The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

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

Director:

Albert Lewin

Writers:

Albert Lewin (screen play), Oscar Wilde (based upon the novel by)

Stars:

George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Sanders	...	Lord Henry Wotton
Hurd Hatfield	...	Dorian Gray
Donna Reed	...	Gladys Hallward
Angela Lansbury	...	Sibyl Vane
Peter Lawford	...	David Stone
Lowell Gilmore	...	Basil Hallward
Richard Fraser	...	James Vane
Douglas Walton	...	Allen Campbell
Morton Lowry	...	Adrian Singleton
Miles Mander	...	Sir Robert Bentley
Lydia Bilbrook	...	Mrs. Vane
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Agatha
Robert Greig	...	Sir Thomas
Moyna MacGill	...	Duchess
Billy Bevan	...	Malvolio Jones - Chairman

Storyline

In 1886, in Victorian London, the corrupt Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders) meets the pure Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) posing for talented painter Basil Hallward (Lowell Gilmore). Basil paints Dorian's portrait and gives the beautiful painting and an Egyptian sculpture of a cat to him, while Henry corrupts his mind and soul, telling him that Dorian should seek pleasure in life. Dorian wishes that his portrait could age instead of him. Dorian goes to a side show in the Two Turtles in the poor neighborhood of London, and he falls in love with singer Sibyl Vane (Dame Angela Lansbury). Dorian decides to marry her and tells Lord Henry, who convinces him to test the honor of Sibyl. Dorian Gray leaves Sibyl and travels abroad, and when he returns to London, Lord Henry tells him that Sibyl committed suicide for love. Throughout the years, Dorian's friends age while he is still the same, but his picture discloses his evilness and corruptive life. Can he still have salvation, or is his soul ...

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Plot Keywords:

painting | painter | soul | hedonist | deal with the devil | 

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Taglines:

Perfection of the outside. Murderous corruption within.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The dark musical piece that is heard repeatedly is Frédéric Chopin's "Prelude in D Minor", the last of the twenty-four pieces of "Opus 28". The set is widely regarded as one of the supreme achievements of solo piano composition. In an homage to Johann Sebastian Bach, the twenty-four pieces are written in all of the major and minor keys, beginning with C/A minor and progressing via the circle of 5ths to F/D minor. Chopin was personally the polar opposite to Dorian Gray, a man who struggled with illness and died young, yet left a lasting spiritual legacy that conveys immortality.

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Goofs

When Lord Henry first spots the butterfly on the drape in Basil's studio, the mesh edges of his fake beard are clearly visible.

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Quotes

Dorian Gray: You think it's only God who sees the soul.

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Alternate Versions

Some prints are slightly edited, omitting Dorian's (Hurd Hatfield) prayer and Lord Henry's (George Sanders) line, "Heaven forgive me" in the final scene.

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Connections

Referenced in Murder, She Wrote: Sing a Song of Murder (1985)

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Soundtracks

Prelude for Piano, Op. 28, No. 24 in D Minor (The Storm)
(uncredited)
by Frédéric Chopin
Played by Lela Simone

User Reviews

Elegant horror

The key word for this movie is elegance. The cast move through sumptuous sets with the males dressed in immaculately tailored dress suits and the women exquisitely gowned. It seems that all the aristocrats lived in homes the size of Buckingham palace with high ceilinged rooms and magnificent staircases. They exchange Oscar Wilde epigrams in the cultured tones of the British upper classes.

Some great performances. Hurd Hatfield, an extremely handsome actor with a limited range ,gives the best one of his career as does George Sanders as the cynical Lord Henry Wotton, and a young Angela Lansbury is very moving (especially when she sings "The Little Yellow Bird").

One (very small) criticism. The color shots of the Dorian Gray portrait showing his degradation don't match the high standards of the rest of the design, they look more like pages from a horror comic. I think the producer's, with their obviously high budget, could have used a more imaginative artist.

As I say a small criticism. This a great film of psychological horror.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor) (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1