DVD Reviews

Dorian Gray - DVD Review

By June L. Sep 1, 2010, 14:39 GMT

When Dorian Gray arrives in London he immediately falls under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, leading to a life of increasing debauchery. Dorian soon trades his soul for eternal youth and as his lust for pleasure grows, he resorts to murder to protect his secret. ...more

Oscar Wilde’s classic tale of a youth who sells his soul to remain at the peak of perfection, is given a fresh interpretation in this film from 2009 starring Ben Barnes and Colin Firth.

Most people have a history with The Picture of Dorian Gray, either from reading it at school multiple times, or at least know it as a symbolic reference for keeping beauty while sacrificing something else.

As a child, the 1945 version of this story creeped me out when I saw it on late night television, making me wary of some family portraits in my grandparent’s home.  It was the fascinating fear that they might change into something even scarier that stiff unsmiling images in odd clothes that kept me sneaking peeks at them for many years. 

In time, the story of Dorian Gray became a word portrait of a strange past era, exuding gothic terrors and witty social criticisms in equal proportion.

And so we come to the 2009 Dorian Gray.  In many ways it has the atmosphere of the literary original, part horror and part philosophical positioning, and above all showy excessiveness.  Hedonism, biting sarcasm, supernatural overtones and selfish willfulness abound, and yet the characters are not happy.

There is a frantic quality about all the characters as if they sense their decadent existence is fleeting, all is about to change.  Into the thick of this whirlpool of opulence, decadence, hedonism and selfish living comes the young Dorian at first is a naïve sponge of a young man. 

He has never experienced love, and knows only coldness and a harsh cruelty. Without an adjustment period he is thrown into a society that can and will give him anything he wants because of his wealth and personal beauty, and falls under the influence of Lord Henry (Colin Firth) as to what his wants are to become.

Both Mr. Firth and Mr. Barnes respectively give their characters complexity, blurring the lines between good and evil, seduction and willing compliance, philosophy and actual belief.  One wants to feel compassion for Lord Henry in spite of his proselytizing for a hedonistic lifestyle, as we can’t feel convinced that he really believes what he is saying. 

Mr. Firth gives Lord Henry bravado and sarcasm but with a hint that he might be pushing Dorian just to see how far the young man will go.  Dorian as an inexperienced youth is easily convinced this is a great road to travel.  He begins his journey into self-indulgence with an innocent willingness that should make Lord Harry ashamed of leading the young man astray.

Throughout Dorian’s descent into excesses Mr. Barnes gives the character tiny flashes of conscience and flickers of awareness that register horror at his own behavior and remind the audience of his humanity.

The gothic massiveness of the settings, dark and heavy with wood paneling and opulent fabrics enhances the supernatural element.  It is an undercurrent, but it is represented by the sense of formidable and inescapable surroundings.  Once the pact is made, the lifestyle becomes a prison, and Dorian cannot turn back. 

The only jarring thing in this film is the setting of the last part so securely in the 20th Century.  I think some of the visual changes detract from the power of the piece rather than enhance it, but it is an understandable choice by the filmmakers.

They want to show the passage of time in a big way, and that is accomplished, somewhat destroys the psychological elements of the story, trading them for pure horror.

Dorian Gray is presented on single disc with a running time of 112 minutes. A variety of special features are included that will further illuminate this particular production.

An Audio commentary with Director Oliver Parker and Screenwriter Toby Finlay gives particular insight into production choices.  There is a making of Dorian Gray, and behind the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes and a blooper reel.

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