MOVIE REVIEW : A Triumph for Finney in ‘Importance’

“A Man of No Importance” takes us to an early ‘60s Dublin neighborhood, where a jolly bus conductor, Alfie (Albert Finney) entertains his riders, regulars all, with impassioned recitations from his favorite author, Oscar Wilde. At his local church he has staged “The Importance of Being Earnest” with his passengers and neighbors and now he wants to tackle “Salome”--especially since he feels he’s found the perfect young woman to play the title role, a country girl named Adele (Tara Fitzgerald), newly arrived in town.

Alfie is an exuberant fellow, well-liked by his passengers, and he manages to get “Salome” past the parish priest by pointing out its biblical source. Trouble starts early on, however, when he casts his landlord, Ivor (Michael Gambon), as King Herod. Ivor swiftly declares the work immoral. Alfie soldiers on, but in doing so, is actually triggering an inevitable confrontation with himself.

Writer Barry Devlin and director Suri Krishnamma allow us to realize that Alfie is gay so gradually and so discreetly that we’re able to understand what a jolt it would be for those around him to learn the truth about his sexual orientation. That’s because at the same time they’re filling out Alfie’s life they’re showing us a pious, blue-collar world in which the very existence of homosexuality is denied.

Although enthusiastic to the point of bombast in regard to the sacredness of art and the greatness of Oscar Wilde, Alfie is such a burly, hearty, kindly middle-aged guy that the unsophisticated people who surround him do not suspect his true sexual orientation. Late marriage is not all that uncommon in Ireland, and Alfie’s sister, Lily (Brenda Fricker), with whom he lives above Ivor’s butcher shop, continues to hope that he will find the “right girl.” At times the film is so contrived and theatrical--those constant bus recitations are a bit much--that it comes as a surprise to discover it was not based on a play. Such an objection matters little alongside its signal and deeply moving accomplishments, the most important of which is to convey with force and accuracy just how isolating life in the closet can be--and how justified a gay individual is to try to stay there in an environment as hostile to homosexuals as Alfie’s is. There’s just no way Alfie can declare his love for the likable young bus driver (Rufus Sewell), for example, with whom he works.

Autodidact that he may be, Alfie has a grasp of the nature and function of art as fully developed as that of Wilde himself. As amusing as his rehearsals of “Salome” are, he shows himself to be a true artist, making the most of what his unlettered, awkward friends have to give to the play and drawing an inspired portrayal from Adele, who is not quite the innocent Alfie so dearly wants her to be in his heart. But the very nature of “Salome” demands that Alfie defend it increasingly to one and all; in doing so he discovers how hard it is to keep separate art and truth.

Alfie is not the only person who evolves. As Ivor and Lily’s suspicions of Alfie grow, the more hateful they become, revealing minds as cramped as the quarters in which Lily and Alfie live but eventually becoming figures of pity in their ignorance. Gambon and Fricker manage to bring some humanity to this miserable duo, and Fitzgerald convinces us that the sweet, troubled Adele really could play Salome.

Towering over one and all, not surprisingly, is Finney as the increasingly tormented but brave Alfie.

* MPAA rating: R, for a scene of (heterosexual) sexuality. Times guidelines: It includes some violence, complex adult themes, including homosexuality.

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‘A Man of No Importance’

Albert Finney: Alfie Byrne Brenda Fricker: Lily Byrne Michael Gambon: Ivor Carney Tara Fitzgerald: Adele Rice Rufus Sewell: Robbie Fay A Sony Pictures Classic release of a Majestic Films presentation in association with Newcomm and BBC Films of a Little Bird production. Director Suri Krishnamma. Producer Jonathan Cavendish. Executive producers James Mitchell, Guy East, Robert Cooper, Mark Shivas. Screenplay by Barry Devlin. Cinematographer Ashley Rowe. Editor David Freeman. Costumes Phoebe De Gaye. Music Julian Nott. Production designer Jamie Leonard. Art director Frank Flood. Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes.

* In limited release at the Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 477-5581, and the Colorado, 2588 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (818) 796-9704.