This elegant 1945 interpretation of Oscar Wilde's only novel remains the best adaptation, with Hurd Hatfield starring as Dorian Gray, a handsome, earnest young man who stops aging after having his portrait painted. George Sanders costars as Lord Henry Wotton, the hedonistic cynic who tempts Dorian to indulge in worldly pleasures. As Dorian becomes corrupted and cruel, the painting begins to change, manifesting his sins in visual form. Director Albert Lewin leaves the debauchery offscreen and only hints at the depths of Dorian's bad behavior, but otherwise is faithful to the source's story, themes, and language. Hatfield is an inexpressive actor but a very effective personification of hollow beauty, and the rest of the cast is strong, with Sanders delivering Wilde's sarcastic aphorisms with a cultured purr. Also featured are Angela Lansbury as Sibyl Vane, the beautiful young music hall singer who Dorian drives to suicide, and Donna Reed as Gladys Hallward, the adoring innocent and idealist who Dorian is fearful of destroying through his vice. The film's beautiful Oscar-winning black-and-white cinematography is briefly interrupted with a striking cinematic device used to great effect: a momentary shift to full color when the new portrait is first unveiled and again when Dorian's aged, diseased image is revealed, serving up a visual shock that only heightens the horror of the grotesque mutation. Bowing on Blu-ray, extras include an audio commentary with Lansbury and film historian Steve Haberman, and two archival Oscar-winning shorts. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Warner, 110 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $21.99 Volume 30, Issue 2
The Picture of Dorian Gray
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