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:

dorian gray character | psychotronic film | smoking opium | bare chested male | brougham cab | 

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Taglines:

Eternally Beautiful. Eternally Damned.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

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).

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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

Dorian Gray: [trying to decline women and drink at a brothel] Well, perhaps I have a stronger conscience.
Lord Henry Wotton: [dismissively] 'Conscience.' It's just a polite word for 'cowardice.' No civilized man regrets a pleasure.

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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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Alternate Versions

During post-production, the film was tailored for a '15' certificate in the UK. According to the BBFC, the filmmaker cuts were as follows:

• A scene in which a tea party is inter-cut with shots showing Dorian's sadomasochistic excesses was toned down to remove or reduce the more explicit moments (explicit sight of a fingernail being pulled off, explicit sight of a chest being cut with a razor in a sexual context, explicit sight of blood being sucked from a woman's breasts and sight of a restrained man being beaten).
• Additionally, a murder scene was toned down to remove the sense of dwelling on the infliction of pain and injury (reduction in the number of stabbings, removal of a blood spurt from man's neck, reduction in sight of victim choking on his blood).

The subsequent version was then formally passed '15' by the BBFC without cuts, and released on DVD and Blu-ray.

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Connections

Version of Encounter: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1954)

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Soundtracks

Carnival of Venice
Written by Niccolò Paganini (as Nicolo Paganini)
Solo Violin by Stephanie Gonley

User Reviews

Excellent modern adaptation, does Oscar Wilde justice

I attended the World Premiere of "Dorian Gray" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Starring Colin Firth and Ben Barnes, this newest adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic Gothic horror story was directed by Oliver Parker from a Toby Finlay script. Set in Victorian England, Gray (Barnes) and his mentor Lord Henry Wotton (Firth) embark on an adventure that will lead them down paths they could never have imagined. I'll leave it at that for those unfamiliar with the story.

"Dorian Gray" is definitely a crowd pleaser. Ben Barnes is on screen almost every second from opening to closing credits and is frighteningly brilliant as the titular character. Together, Barnes and Firth carry the film.

As a period piece, art and set direction are unsurpassed. Roger Pratt's cinematography flawlessly places the viewer into the hazy London setting and the costumes are stunning. Capturing both the deplorable conditions of the urban poor as well as the debauchery of the moneyed class is critical and perfectly executed here.

Parker's take on the story is dark and surreal, placing slightly more emphasis on the real than imagined. Today's technical abilities allow the images to be more explicit than in the previous black and white version of the story, so visual and special effects are dramatic and effective.

Details

Official Sites:

Castello Lopes Mulimédia [Portugal]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Dorian Gray

Filming Locations:

Basildon Park, Lower Basildon, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,873,653

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