"The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Author(s): Harry
Location: Colombia

"The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Distributed by: Miramax Pictures
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Written by: Peter Schaffer
Music by: Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by: Dick Pope
Costume Design by: Colleen Atwood
Produced by: Francis Ford Coppola

Drama

Main Cast

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Henry Wotton)
James McAvoy (Dorian Gray)
Tom Wilkinson (Basil Hallward)
Julie Christie (Lady Agatha)
Scarlett Johansson (Sybil Vane)

Tagline: "Our most obsessive desires can become our greatest fears"

Synopsis: We are in London in the nineteenth century. Dorian Gray, a mysterious gentleman with a horrible gift, rests in his residence while he contemplates a portrait that they once made of him. The strange thing about this portrait is that in it, he appears like an old and disfigured man when he is in fact, a handsome man. Dorian Gray suddenly feels angry and desperate. He takes a knife that was in a table next to him and buries it into the portrait. A deadly scream could be heard. When his maids and the police entered his room, they saw a beautiful portrait of the handsome Dorian Gray and an old and disfigured man lying dead on the floor.

The day after the death of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton, a malicious man with brutal but fascinating theories, visits his aunt Lady Agatha and talks to her about the recently departed gentleman. Lord Henry Wotton knew Dorian Gray very well including his sins and his deepest secrets. While Lord Henry Wotton gives a tense and intriguing narration of the life of Dorian Gray, we see flashbacks of the life of Dorian Gray...

We learn of Dorian Gray’s obsessive desire: he wanted to be young forever and have a portrait which would grow old in his place. We then learn about the beautiful Sybil Vane, an actress who Dorian Gray was in love with and who dies after he leaves her. We also learn that Dorian Gray’s desire mysteriously became a reality and that he regretted desiring it and feared it. We finally learn that Dorian Gray had murdered in cold blood Basil Hallward, a sensible man of art, the painter of the portrait and a very good friend of his.

What the Press would say:

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a fascinating yet thrilling interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel. Peter Schaffer crafts a breathtaking script. He is faithful to the characters and the original story in general. But, to make the film more interesting and original, Peter Schaffer shows the vision of the life of Dorian Gray thru the eyes of Lord Henry Wotton, the famous villain of the novel. He is on his way to winning a second Academy Award.

Roman Polanski paints a dark and mysterious London, and remains faithful to the period elements of the nineteenth century. Polanski creates a subtle yet gripping atmosphere. He captures the complexity of the characters thru intense and dramatic scenes. Polanski also pays enormous attention to details; the frightening portrait becomes one of the scariest characters of the film. As this portrait becomes older and older, the image becomes more shocking every time. Polanski should win his second Oscar with this film.

The performances of the film are one of the best I have seen in a long time. Ralph Fiennes is very creepy as Lord Henry Wotton. His subtle facial expressions and cold narration of the story is intriguing and malicious. Every time he pronounces a word, the audience couldn’t stop gasping. James McAvoy definitely gives a career defining performance as Dorian Gray, becoming his character. He captures the emotions and demons of Dorian Gray very well. Both of them must get nominated for best actor at the Academy Awards but if I had to choose a winner, it would definitely be Fiennes. His performance was so haunting that it stayed in memory for a long time.

Tom Wilkinson, Julie Christie and Scarlett Johansson are also believable as Basil Hallward, Lady Agatha and Sybil Vane respectively. They give lifetime performances that are worthy of Oscar recognition.

For Your Consideration:

Best Picture (Francis Ford Coppola)
Best Director (Roman Polanski)
Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes)
Best Actor (James McAvoy)
Best Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson)
Best Supporting Actress (Julie Christie)
Best Supporting Actress (Scarlett Johansson)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Peter Schaffer)

As well as various other technical categories