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Dorian Gray (2009)
 
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Directed
by:
Oliver Parker |
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COUNTRY
United
Kingdom |
GENRE
Drama/Fantasy/Thriller |
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Dorian
Gray |
RUNNING
TIME
112
minutes |
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Produced
by:
Barnaby Thompson |
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Written by
(based on The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde):
Toby Finlay |
Review
When classical literature is handled by
a filmmaker with such sense of style and visuals as demonstrated by
British director Oliver Parker in this adaptation, you become
increasingly aware of the fact that few original screenplays can match
the depth and relevance of literary works that have come out on top
after a century of readings and criticism. Oscar Wilde's only novel, The
Picture of Dorian Gray, about a young man in 1890s London who sells his
soul for a life of eternal youth, beauty and hedonism – the effects of
which are only shown on his increasingly marred portrait – is a powerful
tale of self-deception, obsession and selfishness, full of parallels to
our time, and perhaps even more relevant today than it was when it was
first released. As with the book, the film has a pureness in style that gives
it a timeless quality.
In this adaptation, screenwriter Toby
Finlay plays out Wilde's homoerotic insinuations and is not afraid to
let Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton indulge in life's carnal
pleasures. This modernization is welcomed, in my opinion, as it is
arguably merely an enunciation of all the implicitness in Wilde's novel.
The film is visually updated for 2009, but in essence and moral
discussions, it retains all the complexity of the original.
The film is
magnificently shot, portraying 1890s London in a delicate combination of
gloss and filth, and it is full of expressive compositions and
juxtapositions that are both artistically and intellectually
satisfactory. And the story is so faceted that it is bound to stick with
you for quite some time. The title character is played with empathy by
young Ben Barnes, who is able to convey Dorian's transition from
unspoiled, receptive apprentice to cynical, paranoid exploiter. Barnes
is enigmatic as well, something which, combined with Parker's elegant
shifts in mood and tone – from cheerful and uplifting to sinister and
ominous – makes the film all the way intense, even if you already know
how the story will unfold. Also with Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin and Rachel
Hurd-Wood, who complement this gem of a film with fine supporting
work.
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