her interest in Carney, ganging up against Alfie, criticism of the play? Her shock about his sexual orientation?

14. Robbie, young man, working with Alfie, the proposition about the play, his work on the bus, his being transferred, the return, the friendship and the poetry reading?

15. Adele, the young Irish girl, her relationships, pregnancy, her going to England?

16. The other members of the rehearsal, the play, their idiosyncrasies?

17. A serious as well as comic look at life in Dublin, ordinary life, on the buses, and the context for issues of sexual orientation?