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DORIAN GRAY Oliver Parker Starring Ben Barnes Colin Firth Rebecca Hall Ben Chaplin Rachel Hurd-Wood I've always held a certain fondness for the depravity housed within the pages of The Picture Of Dorian Gray - chuckling at passages detailing the exploration of ones darkest desires. Thankfully, it's less scandalous these days and being a bookseller at the time, I was simply labelled as a lover of 'classic literature.' In truth, the book fascinates me; as it does many others, guaranteeing its place in history. So, you can understand why I entered the cinema muttering, "this is going to suck" as often as possible. However, in truth, it really didn't and the only two words that came to me were 'pleasantly surprised.' If you're unfamiliar with the plot of Dorian Gray, essentially, a young fop of a boy [Barnes] is exposed to the debauchery of upper-class society and the squalor of the lower-classes by his mentor, Lord Henry Wotton [Firth]. However, owing to a supernatural pact, the alluring Mr. Gray neither ages nor withers as he travels about London committing atrocious acts of passion, lust and murder. Instead, a portrait hidden away in his attic bears the true face of his rotten soul. There are, however, dramatic alterations and various artistic liberties taken by the film's director, Oliver Parker. By-and-large, the film is a reasonably accurate adaptation, with a few minor changes here and there but it's only when we roll toward the third act and the conclusion that a completely original character arrives and all manner of changes present themselves. I wouldn't say I necessarily agree with the alterations and additions but I understand their reason for being. As such, I can't truly admonish them because this is a reimagining of the novel, offering scenes that Oscar Wilde would not dare pen, yet alluded to and adds appeal to contemporary audiences - not that I fully condone alterations for the contemporary masses but without defiling the source material, it creates something interesting. In truth, this particular adaptation felt more like a remake of 1945's Dorian Gray rather than the book and as such the negative points present themselves almost instantaneously, neglecting the true duality to Dorian, favouring the murky underside to the arrogant socialite. Then there are the few moments that really slow the pace and almost ruined the film for me - namely the sloppy, jump-cuts between certain dramatic moments that felt obscure and out of place. In addition to this we have the performance of Rachel Hurd-Wood; don't get me wrong, I don't have much against the actress but at the same time she didn't really convey much above amateur theatre. Again, this could easily be due to the direction utilised during her scenes but I simply couldn't get along with her performance. And finally, there were moments in which they went one step too far with sensationalist renderings designed to appease contemporary audiences. The best example being the painting itself; I thought the transitions were very well done and the final horror itself was in no way over-the-top or ridiculous but the fact that it continued to hiss and growl was a little off-putting. Negative points aside, there were countless positive elements that need to be addressed. First of all we have the tremendous orchestral score by Charlie Mole, incorporating waning strings and guitar riffs, embodying a sickly seductive sound that perfectly fit the on-screen degeneracy. On top of that, we have the wealthy production value, seen in the despicably wonderful costume design, the delightful imagery (both CGI and set work) and a whole host of visual treats making this an aesthetically striking piece - a fact, I imagine, Wilde would find amusing. Finally, to quickly explain my final mark out of ten: upon leaving the cinema I was stuck with a very firm six in mind and even as I started to pen this review I was going for a six. And yet (if you scroll down) I have settled on a seven. My reason for this is that I have been rating this film as a fan of the original and as such neglected Dorian Gray as a standalone production. In all honesty, they could have done so much more to ruin this film and as I was expecting a 12A/PG-13 piece of dross, dumbed down and devoid of debasement, I must confess... I approve. Release Date: UK - 11th September 2009 US - 23rd October 2009 [postponed due to distribution complications] The Scene To Look Out For: I think it best to highlight two scenes, one I immensely enjoyed and one I could not stand to look at. The high point was a montage that cropped up mid-way through Dorian's quest for new sensations, gliding back and forth between scones coated in jam by day and blindfolded, drug-fuelled sexcapades by night. The music worked beautifully, the cinematography was exceptional and the real crux of the story appeared to be perfectly represented onscreen. On the other hand, we had to tolerate the death of Jim Vane [Johnny Harris] - obviously, I won't go into detail but of the deviations and liberties taken this was the most infuriating, if only because it felt so stupidly written. Notable Characters: The two high-points of the film were the two lead males. I never liked Ben Barnes, I slated him in Prince Caspian and thought he had the face for the role but not the depth. Thankfully, I was proven wrong and relished the transformation from naïve bumpkin to sly seducer. Having said that, the real scene stealer was Colin Firth as Wotton; discarding the twee Darcy-esque, jumper wearing , bumbling gentleman he has so oft portrayed, Firth manages to really get his grips into Dorian's corrupt mentor and offers a truly captivating performance. Highlighted Quote: "Every experience is of value" In A Few Words: "Far better than I had originally expected but so many mistakes could have been avoided if the crew had simply stuck to Wilde's work" Total Score: 
7/10Matthew Stogdon |
