The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) User Reviews

Elegance and Atmosphere

[davidholmesfr · 8/10 · 16 January 2002]

Elegant, atmospheric and measured. I suppose anyone brought up on fin de siecle Hollywood would interpret that as `slow and boring'. But this was Hollywood tackling an intellectual piece with, well, intellect. I must confess that the thought of a 1945 Hollywood attempt at Oscar Wilde did not appeal. Memories of one or two previous efforts at English literary classics set alarm bells ringing. But this was in a class of its own. Beautifully photographed in black and white, apart from a couple shots of the painting itself, the aesthetics shimmer.

I wasn't that convinced about some of the London scenes, especially the low-life portrayal of the East End. The opium den and the `Two Turtles', where Gray first meets Sibyl Vane, look rather too genteel. Compare this view of such places with those created by David Lean, just a couple of years later, in `Oliver Twist'. And this, in a sense, detracts from the depths to which Gray descends in order to be forever youthful and live life with scant regard for others. And in many years of watching BBC Victorian costume dramas I don't recall seeing such outfits on the backs of London's society ladies! However some of the other detail is first class. In particular Sir Thomas's decision to remain at table (`never could resist Aunt Agatha's quails') in spite of Lord Henry's outrageous comments rings true through to today. As the script had it `think like a Liberal, eat like a Tory'.

The acting is excellent with Hurd Hatfield's portrayal quite remarkable in that he wears the same expression virtually throughout, in order, no doubt, to conceal his true emotions. George Sanders, as Lord Henry, steals every scene he's in thanks to a rapid delivery of Wilde's witticisms that would have Groucho Marx and Woody Allen in awe. Angela Lansbury is, perhaps, a little too demure for a theatrical singer from the East End but, no doubt, this was a result of director's orders.

Essential viewing for anyone interested in the history of film.

An ingenious horror classic

[The_Void · 9/10 · 17 December 2004]

Based on a story by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a man that sells his soul for eternal youth. After having his portrait done, Dorian Gray, under the influence of the eloquent Lord Henry Wotton, wishes for the picture to age instead of him so that he may be blessed with eternal youth. After the death of his wife-to-be, Dorian embarks on a life of pleasure and sins, which don't affect the man in the slightest, but leaves it mark on the portrait which descends into a horrid impression of the handsome young man it's portraying...

This film is fantastically well put together. The acting, directing and writing are all stellar, which make this film one pleasant viewing indeed. The real plaudits for this movie, however, go to the writer of the original novel; Oscar Wilde. The story itself is ingenious. Of course, the idea of selling one's soul had been done before (the German legend, Faust, springs to mind instantly), but never in this way. The portrait itself is a genius idea and it allows us to see the man and the sin as different things. However, through it's ending; it also allows the audience to see that the two are linked, and overall giving a good commentary on body, soul and sin. The story has obvious themes of vanity and the lust for eternal youth entwined within it, both of which are sins in themselves. The main character of Dorian Gray is a man that is a victim of influence, and we can feel for him in that way; but he's also an ugly sinner on the inside, making the audience hate him. This is a strange situation for an audience to be in, and in the end; all that's left for him is indifference.

The film moves slowly, but this is definitely to it's advantage as it allows us to get to know the characters, and if it wasn't for that the horror wouldn't be able to work as it needs our emotional impact to function. The horror in the story is rather subdued, but this is one of the most horrific tales ever told. I think most people will agree that this kind of horror - the brooding, personal kind - is much more horrifying than anything that men with knives and any amount of jumpy moments can muster.

A timeless piece -- Black and White classics with touches of color. It's about the mystery of living.

[ruby_fff · 9/10 · 2 May 1999]

It is a mystery. Or is it mind over matter? The power of a mysterious painting depicted in this timeless tale of Oscar Wilde's imagination -- probing the depth of life's meaning.

It's costume drama, story began in London 1886. Definitely has an element of intrigue -- "a painting with a life of its own". It's eerie. It's dramatic. Its theme is scary. Such is a "deadly" wish of the main character, Dorian Gray: "If only the picture (a portrait of Dorian Gray) can change, and I can always be as I am now. I'd give my soul for that." Dorian Gray's obsession with youth became eternal youth.

Imagine that as time goes by, he will always stay the same rich attractive young man that he is -- never grow old, while the picture will take on the changes -- his soul and character. Conscience, no longer he has -- the picture took it on. The story describes how Dorian Gray spends his life henceforth and the consequences that entail.

A very young Angela Lansbury, after her debut in George Cuckor's 1944 "Gaslight", portrays the innocent young actress Sibyl Vane from the poor side of town. The bet between the characters of George Sanders and Hurd Hatfield brought to mind the cruel intentions of Neil LaBute's 1997 "In the Company of Men". George Sanders is the cynical callous Lord Henry Wotton. The events all happen in a seemingly civil manner, immersed in the society of the rich. Have and have-nots are juxtaposed.

The film is essentially in Black and White, with only the specific content of the picture of Dorian Gray in color when we see it through Dorian's eyes.

It's another B/W classics gem, well-cut and impeccably presented. It encompasses sentiments and all elements: mystery, intrigue, love lost, friendships, regrets, and fear. Dorian Gray with a tormented inside -- pining for the return of his soul. Is this the Devil's advocate? You see no hell depicted as in Vincent Ward's 1998 "What Dreams May Come", or Woody Allen's 1997 "Deconstructing Harry" or Taylor Hackford's 1998 "The Devil's Advocate". No glamorous, elaborate take on the Devil, but the atmosphere provided that suggestion. There's no special effects, yet you can feel the twistedness: a man asking for help within yet unable to help himself because he's a lost soul. The temperature of the movie seems like being in 10 degree Celsius -- cold in sentiment and tone. There was a glimmer of warmth -- it flickered and faded with the innocent Sibyl Vane character.

The subject matter is timeless even though the film was made in 1945. The story is fascinating in spite of the pace which may not be at breakneck speed as in today's action packed, sound effects filled movies.

You can say it's pseudo sci-fi -- a foreboding tale it is. By and by, Dorian Gray's unchanging mask-like face reminds me of "Mr. Sardonicus" (William Castle's 1961). His behaviors are no longer placid -- gradually turning into hideous evils. This film questions one's probity. The mystery of life is to live it not to attain immortality. How uninteresting it'd be to be changeless and ageless? (John Boorman's 1974 sci-fi "Zardoz" with Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling came to mind). Growth and change are intrinsic elements of life. Life and death go hand in hand cyclically. A truly worthwhile effort from writer/director Albert Lewin.

Elegant and Timeless Classic Has Excellent Performances

[Doylenf · 22 March 2001]

One of my personal favorites of films of the '40s is this visually striking version raising the art of black-and-white photography to new heights. The sets and costumes and deep-focus photography combine to make even more absorbing the story Oscar Wilde tells of the man whose portrait decays as he himself remains forever youthful. Hurd Hatfield never had a better role and he makes the most of it. George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford, Lionel Gilmore, George Sanders, Morton Lowry and many others contribute to the overall excellence of the acting. The period atmosphere of late-Victorian London adds much to the slowly growing horror of the tale. Complaints by others on this message board that the film is too slow or too talky are foolish. If you want action and special effects, see a Clint Eastwood or Bruce Willis film--forget this. But as a compelling and psychological study of a man influenced by evil (personified by George Sanders as Lord Henry), this version is better than any of the others made since. It's chilling, the way Wilde intended, and no one could deliver his cynical yet witty observations about human nature better than George Sanders. By all means, an outstanding film. Should be required viewing as a study of the art of black-and-white cinematography.

It's better to look good than to feel good

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 31 January 2006]

Hurd Hatfield sells his soul so that his portrait ages and reflects his evil while he stays young in "The Picture of Dorian Gray," based on the classic novel by Oscar Wilde. The film also stars George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, and Peter Lawford. After wishing to stay young forever and falling prey to the words of a cynical friend, Gray goes against what might have been a decent nature and embarks on a vicious life that brings cruelty, sadness, and even death to those with whom he interacts.

The film is striking for several reasons: There is very little of what one would call action; many scenes are quite short; the film relies heavily on narration; the leading man's face remains impassive throughout. This could have been a recipe for disaster, but instead, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is an extremely compelling film. This sumptuous production is meticulously photographed, with wonderful use of shadows which help create a dark atmosphere. The performances are excellent, particularly those of a very young Angela Lansbury and George Sanders. Peter Lawford and Donna Reed are the beautiful young things who don't have to depend on a portrait for youth.

Hurd Hatfield surely had one of the strangest faces in film - he certainly looked the part of a young, almost pretty Englishman, with his unlined face, high cheekbones, and full lips. As the role dictates, he was appropriately detached and lacking emotion. Six or seven years earlier, this role would have been perfect for Tyrone Power, who would have imbued it with more charm - making the evil inside Dorian all the more difficult to accept among his friends, and thus, his true personality would have seemed more treacherous. Given the way Hatfield played it, I had no problem believing he was capable of anything, and wondered why his friends didn't buy the nasty rumors.

As for the portrait - what a concept. Would that we all had one in our closets. It would put plastic surgeons out of business.

It's only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion.

[hitchcockthelegend · 9/10 · 15 September 2013]

The Picture of Dorian Gray is directed by Albert Lewin, and he also adapts the screenplay from the novel written by Oscar Wilde. It stars Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford, Lowell Gilmore, Richard Fraser and Douglas Walton. Music is by Herbert Stothart and cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr.

Dorian Gray of Mayfair and Selby.

Oscar Wilde's Faustian tale about a young Victorian gentleman who sells his soul to retain his youth is given a magnificent make-over by MGM. Pumping into it a budget reputedly of $2 million, the look and feel is perfect for this macabre observation of vanity, greed and self destruction. In many ways it's still an under valued movie, mainly because there will always be Wilde purists who think it lacks the writer's poetic spikiness, while horror fans quite often venture into the picture expecting some sort of violent classic ripe with sex, drugs and debauchery unbound.

Lewin crafts his film in understated manner, never allowing the themes in the source material to become overblown just for dramatic purpose. He cloaks it all with an atmosphere of eeriness, thus keeping the debasing nature of Dorian Gray subdued. The horror aspects here mostly are implied or discussed in elegantly stated conversations, where the horror in fact is purely in the characterisation of Dorian himself. We really don't need to see actual things on screen, we are urged to be chilled to the marrow by his mere presence, and this works because Lewin has personalised us into this man's sinful descent by way of careful pacing and character formation.

There are some jolt moments of course, notably the famous inserts of Technicolor into the black and white film, the impact of such bringing the portrait of the title thundering into our conscious. However, this is not about thrill rides and titillation, because the film, like its source, is intellectual. Lewin is aided considerably by Stradling's beautiful photography, which in turn either vividly realises the opulent abodes or darkens the dens of iniquities, so just like Lewin, Stradling and the art department work wonders and prove to be fine purveyors of their craft.

Hatfield is wonderful, it's an inspired piece of casting, with his angular features and cold dead eyes, he effortlessly suggests the black heart now beating where once there was a soul. Yet even he, and the rest of the impressive cast, are trumped by Sanders as Lord Henry. Cynical, brutal yet rich with witticisms, in Sanders' excellent hands Lord Henry becomes the smiling devil like mentor perched on Dorian's shoulder. Dorian and Lord Henry are movie monsters, proof positive that not all monsters need to be seen hacking off limbs or drinking blood. In this case, the decaying of the soul is a far more terrifying experience.

Fascinating, eloquent, intelligent and frightening. 9/10

Look at it from the Producer's viewpoint

[m0rphy · 7/10 · 25 January 2004]

With two English speaking nations, there is always a dilemma from a Hollywood producer's point of view on how to maximise the most important worldwide gross (which comes from the U.S.) when filming classic works of English and European literature, whilst attempting to stay true to the spirit of the original book.Inevitably a compromise is reached and American actors known to the U.S. public are hired in central roles to lure the punters into the movie houses, e.g. Charlton Heston in "El Cid" and "Khartoum", while the resident Hollywood British acting fraternity are hired to lend authenticity to certain key roles.We film purists must accept the facts of Hollywood life and look for our art in more parochial productions with a cast of indigenous actors produced from our own home tv networks.On the other hand in the long run does it really matter what nationality the actor is so long as their performance is credible and you enjoyed the production?In modern times we have had "Coals to Newcastle" in the shape of Gwynneth Paltrow in "Emma" and Jennifer Ehle in Pride & Prejudice.Both American ladies playing utterly convincing roles of English ladies on films produced in England!

I just had to comment on this the most popular of the filmed versions of Wilde's masterpiece which was published in 1890 and has attracted at least 14 versions alone listed on Imdb from 1910-1977.Said to be an analogy of Wilde's life, this version from 1945 espouses most of his sparkling epigrams via the rather rushed mouthpiece of Lord Henry Wooton (George Sanders).Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) portrays the unemotional, narcissistic central character who enters into the sub Faustian pact of eternal youth for his soul.In this role there seems some contraversy by the reviewers below on how effective he was but the fact is it remains his most notable role.Sir Cedric Hardwicke narrates the fill-in literary details quoted from the book and Albert Lewin gives a suitably creepy direction.As quoted in some of my other reviews I always like to spot bit part actors in some of the minor character roles and once again I espied Billy Bevan (c.f. "Cluny Brown" 1946) as Sybil Vain's father playing the m.c. at the East End music hall.

I especially liked the colour painting of the decayed Dorian Gray by Ivan Allbright.Imdb trivia informs us that this painting took one year to complete.Angela Lansbury spent a lot of her formative Hollywood years playing her native British role - (see also "Gaslight" 1944 and "Kind Lady" 1951) but as one reviewer remarked, she seems a bit too demure for someone reared in the East End of 1886.I must add a word of congratulation on the excellent indoor set of Dorian's grand Mayfair town house, although the rather quaint Hollywood idea of late 19th century East End comes over as artificial, would that David Lean had been consulted!

Wilde's great literary style shine's through nevertheless and this is an eminently watchable production.I rated it 7/10

Oscar Wilde has rarely been adapted this elegantly or atmospherically

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 3 April 2017]

Like 'The Importance of Being Earnest', Oscar Wilde's only novel 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' is one of his most famous works for very good reason. It is philosophical essentially in nature, but also very chilling, dripping in atmosphere and full of Wilde's sparkling wit.

This 1945 film adaptation had so much going for it, with the involvement of great actors like George Sanders and Angela Lansbury for one thing. 72 years on, it's still one of the best overall versions of 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' there is/. Surprisingly, for film adaptations of classic literature made in the "classic era" it's pretty faithful, but 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' (1945) is actually even more successful on its own terms.

It may not be flawless, but it comes close. Donna Reed's character feels very tacked on and Reed, despite looking radiant, looks, sounds and acts out of place. Peter Lawford, in an admittedly limited role, spends his entire screen time looking bewildered and like he had little idea what to do with what he had.

Don't on the other hand let the pacing put you off. It is deliberate and measured, but to me it was never dull or too slow. The atmosphere, the performances and Wilde's dialogue were instrumental in making the film compelling and they shine brilliantly.

Visually, 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' (1945) is notably striking. As elegant as the costumes are, how classy and moodily atmospheric the lighting is and how sumptuous the Gothic set design is, it's the outstanding cinematography (that enhances everything so much) that's the star. The music score is resolutely haunting, also with inspired use of Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin, and the direction has immense sophisticated style.

Wilde's writing shines firmly to the fore as one would expect, some great lines that have full impact. Even with more measured pacing, the storytelling is rich in chilling atmosphere and class with the impact of the portrait having a truly startling effect.

All the acting is very strong and one of 'The Picture of Dorian Grey's' best elements. Sanders has the best lines (classic Wilde witticisms and cynical but witty observations) and the most interesting character (like a human Mephistopheles Oscar Wilde-style), and Sanders' performance is very like his Oscar-winning performance in 'All About Eve' five years later, a once in a lifetime role that he was born to play and it is difficult to imagine anybody else deliver those lines the way Sanders did so effortlessly. Lansbury is both chirpy and touching, plus she has rarely looked so young or more beautiful, her rendition of "Good Bye Little Yellow Bird" wrenches the heart also.

Hurd Hartfield's muted performance may be unimpressive or controversial, and it is easy to overlook him in favour of the juicier supporting roles. To me though, the mute inexpressive quality of his acting added quite vastly to the deceptively chilling nature of the role itself. Lowell Gilmore also stands out.

Overall, a near classic and one of the better film adaptations of Wilde's work, if one is looking for elegance, atmosphere and great production values, writing and performances look no further. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The Picture of Dorian Gray provides the viewer with a very clear life lesson as well as a moral one. The lesson is be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.

[Ibsenlovr · 7/10 · 22 February 2006]

Having only been familiar with Oscar Wilde's plays, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a real eye opener to me. For all of Wildes seemingly cavalier and flippant attitudes towards life and especially the moneyed class, this film showed a whole other side of his character. There were traces of classic Wilde in some of the characters, especially George Sanders, Moyna Magill, and some of the other "idle rich" characters who seemed to thrive on gossip, good food, fine wine and juicy scandal. But, the other characters like Sibyl Vane, her brother James, the artist Basil and David all showed a vulnerability, a sensitivity, a truthfulness that played well against the artificiality of the moneyed class. While I found the character of Dorian intriguing, the portrayal of him by Mr. Hatfield was at best one dimensional. Thank goodness for the voice of the narrator or I would never have known what the character was thinking. In truth I enjoyed the film mainly for the prescence of Ms. Lansbury. I have been a fan of hers for a number of years and enjoyed her many screen performances immensely. Her portrayal of Sibyl is touching, sincere and believable. The scene where she gets Dorians letter ending their relationship is absolutely riveting. While she has no lines, you can clearly see every emotion running through her mind on her face. It moved me to tears and her actions that follow are completely true to the character. The film was a great lesson in the price of getting what one wishes for and how vanity can destroy ones life and the lives of those he cares for. For these reasons I do think The Picture of Dorian Gray is well worth viewing.

Surprisingly Good

[dcshanno · 8/10 · 6 February 2002]

It's hard to say what it is about "The Picture of Dorian Gray" that I enjoyed so much, but I did like it. Hurd Hatfield at first seems miscast and ineffective as the titular character, but somewhere around the one hour mark, his one and only expression begins to grow on you until you feel just as unnerved by his presence as those who come in contact with him in the story. George Sanders--from what I've seen--played one character his enter career but played it so well, and his performance in this film is no exception. Angela Lansbury is surprisingly sympathetic as the sad and timid singer. The only one in the cast who really doesn't work is Donna Reed. Her character feels tacked on, and she isn't allowed to do much but look faithful and beautiful.

The film is shot wonderfully, and Harry Stradling's cinematography gives the East End scenes a dark, atmospheric counter balance to the rather plain and flat interiors of Dorian's home. The swinging lamp was a nice touch and reminded me of "Psycho"'s finale.

I suppose my only criticism is toward the end, the story introduced one or two characters without giving them proper context or background (I'm thinking of the Allen Campbell character). I'm assuming Dorian "convinces" him to take part in his plans because of some sort past homosexual tryst, but it seemed unfair to bring him in they way he was, have him serve the role he does, and then disappear so quickly without explanation. And speaking of suggested themes: Is it just me, or could you make an argument that Dorian is Jack the Ripper? Maybe it's actually pretty obvious or maybe I'm just interpreting too much into the story, but that's what I got out of it.

P.S. I had the opportunity to see the actual painting from the film during an Ivan Albright exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1997. It's even more gruesome in person.

Full of Eastern Promise

[MOscarbradley · 6/10 · 3 August 2005]

Terrible, yet oddly fascinating. It's all too bizarre to be boring though whatever merits Oscar Wilde's original novel may have had, they are missing here. (What was the dark secret between Dorian and Alan Campbell? God forbid that we might perceive there to be anything of a homosexual nature in it; this was 1945, after all). The director, Albert Lewin, had a kitsch sensibility that suited the material, (it's full of Eastern promise), though the decadence is a bit thin. The Oscar Wilde character is represented by George Sanders' Lord Henry Wotton and he speaks the epigrammatic dialogue as well as anybody and Hurd Hatfield, in his first, and really only, major role is ideally cast as Dorian; he's blank and looks like a waxwork dummy rather than a living person. He's ageless alright. And a lovely young Anglea Lansbury is touching and unquestionably right as Sybil Vane. Lansbury never looked this young in a movie, (the year before her maid servant in "Gaslight" seemed plump and old before her time), and she works wonders with the music-hall song 'Little Yellow Bird'. Harry Stradling's superb black-and-white cinematography won him an Oscar. At times you think you think you are watching a much better film than you really are.

Lord Henry justifies the corruption while Albert Lewin provides the literary pretensions. An odd mix for true aficionados

[Terrell-4 · 7/10 · 6 April 2009]

We first meet Lord Henry Wotton in his carriage reading Les Fleurs du Mal, a dead give away to the corrupt pleasures and literary pretensions that director/writer Albert Lewin is going to ladle up for us. Lord Henry is a man who speaks in a continuing stream of tiresomely witty and cynical epigrams a man named Wilde, hired for the purpose, prepares for him each morning. Lord Henry is on his way to meet a friend, the painter Basil Hallward. And at Hallward's studio he spots the portrait of an aesthetically handsome, Chopin playing, innocent young man named Dorian Gray. And, by coincidence, Dorian is in Hallward's parlor playing the piano and waiting to pose.

Says Lord Henry (George Sanders) to the impressionable young man, "There's no such thing as a good influence, Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral. The aim of life is self-development, to realize one's nature perfectly. That's what we're here for. A man should live out his life fully and completely, give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream. There's only one way to get rid of a temptation and that's to yield to it. Resist it, and the soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself. There's nothing that cures the soul but the senses, just as there is nothing that cures the senses but the soul." If we haven't gotten the idea yet, during this turgid bit of life philosophy, Lord Henry is at the same time using paint alcohol to carefully kill the butterfly he had captured in his hat.

And before you know it, Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) decides he never wants to age and wants to explore all those temptations he's heard about. It's not long before the portrait changes a bit, so he puts it in his attic. While Gray experiences the delights of debauchery, and the special delights of debauching others, Angela Lansbury shows up, excellently, as the tragic Sibyl Vane. Donna Reed also shows up as a young woman being groomed by Hollywood for star roles. Lansbury, 20 years old, doesn't need the Hollywood grooming. She's strikingly good. And Dorian Gray never ages. But, oh, does that hidden portrait show a man we'd never want to meet in a dark side street, or, for that matter, in broad daylight...leering, cankerous, face aflame with corrupt poisons, pustules leaking vile fluid, aching to caress and tear tender, uncorrupted flesh. Wow! But fate and justice will have its way. Dorian Gray finds a slender chance at redemption, and even Lord Henry, when he sees the result of his philosophy of life, looks taken aback. Just to remind us how serious this story is, we also have Cedric Hardwicke speaking a narrative. It's just as unconsciously amusing as Herbert Marshall's narrative in The Razor's Edge.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is lush, earnest melodrama, tinged with the kind of oh-my- goodness-horror that polite society might say holds a moral lesson. The movie isn't as overpoweringly pretentious as Lewin's Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. That one could have derailed James Mason's and Ava Gardner's careers if Mason hadn't been such a good actor and Gardner such a force of female nature.

The movie is driven by Lord Henry's philosophy and the depiction of what that philosophy will lead to. George Sanders was never better than when he could drip cynicism like a beaker filled to the brim with acid. He delivers here with great style, but all those Wildean epigrams and cynical wit he has to speak make his character tedious and predictable. Too much cleverness. Hurd Hatfield is the odd card. He had an almost frozen face. Little emotion shows. There is something about his mouth and lower face that reminds me of a well- preserved Egyptian mummy. For my money, this look makes Dorian Gray a very off character, and it adds immensely to the movie's odd watchability.

If Hollywood's idea of what it takes to show literary culture in a movie (think of Hardwicke's narration), endless witticisms from Oscar Wilde and three-strip Technicolor in a black-and- white movie for showing a corrupt portrait appeals to you, you may enjoy this glossy potboiler. The movie's Hollywood cultural pretentiousness makes it worth watching at least once. I enjoyed its oddness and George Sanders' skill with a nasty, witty line. If you really have a taste for what some innocents might say are corrupt paintings, but great ones nonetheless, watch Love Is the Devil. It's sort of the story of the great British painter Francis Bacon, played by Derek Jacobi. Then look up some of Bacon's paintings. Be warned; Bacon didn't do sunset landscapes of deer looking over forest waterfalls.

SPOILER ALERT: The Final Scene

[bobc-5 · 5/10 · 2 November 2003]

Personally, I don't much understand the high level of praise being given this movie. I don't find any of the actors to be convincing in their roles. The weak script and direction doesn't help, nor do the painful repetitions of the "Gilded Cage" song. What the movie does successfully, however, is to brilliantly stage the final unveiling of the portrait, and this alone makes the movie worth watching.

To set us up for this final scene, the movie creates a progression which directs our expectations for the next step in that progression, but then exceeds those expectations in a shocking manner. I don't know if there is a name to describe this, but the textbook example is when Tippi Hedren is waiting outside of the schoolhouse while "The Birds" amass in the playground behind here. In Dorian Gray, the progression is an extremely minimal one. First we see the angelic looking portrait of the angelic looking Gray. After his first act of cruelty, we see the portrait again. Dorian Gray the person still looks perfect, but the portrait now has the very slightest of sneers. It is not until many years later that we will see the portrait again.

When we arrive at that scene, we expect that the portrait is going to have to be very ugly. Nothing can prepare us, however, for just how ugly it has become. When the portrait is finally sprung upon us in full living color (the rest of the film being black and white), it has become horrible beyond anything we could have imagined.

What really works about this scene, however, is not that initial shock, but the slow realization that the unprecedented grotesqueness of the portrait is in fact a mirror of the grotesqueness of the soul of Dorian Gray. Today's films would make somebody look evil by graphically showing us in detail all of his evil acts, but doing so only turns the person into a psychotic comic-book caricature. In Dorian Gray, we are given a depiction of the extremes of evil which might actually exist in anyone who might otherwise appear as a fine, upstanding member of our community. If the rest of the movie had matched the quality of this final scene, then Dorian Gray could well have been the most realistically evil character in film history.

Genuine horror

[mermatt · 1 August 1998]

This wonderfully atmospheric retelling of Oscar Wilde's chilling novel is one of the best horror films ever made. It outdoes DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN because it is about a man -- not a monster. Yet the monster IS the man -- and hides within all of us. The story works even more effectively than the similar plot in Robert Louis Stevenson's STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR HYDE because here we have the dual sides of a man portrayed not as two separate characters but as two reflecting images -- like two mirrors facing each other, sending the images out to infinity. The painting itself is one of the most horrifing images ever created in films -- a surreal reflection of what each of us can become if we lose our humanity and replace it with careless egotism.

Thought-Provokingly Epicurean

[bfd21552 · 10/10 · 30 January 2005]

Angela Lansbury at her most beautifully, sensuously, and vulnerably innocent!

Although sparse treatment of minor characters and some noticeable deletions from the novel (due to the straight-laced, 1945-ish treatment of certain of Gray's more perverse and debauched atrocities) may be "intrusive" to fans of Wilde's disturbing (but often delightful) descriptions of the more colorful of the late-Victorians' tastes in sensual depravity, this production is a fine example of the careful writing, thoughtful directing, and the control of character Hollywood's artistry could (seldom so successfully) proffer.

Despite George Sanders' somewhat stilted and--in modern terms--"out of the moment" portrayal as the film opens, within ten minutes or so the audience meets the serenely enchanting Hurd Hatfield's rendition of the title character, and the artistry begins. Once Hatfield enters the film the supporting performances become increasingly effective, and the remainder of the production, including Sanders as "Lord Henry," reach almost mythic proportions.

With near-perfection, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) delivers Wilde's portrait of Narcissistic and perfidious sensuality--the delight and desire of the suppressed and decayed late nineteenth-century Victorian elite-- . . . or, . . .

as Sanders quotes Wilde: "To get back my youth, I'll do anything except 'get up early, take exercise, or live respectably.'"

Appearances can be deceiving.

[PWNYCNY · 10/10 · 31 July 2005]

A man sells his soul and the results are tragic, not only for the man but for everyone around him. Yet no one knows that he sold his soul, because on the surface he is quiet, urbane and seemingly respectable, which is what makes this movie so chilling. For who can say what's going on INSIDE a person, below the veneer of civility and social formality? "The Picture of Dorian Gray" deals directly with this question and presents to the viewer a situation involving a man who is emotionally torn apart, and a profound hypocrite as well, yet on the surface seems completely intact. It is only through the picture noted in the title that the viewer finally perceives the depth of Gray's moral corruption, and by then it's too late. The cynical commentary of Lord Henry Wotton adds to the dark and foreboding mood of the movie, as the Wotton character explains what is happening to Dorian as Dorian sinks lower and lower into the abyss from which there is no return. As the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving.

Literate and handsome--though lacking bite or real flavor--the fantastic film is carpeted with melodrama...

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 28 November 2009]

Director Albert Lewin also adapted Oscar Wilde's famous book for the screen, in which a London society gentleman of around 22 years has his portrait painted in 1886; wishing at the time he could trade his soul for eternal youth, and have his painted likeness absorb his years of living and sinning, the man remains youthful in appearance for the next two decades. More than efficient, Lewin's screenplay poetically combines Wilde's poison pen prose with both eloquent and witty characters, though the lack of light frivolity causes the midsection of the film to drag. Nevertheless, a highly dramatic and absorbing entertainment, with Hurd Hatfield effectively placid and hypnotically foreboding in the lead (he looks like an effeminate vampire in his many tuxedos). Angela Lansbury is also a stand-out, and received an Academy Award nomination, playing a lower-class nightclub performer desperate for romance. Harry Stradling won an Oscar for his superb cinematography. *** from ****

What if our souls were on display for all to see

[PudgyPandaMan · 9/10 · 16 February 2009]

This unbelievably frightening tale originates from the mind of Oscar Wilde as written in his novel, PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY. Without this book, there would be no film. It is a tale of a vain young man who decides it is better to sell one's soul if only he can stay young and the painting can grow old in his place.

The director did a great job of capturing the gist of Wilde's story on film. The first time I saw it when I was much younger, it scared the wits out of me. I still find it incredibly creepy after all these years.

There is wonderful imagery and subliminal hints throughout the film. Notice the butterfly that Lord Henry captures,and then poisons - just at the same moment as he is filling young Dorian's mind with poisonous philosophy of hedonism. Notice when, after killing the beautiful butterfly with mineral spirits, he hands it to "beautiful" Dorian on a card with a pin through the creature. This is foreshadowing to the ending when Dorian destroys the portrait, and ultimately himself.

Also, the whole story with Sybil Vane, played by Angela Lansbury, is an allegory. She sings "Little Yellow bird" which is about a wild sparrow finding a caged canary in a mansion, but is unwilling to give up her freedom. Dorian ends up giving Sybil a caged canary - and she later becomes imprisoned by his diabolical plot which results ultimately in her losing her freedom (life).

Also, right before Dorian kills Basil the artist - Basil is quoting scripture to Dorian and you can see a cross highlighted in the door frame.

The cinematography is amazing here and deserving of the Oscar it won. The sets and costumes are lavish and get the full MGM treatment.

George Sanders is quite effective in his portrayal of the villainous Lord Henry. It's not much of a stretch as he perfected the cad character over many roles. His clipped British accent which he delivered in rapid fire was difficult to understand at times. I wasn't sure of what to make of Hurd Hatfiled's portrayal of Dorian at first. He seemed quite mannequin and wooden in his delivery. But I guess that was supposed to show how cold-hearted he was after selling his soul - and a soul-less person would be devoid of emotion. But I wonder if there could have been a flicker of conflict in his emotions, it would have made the audience more sympathetic to his plight. Angela Lansbury was just perfect for the Cockney saloon girl and quite lovely. Her singing voice was beautiful as well.

As stated in the movie "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his soul?" This is definitely a morality tale told in a most creative and disturbing way.

An almost impossible book to translate to the screen

[watsondog-1 · 7/10 · 13 May 2006]

The Picture of Dorian Grey is a difficult film for me to rate. It's not a bad film by any means on its own, and it does follow the bare plot of the original, but -- the problem is that the original is for the most part not translatable into a visual medium.

Oscar Wilde may have written "The Picture of Dorian Grey" as an experiment in writing about the senses. Lord Henry Wotton, for instance, seems to have been a metaphor for scent; his scenes in the book are imbued with descriptions about aromas such as flower fragrances, tobacco smoke, and the like. Sybil Vane the singer is the metaphor for sound; once she is no longer the angelic soprano, she no longer exists to Dorian. Despite being a painter, Basil appears to have represented taste; once Dorian kills him, Dorian does not eat or drink again in the novel. James Vane is perhaps touch; the touch of death? Dorian himself is sight, false vision at least; his portrait in the attic the truth about himself.

But how does a director show that in a film? And how does he show the layers upon layers of social commentary that Wilde piled upon the metaphors? Albert Lewin perhaps wisely decided not to. The story of the movie stands as is. However, the reader looking for a faithful adaptation of the book would not find it here. I'm not sure if he would or could find it in any movie.

Atmospheric slice of Wilde

[jem132 · 8/10 · 12 May 2006]

A very worthwhile adaptation of Oscar Wilde's famous novel. The most thrilling and chilling element of Lewin's film is the atmosphere achieved by the shadowy, foggy lighting and carefully chosen set pieces. Wilde's tale of moral degradation and debauchery is beautifully told here, with a faithful script and an interesting range of actors on display.

The unknown Hurd Hatfield is Dorian Gray, a young man of beautiful appearance. The casting of Hatfield as Gray was a stroke of genius by the casting director. Hatfield is eerie and porcelain-like in his features, conjuring images of unreal male beauty. After his friend Basil paints his portrait, Dorian Gray makes a selfish wish which will haunt him for ever-

'If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it'.

Dorian does indeed sell his soul for eternal youth, engaging in a life of corruption and foul deeds under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders, who seems born to play this role). From jilting his fiancé, the actress Sibyl Vane (a very young Angela Lansbury), and effectively causing her suicide, to murdering a close friend and engaging in loose behaviour with young men (this is only barely hinted at, due to the Hayes Code), Dorian still retains his youthful looks. However, his portrait, as he fatefully wished, reflects his true behaviour. It has grown ugly and twisted, old before it's time, and Gray is compelled to hide the evidence of his dark deeds.

Wilde's tale is fascinating, and richly told on screen. The production certainly benefits from the lack of star power. Indeed, at the time of release, Sanders was the only real 'star'- the rest were up-and-coming, relatively unknown actors. This means we can believe them in their roles, particularly lovely Donna Reed, in an early major film role. Her character, the niece of the original painter Basil, is not in the original novel and seems to be added to the film for romantic and redeeming purposes. She, as Gladys, is Dorian's one pure love amidst all the darkness of his deeds- truly a 'shining light' for the man.

Beautifully photographed in black-and-white, although Lewin also takes advantage of the Technicolour process in the sequences involving Dorian's portrait. Colour tinting was applied to the close-up shots of Gray's likeness for a startling effect. It definitely works, and is a memorable effect.

There are some problems with pacing in the film. Towards the end, the film starts to drag horribly and becomes very talky. Perhaps a 5-10 minute cut would have benefited the production. The acting is occasionally stilted, but is redeemed by the wonderful dialogue pulled from Wilde's original work.

8/10.

Well-done, beautifully directed but sssllllllooooowwwwwwww

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 12 September 2000]

All the acting is good, the set direction is astounding and it's well-written, but this movie moves VERY slowly. It takes it's time setting up the situation and the characters--too much time for my taste. I actually dozed off during the last half hour! The two color sequences included in the film are well-used and it's interesting to see Angela Landsbury and Donna Reed so young and beautiful. But did Landsbury have to sing that stupid "Yellow Bird" song so often? It's really annoying. Worth seeing, but be preapared for a slow-moving narrative. Much better than the crap 70s remake "Dorian Gray".

A Gray Dorian

[telegonus · 8/10 · 11 December 2002]

The Picture Of Dorian Gray is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel, and captures the tone of the story nicely but misses something in translation, namely Wilde's remarkable prose. It's a strange tale, about morality and art, with touches of diabolism and the supernatural, exquisitely rendered in language that is both breathtakingly poetic and strangely concrete. I see the story as a kind of fragmented autobiography, with Wilde as both Dorian and his portrait, as well as Basil Hallward, the man who made the painting. He is also, as author of the story, Lord Henry Wotton. Wilde is everywhere in this tale, which is fitting, as vanity is its major theme. The movie misses these delicate subtleties, so crucial to understanding the book, and the result is a genteel horror picture for the carriage trade.

As a horror movie, Dorian Gray has its virtues. The use of a handsome man as the monster, rather than some hideous creature, is in itself a virtue and a novelty. That Dorian's picture grows old as he does not, in conveyed gradually, first through barely noticeable changes in the picture's expressions, then by increased ugliness. I wish that director Albert Lewin had chosen a better painter for these later pictures, which are over the top in their weirdness, and out of keeping with the movie's refined tone. As to Dorian's journeying through the dives and dens of iniquity of late night Victorian London, I wish that these aspects of the story had been either a lot better presented and fleshed out or merely suggested by dialogue. If a movie is going to deal with degeneracy it should either show it or describe it vividly. The film succeeds when dealing with well-bred, upper class types in their fancy homes, but fails to deliver when dealing with the poor and the uneducated.

Hurd Hatfield as Dorian gives a good, cool performance. One is scarcely aware that the actor is American. He is a handsome man, but not so beautiful as the Dorian of the book, and he fails to light up the screen. Peter Lawford, who has a small part in the film, would have been much better, at least physically. George Sanders comes across as even more bored than usual as Lord Henry, and delivers his epigrams and asides with surprisingly little panache, especially given that he had shown himself to be master of this sort of thing on other occasions. Angela Lansbury's performance as the pathetic little cockney singer Dorian goes for, is very fine, though he part seems underwritten.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that director Lewin bungled his job, but the film overall succeeds only with Wilde's mood, not his ideas. This was a wonderful opportunity for Hollywood to take on a classic and give it a spin uniquely its own, as happened with the Sherlock Holmes pictures, the MGM Pride and Prejudice and the Cukor-Selznick David Copperfield. Dorian Gray succeeds well as light entertainment, with a few thrills along the way, but it never really soars or comes to life or catches the audience by surprise.

Youth Movement After The War

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 13 May 2010]

Oscar's Wildes Dorian Gray is a solid picture. It is the classic Gothic type of horror film which has gone out of style today. There is one scene with a stabbing but very little in the way of action besides & lots of words.

This film is actually a youth movement of sorts as Angela Lansbury is a stunningly stacked 20 years old when this film was shot. Donna Reed & Peter Lawford are both closer to 20 than 25 when the film was shot. Even some of the older members of the cast are less than 40. This film was more a spring board for the younger cast members than anything else.

The direction is OK & what is interesting is the investment in shooting a handful of scenes of the portrait in full color while all the rest of the film is black & white. To me this black & white gives it the Gothic Horror type effect. While the color shots of Dorian's portrait are quite stunning, they are so few that they do not contribute much to film.

Sometimes Too Subtle & Sometimes Too Obvious

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 9 September 2007]

The story is familiar - Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray wishes his painting would grow old whilst he remain young. The sets, direction, and photography are beautiful. Through no fault of their own, the actors' characters falter - for example; Angela Lansbury is strikingly beautiful and terrific, but annoyingly sings "Goodbye Little Yellow Bird" (foreshadowing?), and Hurd Hatfield grows into the role, but annoyingly stabs a table (more foreshadowing?). Mr. Hatfield ends up impressing, but the film's early going makes it difficult. George Sanders is delicious, as usual. More often than not, the script is way too subtle. Why couldn't the frequent narration help explain things more mysterious, instead of things more obvious? AND, the switching from "black and white" to "color" is a gimmick that almost worked the first time.

***** The Picture of Dorian Gray (3/1/45) Albert Lewin ~ Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury