An Ideal Husband (1999 film)

Sir Robert Chiltern is a successful government minister, well-off and with a loving wife. All this is threatened when Mrs. Cheveley appears in London with damning evidence of a past misdeed. Sir Robert turns to his friend Lord Goring, an apparently idle philanderer and the despair of his father, for help. Goring knows the lady of old and the plot to help his friend has unintended consequences.

Rupert Everett plays Lord Arthur Goring, to whom Laura Chevely was engaged before her marriage and who urges Robert to let his wife know about his own past indiscretion, even if it lowers her regard for her husband.

Julianne Moore plays Mrs. Laura Cheveley, who tries to extort Sir Robert into supporting a canal scheme using incriminating letters and who makes a wager with Lord Goring to test his faith in Robert, with marriage as the forfeit.

Jeremy Northam plays Sir Robert Chiltern, member of Parliament, who many years earlier wrote an incriminating letter that disclosed a cabinet secret—insider knowledge regarding the Suez Canal—to establish his fortune and career.

Cate Blanchett plays Lady Gertrude Chiltern, who idolizes her husband and ironically expresses that a person who has performed a dishonorable act should be shunned.

Minnie Driver plays Miss Mabel Chiltern, who along with Lord Goring, convinces Robert that Gertrude wrote her incriminating letter to him rather than having improperly appealed to Lord Goring.

Lindsay Duncan plays malicious Lady Markby, who—aware of the animosity between them—reintroduces Mrs. Laura Cheveley to Lady Gertrude Chiltern, former schoolmates.

Before the turn of the 20th century, at a fashionable park outing, malicious Lady Markby reintroduces Mrs. Laura Cheveley to Lady Gertrude Chiltern, who knew each other at school. Laura fishes for an invitation to meet Gertrude’s husband, Sir Robert Chiltern, but Gertrude does not extend an invitation until Lady Markby suggests bringing her to that evening’s ball, making refusal ungracious.

At the Chiltern’s lavish party, Laura tries to blackmail Sir Robert, a member of Parliament, into supporting a bill to provide government financing for what he considers to be a new fraudulent canal scheme. Laura has incriminating letters Robert wrote many years earlier that disclosed a cabinet secret—insider knowledge regarding the Suez Canal—to establish his fortune and career. He initially refuses but gives in to save his reputation. Before leaving the party, Laura tells Gertrude that her husband will support the canal scheme, which surprises the politician's wife. At the party, Laura reencounters Lord Arthur Goring, to whom she was engaged before her marriage, and with whom she is eager to reestablish a romantic relationship. Arthur reminds her that she ended their engagement for an affair with rich Baron Arnheim. Confronted by his wife about his change of position, Robert writes a letter to Laura, informing her that he will speak against the bill.

The next morning, Robert reveals Laura’s blackmail attempt to Arthur, who urges him to let his wife know about his own past indiscretion, even if it lowers her regard for her husband. Robert refuses to tell her the truth and asks Arthur to speak to Gertrude to soften the blow. Lady Markby brings Laura to tea at the Chilterns; after Lady Markby leaves, Gertrude asks Laura to leave her house and never return. Gertrude says that she has despised Laura since their school days and that a person who has performed a dishonorable act should be shunned. Laura retaliates by telling Gertrude how her husband made his fortune and that she will disclose his dishonesty if Robert does not support the canal bill. Robert overhears and orders Laura to leave. Repelled by his past behavior, Gertrude suggests he resign his position, and Robert says that no one could live up to the ideal image she had of him.

That evening, Gertrude sends an unsigned note to Arthur saying she will come to him and asking for his help. Before Gertrude’s arrival, Robert visits Arthur, asking for Arthur’s help. While Arthur is in the drawing room with Robert, the butler mixes up his instructions to admit discreetly only an unnamed lady and admits Laura, who arrives unexpectedly, instead of Gertrude, who is mistakenly turned away. When Robert discovers Laura in Arthur’s library, he accuses Arthur of scheming with her and departs angrily. Arthur attempts to seduce Laura, asking her to show her good faith by returning Robert’s letter.

Laura is not won over and instead makes a wager with Arthur. If Robert lives up to Arthur’s faith that Robert will not endorse the fraudulent scheme, she will return the incriminating letter to Arthur. If Robert endorses the scheme to save his reputation, Arthur will marry Laura. As she leaves, Laura steals Gertrude's note, planning to use it to make Robert believe that his wife is having an affair with Arthur. That night, Laura, Gertrude, and Arthur watch in the House of Commons as Robert denounces the canal scheme. Laura returns the letter to Arthur but retains the letter from Gertrude that she stole from Arthur’s library, informing Arthur that she has sent it to Robert to destroy his marriage.

The next day, Arthur tells Gertrude of Laura's intentions to use the note. Robert arrives, but Gertrude, Robert's sister Mabel, and Arthur convince him that Gertrude wrote the letter to Robert. Now willing to give up his position in society and live a private life with Gertrude, Robert is offered an important Cabinet position by Lord Caversham, Arthur's father, almost declining it out of love and penitence until Arthur convinces Gertrude to change his mind. Soon afterwards Arthur proposes to Mabel, but Robert refuses to give his permission for the marriage, assuming Arthur is still involved with Laura after finding her at Arthur's house. However, Gertrude reveals that Arthur had been expecting her, not Laura, thus the wedding goes ahead after all.

The plot of the film differs from the original Wilde play in a number of key respects. The episode of Mrs. Cheveley's lost brooch (that can also be used as a bracelet) was removed, and the twists at the end are made more complex by the introduction of a bet between Lord Goring and Mrs Cheveley.

Miramax Films picked up distribution rights to the film from Icon in North America, and through Miramax International in Spain and Italy.^[4]