Director: Albert Lewin
Starring: Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Lowell Gilmore, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford
Running Time: 110 minutes
Synopsis: In London of the 1880's, artist Basil Hallward (Lowell Gilmore) paints a portrait of Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield), a handsome bachelor establishing a reputation in philanthropy. Their common friend Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders) is dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure, and his influence prompts Dorian to wish for the portrait to age while he remains eternally young. Henry then further inspires Dorian to exploit innocent vaudeville singer Sibyl Vane (Angela Lansbury), and he consequently indulges in hedonism and debauchery, remaining physically young while his portrait reflects his eroding soul.
What Works Well: The adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel is dark, sinister, and packed with observations about the conflict between good and evil inherent in the human condition. Director and writer Albert Lewin surrounds Dorian's story with opposing influences locked in a struggle for behavioural control, and uses punctuating colour to convey the psychological battle's progress. The horror elements are judicious, with one shock revelation exposing the deterioration of Dorian's conscience. George Sanders as the voice of vice rattles off Wilde's witty and eminently quotable prose with astoundingly annoying confidence, while Hurt Hatfield's performance is chillingly subdued.
What Does Not Work As Well: The film is marginally over-narrated, and Dorian's contextual evil deeds in the seedier parts of London are only vaguely hinted at.
Key Quote:
Dorian: You think it's only God who sees the soul?
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome reader comments about this post.