Dorian Gray (2009)

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

Director:

Oliver Parker

Writers:

Toby Finlay, Oscar Wilde (novel)

Stars:

Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rebecca Hall

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Barnes	...	Dorian Gray
John Hollingworth	...	Patrol Policeman
Cato Sandford	...	Rent Boy
Pip Torrens	...	Victor
Fiona Shaw	...	Agatha
Ben Chaplin	...	Basil Hallward
Caroline Goodall	...	Lady Radley
Maryam d'Abo	...	Gladys
Michael Culkin	...	Lord Radley
Colin Firth	...	Lord Henry Wotton
Emilia Fox	...	Lady Victoria Wotton
Nathan Rosen	...	Young Dorian
Jeff Lipman	...	Lord Kelso (as Jeffrey Lipman Snr)
Louise Kempton	...	Prostitute
Douglas Henshall	...	Alan Campbell

Storyline

A naïve young man. A lovelorn artist. A corruptible Lord. A deal with the Devil. It all paints a dark picture of a Victorian London and how the rich and infamous party at their peril. Here, the telling of time and its consequence of experience for life's treasures' takes its toll on the body, mind and soul. The haunting and bleak tale of power, greed, vanity and inevitable self-destruction is ever present amongst the deceit, opium dens and sin.

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Plot Keywords:

painting | beauty | deal with the devil | portrait | painter | 

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Taglines:

Forever Young. Forever Cursed.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content including nudity, violence and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Castello Lopes Mulimédia [Portugal]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2010 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray

Filming Locations:

Basildon Park, Lower Basildon, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£883,148 (UK) (11 September 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios, Alliance Films, Fragile Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Dorian Gray has Blonde hair.

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Goofs

When Dorian stops in front of the theater playing "Hamlet," the barker tells him that he has only missed a little of the play, but when he goes to take his seat, it is already in Act III.

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Quotes

Lucius: I have the key to your heart.
Dorian Gray: [aggressively] Don't touch that ever!

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Crazy Credits

In the closing credits, one of the pieces of music played is listed as Haydn's "Sting Quartet" Op 76 No 4.

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Connections

Version of BBC Play of the Month: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1976)

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Soundtracks

A Perfect Picture
Written by Flipper Dalton
Performed by Flipper Dalton

User Reviews

Did the screenwriters even read the original story by Wilde?

There's not a single thing inherently wrong about adapting old stories in new and surprising ways. Unfortunately the writers removed all of the original class and gender subtext in the original story and then added naked ladies. Really that's all there is to this adaptation. Some unusually bland acting goes with the bland writing. I have a feeling the actors knew the movie wasn't going well, took the paycheck, and just went a long for the ride.

I have to express some discontent that some others say this adaptation does justice to Wilde's story. I just don't see that at all sorry. This is "lowest common denominator" kinds of movie making. The good news is that this is the sort of movie that disappears in a heartbeat after a quick release to DVD.