Dorian Gray (1970)
"Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray" (original title)

A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

Director:

Massimo Dallamano

Writers:

Marcello Coscia, Massimo Dallamano,

Stars:

Helmut Berger, Richard Todd, Herbert Lom

Cast

Cast overview:
Helmut Berger	...	Dorian Gray
Richard Todd	...	Basil Hallward
Herbert Lom	...	Henry Wotton
Marie Liljedahl	...	Sybil Vane
Margaret Lee	...	Gwendolyn
Maria Rohm	...	Alice Campbell
Beryl Cunningham	...	Adrienne
Isa Miranda	...	Mrs. Ruxton
Eleonora Rossi Drago	...	Esther Clouston
Renato Romano	...	Alan
Stewart Black	...	James Vane

Storyline

In contemporary London, a beautiful and rich young man, Dorian Gray, loves Sybil, an aspiring actress; thanks to her, he's momentarily less self-centered. He's also sitting for a portrait painted by his friend, Basil. When it's done, Dorian complains he'll grow old while it stays unchanged. On the same night, he slaps Sybil and sends her away, then accepts the seductive offer of a party's hostess to sleep with her. The next day, the painting looks slightly older. In horror and fascination, Dorian hides it away and continues a life of degradation. Over time, as the portrait becomes hideous, he's unchanged by libidinal life; finally, he and Basil face the painting.

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Plot Keywords:

painting | actress | party | sex | lesbian sex | 

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK Italy West Germany

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

17 August 1970 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Dorian Gray

Filming Locations:

Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sargon Film, Terra-Filmkunst, Towers of London

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 88 min (cut)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Todd has said in interviews he had no idea this film was semi porno until he discovered it was playing at a well known Porn Cinema in London.

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Connections

Version of Az élet királya (1918)

User Reviews

Helmut Berger is Dorian Gray

The story is familiar - Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray wishes his painting would grow old whilst he remain young. This film version certainly does not equal the production quality of Albert Lewin's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1945), but it is superior in several other ways.

Foremost, the casting of Helmut Berger as Dorian is perfect. Mr. Berger has the "beautiful/handsome" balance necessary to essay the role; he matches his looks with a fine performance, taking Dorian from youth to decadence. Richard Todd (as Basil) and Herbert Lom (as Henry) support Berger well. Dorian's decadent slide is more appropriately depicted in this "modernized" version; however, the sexual situations run on way too long - for a time, the screen is filled with one sexual romp after another; and, the film loses focus. The sexual situations must have been very risqué at the time, but "Dorian Gray" is not "X-rated". The film may remain titillating because there are numerous sexual escapades; and, Mr. Berger and the women are very attractive.

The final "confrontation" between Dorian and Basil is used to effectively begin this version with a flashback; it might have helped to begin the 1945 version in this manner. The passage of time could have been better depicted during the early part (the 1940s-1950s) of this 1970 version, but the 1960s look terrific. The aging of Dorian's portrait is much more realistic in this version, and it somehow seems much truer to the spirit of Oscar Wilde's original work.

******* Dorian Gray (4/24/70) Massimo Dallamano ~ Helmut Berger, Herbert Lom, Richard Todd, Marie Liljedahl