DORIAN GRAY (OLIVER PARKER, 2009)

Dorian Gray is a 2009 British fantasy-thriller drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.

This version is directed by Oliver Parker, written by Toby Finlay (his first screenplay), and stars Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray and Colin Firth as Lord Henry Wotton. The film tells the story of the titular character Dorian Gray, an attractive Englishman whose image is captured in an enchanted painting that keeps him from aging. For every sin he commits, his image in the portrait ages and loses his beauty.

The film, which was released in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2009, competed in the Official Fantàstic Competition at the 2009 Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival.

PLOT

When a naïve young Dorian Gray (Barnes) arrives in a train to Victorian London, to inherit an estate left to him by his abusive Grandfather, he is swept into a social whirlwind by the charismatic Lord Henry Wotton (Firth), who introduces Gray to the hedonistic pleasures of the city. Lord Henry's friend, society artist Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin), paints a portrait of Gray to capture the full power of his youthful beauty. When the portrait is unveiled, Gray makes a flippant pledge: he would give anything to stay as he is in the picture—even his soul.

Gray meets and falls in love with young budding actress Sibyl Vane (Rachel Hurd-Wood). After a few weeks, he proposes marriage to her, but after Lord Henry tells Gray that having children is "the beginning of the end", he takes Gray to a brothel. This breaks Sibyl's heart as Gray leaves her; drowning herself soon after. Gray learns of this next day from her brother "Jim" (James), who tells Gray that Sybil was pregnant. Jim then tries to kill Gray before being restrained and carried off by the authorities. Gray's initial grief disappears as Lord Henry persuades him that all events are mere experiences and without consequence, and his hedonistic lifestyle worsens, distancing him from a concerned Hallward.

Gray goes home to find the portrait of himself warped and twisted and realises that his pledge has come true; while the portrait ages, its owner's sins are shown as physical defects on the canvas. The chaos of the portrait of Gray starts, leading him to brutally kill Hallward after telling him his secret, dumping the body in the River Thames.

Having left London to travel for many years, Gray returns to London and during the welcome-back party the guests are surprised to see that he has not aged at all. He becomes close to Lord Henry's daughter, Emily (Rebecca Hall), a member of the UK suffragette movement, despite Lord Henry's distaste for such a relationship due to Gray's lifestyle and unnatural appearance, Emily having provided Lord Henry with a greater moral focus.

Although Gray appears genuinely interested in changing his ways as he spends time with Emily, matters are complicated when he is confronted by James, still seeking revenge for his sister's death; despite Gray's attempts to drive off his suspicions by pointing out his apparent age, James nevertheless deduces Gray's true identity, only to be killed by a train during the chase in the London Underground. As Gray makes arrangements to leave London with Emily, Lord Henry's study of old photographs makes him remember the time when he teased Gray to deal with the devil for eternal youth and beauty at the cost of his soul.

Breaking into Gray's house as Gray and Emily are making plans to leave together, Lord Henry discovers the concealed portrait, but is interrupted by Gray before he can uncover it. Although Gray attempts to convince Lord Henry that he still cherishes his friendship and genuinely loves his daughter, Lord Henry discovers a stained scarf of Basil's in a box, prompting Gray to angrily declare that he is what Lord Henry has made him, the personification of the life he preached but never dared practise. Full of anger and grief, Gray attempts to strangle Lord Henry, but is distracted by Emily's call long enough for Lord Henry to knock him aside and expose the portrait.

Disgusted and horrified at the twisted sight on the canvas, Lord Henry throws a lit lamp at the portrait, causing it to catch fire, subsequently locking the gate of the attic, to ensure Gray and the painting are destroyed, before his daughter sees the ruckus as she pleads with Gray for the key. Gray, after seeing her and realising that he really loves her, turns his back as Lord Henry drags his daughter out of the house, his last words being to assure Emily that she has his whole heart. Resolving to end it all, Gray stabs the painting with a poker, causing his body to age the years that it has never suffered, Gray charging at the portrait to fully impale it as his years catch up to him before the attic is consumed by an explosion.

A few months later, scarred from the explosion and after attempting to reconcile with Emily through Agatha over the phone, Lord Henry heads to his attic where he keeps the now-youthful portrait of Gray, grimly noting that nobody will look at it now. As Lord Henry leaves, the portrait's eyes glow, suggesting that Gray's soul may still be within the portrait even after his death.

CASTS

In credits order.

• Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray
• Colin Firth as Lord Henry Wotton
• Ben Chaplin as Basil Hallward
• Rebecca Hall as Emily Wotton
• Douglas Henshall as Alan Campbell
• Rachel Hurd-Wood as Sibyl Vane
• Fiona Shaw as Aunt Agatha
• Maryam d'Abo as Gladys
• Michael Culkin as Lord Radley
• Emilia Fox as Lady Victoria Wotton
• Caroline Goodall as Lady Radley
• Johnny Harris as Jim Vane, Sibyl's brother
• Pip Torrens as Victor, Gray's valet
• David Sterne as Theatre Manager
• Jo Woodcock as Celia Radley
• Max Irons as Lucius

I saw this film today with Juanma, we didn`t like it very much, I prefer the book.

Anina

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Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) es un joven aristócrata muy atractivo que, después de haber pasado una solitaria adolescencia en el campo, regresa a Londres, donde ha heredado una mansión. Atraído por la vida nocturna, se sumerge en ella de la mano de Lord Henry Wottom (Colin Firth), que lo conduce a los antros más recónditos y sórdidos de la ciudad. Al joven le fascina el estilo de vida decadente y amoral de Wotton. Por otra parte, su obsesión por alcanzar la eterna juventud lo impulsa a hacer un pacto diabólico: él se mantendrá siempre joven, pero las huellas del paso del tiempo y de sus terribles delitos, es decir, su degradación física y moral se reflejarán en un retrato que le ha hecho su amigo el pintor Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin). (FILMAFFINITY)

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"La película de Parker carece de estilo (...) El clímax, en el que el cineasta se abona a las más gastadas retóricas de un cine de terror indigno de tal nombre, da la perfecta medida del nivel de la operación" (Jordi Costa: Diario El País)
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"Brocha gorda y marco mejorable. (...) puesta en escena de macramé y con olor a naftalina (...) Puntuación: * (sobre 5)" (Javier Cortijo: Diario ABC)
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"Parker despliega un arsenal de efectismos, (...) convierte el esquivo y serpenteante relato original en un simplificado cuento de monstruos y fantasmas. (...) Notable Colin Firth (...) Puntuación: ** (sobre 5)" (Manuel Yáñez Murillo: Fotogramas)
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"Oscila con desequilibrio entre el terror y el retrato de la época victoriana sobre los que se asienta la novela. (...) Puntuación: **1/2 (sobre 5)" (Andrea G. Bermejo: Cinemanía)
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Después de leer el libro en inglés el curso pasado, el otro día vi que en la Biblioteca de la Escuela de Idiomas de Ponferrada tenían disponible la película, así que la cogí sin dudarlo. La vimos hoy Juanma y yo, en inglés con subtítulos en castellano, pero no nos gustó mucho. Me gustó mucho más el libro.

Anina