Dorian Gray Details

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I'm not Wilde about Dorian

Dorian Gray, the novel, is as detailed an examination of the questions of 'sin' and 'innocence' as you'll find among the vast pile of Victorian tomes that wrestled with the issue. In it Oscar Wilde asked what a man might do if he had no need to fear the consequences of his actions and discovered a terrible answer. It is a genuinely chilling tale, all the more so because of the carefully nuanced way in which Wilde charts Dorian's decline, lingering long over his first step beyond the pale - the betrayal of the young actress Sibyl Vane - to ensure the reader understands the gravity of what he has done. Dorian's transformation is gradual but inevitable, as he is slowly seduced by his untouchable beauty and the power it gives him over others.

That's the novel. The film in contrast seems to have been put together by the same team responsible for the 'Confessions of' series. The audience I watched it with spent much of their time laughing as writer and director found excuses to slip in more and more scenes of naked-breasted 'tarts' frolicking with the eponymous anti-hero in brothels whose gilded sets look to have been nicked from Baz Luhrman's 'Moulin Rouge'. From the crass way the film opens with a scene of murder, through the even crasser equation of Wilde's portrayal of 'spiritual fall' with 'kinky' sex of the kind Madonna used to try to titillate the press with in the 80s, up to the just plain dumb use of the CGIed-up portrait itself, this film manages to throw away the heart of a good novel and replace it with a bit of dim horror-lite for the teen-to-20s market. To quote the book itself, 'It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But ... it is better to be good than to be ugly'. Sadly, this film is neither beautiful, nor good.

Just don't compare the film to the book

As usual those who have read the original book will be disappointed by the film. Oscar Wilde's text is compelling because it is never clear what Dorian has been doing that is so wicked. On the other hand the film delights in showing Dorian frolicking with as many half dressed women as possible. The second half of the film is completely different from the original source as well so avid fans will be disappointed.

However if you take the actual film on it's own merit there are a number of good points. Ben Barnes perfectly shows the contrast between the early sweet natured Dorian and the masochistic later transformation whilst Colin Firth beautifully plays the cynical yet charming Lord Henry. The film's settings suit the plot and the picnic scene is adorably sweet.

Yes, it isn't the great adaption it could have been but if you can distance yourself from the book then I believe you can still enjoy this twisted tale.