Dorian Gray
From FilmFile
Taglines:
- Forever Young. Forever Cursed.
Contents |
Synopsis
A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.
Review
Based on the classic novel by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the tale tells of the perils of a live of hedonistic pleasures and debauchery, and the damage such a lifestyle will do to your soul. Dorian is a fresh face on the London scene in the late 1800s, and falls under the wing of Henry Wotton. Wotton shows Dorian the best night-spots, and shows him the sinful pleasures around for him to take advantage of. When Gray has a portrait made of himself, looking so young and perfect, he bargains his very sould to stay as young as the picture. As his life falls into further and further temptation, the portrait itself begins to change, whilst Gray remains the same as he was...
When it was released the book caused an outcry, due to the depictions of hedonsim and (in particular) homosexuality. Gray tries it all, and for an England of the late 1800s it was too much. The novel was adapted to film a few times, most notably in the 1945 "The Picture of Dorian Gray" - which saw critical praise and award nominations. This new adaptation is unlikely to cause much of a stir, nor is it likely to be tipped for an awards, but it is a reasonable adaptation, only with a few flaws.
Additions to the story aside (each interpretation has added elements to the tale), the biggest flaw in the film is the character of Dorian himself. Ben Barnes is well cast, looking perfectly youthful, but the character lacks something. He begins the film far too innocent and naive, and his fall to debauchery is just not convincing enough. In the book Dorian shows interest in a decadent life from the start, and Wotton simply teaches him all the places and pleasures he knows of. In this film we are led to believe that Wotton maniplualted Gray and changed him from a perfect gentleman to the monster he becomes. Hi spurning of Sybil in the film is even less convincing, feeling a little tired and flat - the reason given could have worked so well, much better than the simple 'loss of acting ability' that turned him from her in the book, but is handled poorly.
That aside, the rest of the production compensates (aside from a music score that feels somewhat out of place). casting is wonderful, with Colin Firth playing Wotton to beautiful perfection. Only Stephen Fry could have done a better task - after all Wotton is a representation of Wilde himself in the book, and Fry portrayed Wilde on film once before. The look and design of sets and costumes are magnificent, lending the right atmosphere to the film. Some of the scenes of Gray's descent into a life of pleasure could have been handled a bit better, and come over as slightly cheap in nature, but it isn't enough to upset the balance of the film.
The impact of the tale may be gone in today's society, where the 'evils' of free love, homosexuality, and the like are no longer frowned upon or seen as sinful, and the attempt to convey menace through a painting doesn't quite work as well as it should. However, it is a reasonable adaptation, and worth seeing.
Trivia
- This is the second film starring Rachel Hurd-Wood (Sybil Vane) that involves an eternally youthful male lead. The first was Peter Pan (2003).
Cameos and allusions to other films
External links
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