Ealing Studios, Fragile Films
Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin, Rebecca Hall, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Caroline Goodall, Emilia Fox, Douglas Henshall, Fiona Shaw, Maryam d’Abo
London artist Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) paints a portrait of the young and handsome, if overly vain, Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes). Dorian is so taken with his own image that he declares he’d do anything to keep his looks, even if it meant selling his soul. His wish is granted, but as Dorian stays young as the day the painting was done, the painting itself takes on the ugliness in his soul. Dorian hides the painting away where no one can ever see it as it grows uglier and uglier by the day. Meanwhile Dorian stays on his path of greed and debauchery getting everything he wants while destroying everyone he meets. The one who enticed him down this path, Lord Henry Wotton (played by Colin Firth) later in life defends his daughter who is smitten with Dorian as he is with her, and in the exciting ending Dorian learns the cost of having no consequences to your actions. When he finally finds true love, it may be too late.
Based on the classic Oscar Wilde novel, this is one of many takes on the story. But it is a very good one and is available on Netflix “Watch Instantly”. It’s a Gothic Horror story set in the Victorian period in England, so the costumes and set decorations are wonderful. I remember seeing the 1973 Portrait of Dorian Gray in a movie theater in Manila without any knowledge of the book or the story. It was horrifying. It has been many, many years since that experience, and this one is a nice remake of the original. It is a very horrifying story, and is very well acted and the story is very chilling. For a classic Gothic horror night, this is a decent choice. It’s certainly something out of the ordinary and unexpected. Not for kids, this is rated R for a good reason. This is certainly a classic horror story.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
Movie Review - Dorian Gray (2009) {R},
