A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Jeff Lipman
- Lord Kelso
- (as Jeffrey Lipman Snr)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA famous line from The Importance of Being Earnest, also written by Oscar Wilde, is incorporated in the script, and spoken by Lord Henry Wotton: "The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is plain." In the play, which premiered several years after the publication of the novel this film is based on, the line is spoken by Algernon.
- GoofsWhen Dorian is fighting Jim in the train station tunnel, the sleepers and spikes are visible. The spikes seen were not in use in 1890 when the novel was written, nor the era when the film is set.
- Quotes
Lord Henry Wotton: There's no shame in pleasure. Man just wants to be happy. But society wants him to be good. And when he's good, he's rarely happy. But when he's happy, he's always good.
- Crazy creditsAt the start of the closing credits, they fade in and out, alternating with images of the Portrait peeking through, as though it is trying to assert itself.
- Alternate versionsDuring 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).
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Punisher: Kandahar (2017)
Featured review
Update is more of a horror film than the 1940's original
Updated version of Oscar Wilde's story geared to modern sensibilities that would perhaps appeal especially to horror genre enthusiasts.. . It seemed more or less conventional period piece for awhile but about 40 minutes in, an event occurred that nearly killed the whole thing for me. But the acting was so good I stayed.
The blood, gore, and sex had to be endured, but thankfully these and other lurid elements were dished out in fairly short segments. The portrait did not merely become besmirched with the increasing decadence of the eponymous anti-hero, it exuded vermin that fell writhing to the floor, to name one example. Purists might want to take on a pass on this but if they like good acting they might reconsider. Ben Barnes (Dorian Gray) appears almost callow at the outset but that perhaps to reflect his early innocence. But he loses that rather quickly and becomes perfectly believable with an appearance Oscar would have approved of.
Ben Chaplin (Basil Hallward) very good. The epigrams are often thought of as breezy, mirthful witticisms, delivered perhaps with hauteur but Colin Firth's (Lord Henry Wotton) are stern and brisk, intoned as if to be something to be remembered for the next quiz, highly entertaining and still (if not more) amusing. Dorian learns them well (as we know). Colin Firth is a versatile actor and I like him especially in this vein, the aristocratic bearing with the air of authority and sophistication, not to be messed with. A wonderful screen presence. The star of the show (for me).
The blood, gore, and sex had to be endured, but thankfully these and other lurid elements were dished out in fairly short segments. The portrait did not merely become besmirched with the increasing decadence of the eponymous anti-hero, it exuded vermin that fell writhing to the floor, to name one example. Purists might want to take on a pass on this but if they like good acting they might reconsider. Ben Barnes (Dorian Gray) appears almost callow at the outset but that perhaps to reflect his early innocence. But he loses that rather quickly and becomes perfectly believable with an appearance Oscar would have approved of.
Ben Chaplin (Basil Hallward) very good. The epigrams are often thought of as breezy, mirthful witticisms, delivered perhaps with hauteur but Colin Firth's (Lord Henry Wotton) are stern and brisk, intoned as if to be something to be remembered for the next quiz, highly entertaining and still (if not more) amusing. Dorian learns them well (as we know). Colin Firth is a versatile actor and I like him especially in this vein, the aristocratic bearing with the air of authority and sophistication, not to be messed with. A wonderful screen presence. The star of the show (for me).
helpful•104
- AlsExGal
- Sep 17, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Доріан Ґрей
- Filming locations
- Basildon Park, Lower Basildon, Reading, Berkshire, England, UK(ballroom scene/staircase hall drug-smoking scene/tea party and death of Aunt Agatha scene/Dorian Gray crimson bedroom scene)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $22,873,653
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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