Dorian Gray (2009)

This retelling of Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is a far more visceral experience than you’d expect. It’s an assault on the senses. Lavish, lurid, breath-taking, and sometimes shocking, this is a new look at an old Dorian.

The film’s one success is owed to impeccable performances by Colin Firth and Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian). As Gray, Barnes is perfectly naïve; his decent in hedonism is more direct in this version, but Barnes plays so nonchalant it’s captivating. As chief influencer, Lord Henry Wotton, Colin Firth is at his most devious. Wotton’s infatuation with Gray is reciprocated with disastrous results, but watching Firth and Barnes flirt is something else.

As with any interpretation, the book is merely source material. Director Oliver Parker focuses on sexual deviation as Dorian’s primary corrupter. The book was broader in pleasures, more refined and considered the ramifications of said lifestyle. The film belabours Dorian's bedroom affairs much to the discredit of the director. Sadly, the film doesn’t delve deep enough into the morality--a primary theme of the book--furthering the disappointment for this viewer. Still the brooding Gothic overtones and occasional starts may keep you intrigued.

As I see it, Dorian Gray is a picture show and a gorgeous one at that. The period settings, costumes, and cast are simply stunning. A keen eye will notice the gradation of color as Gray’s descends into debauchery. But the film lacks a key emotional element that makes the book far more interesting.