The Picture of Dorian Gray

Director: Albert Lewin Albert Lewin

Overview

The Picture of Dorian Gray was writer/director Albert E. Lewin's fascinating follow-up to his expressive-esoterica masterpiece The Moon and Sixpence. Hurd Hatfield essays the title character, a London aristocrat who would sell his soul to remain handsome and young--and, in a manner of speaking, he does just that. Under the influence of his decadent (albeit witty) friend Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders), Dorian Gray becomes the embodiment of virtually every sin known to man. The greatest of his sins is vanity: Gray commissions artist Basil Hallward (Lowell Gilmore) to paint his portrait. Admiring his own painted countenance, Gray silently makes a demonic pact. The years pass: everyone grows older but Gray, who seemingly gets younger and more good-looking every day. Hallward eventually stumbles upon the secret of Dorian's eternal youth: he finds his painting hidden in the attic, the portrait's face grown grotesquely aged and disfigured. Gray kills Hallward so that his secret will remain safe. Later on, Gray falls in love with Hallward's niece Gladys (Donna Reed). Certain that Gray is responsible for Hallward's death, Gladys' ex-boyfriend David Stone (Peter Lawford) sets out to prove it. He is joined in this mission by the brother of dance hall performer Sybil Vane (Angela Lansbury), who killed herself after Gray betrayed her. Essentially a black and white film, Picture of Dorian Gray bursts into Technicolor whenever the picture is shown in close-up.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/18/2014
UPC:	0888574123192
Original Release:	1945
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:50:00
Sales rank:	15,652

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Hurd Hatfield	Dorian Gray
George Sanders	Lord Henry Wotton
Angela Lansbury	Sibyl Vane
Donna Reed	Gladys Hallward
Lowell Gilmore	Basil Hallward
Peter Lawford	David Stone
Richard Fraser	James Vane
Reginald Owen	Lord George Farmoor
Lydia Bilbrook	Mrs. Vane
Morton Lowry	Adrian Singleton
Douglas Walton	Alan Campbell
Mary Forbes	Lady Agatha
Robert Greig	Sir Thomas
Lisa Carpenter	Lady Henry Wotton
Moyna MacGill	Duchess
Billy Bevan	Chairman Malvolio Jones
Lillian Bond	Kate,Kate
Miles Mander	Sir Robert Bentley
Cedric Hardwicke	Narrator,Narrator
William Stack	Mr. Erskine
Natalie Draper	Mrs. Vandelear
Renee Carson	Young French Woman
Alan Edmiston	Cabby
Charles Coleman	Butler
Carol Diane Keppler	Gladys as a Child
Emily Massey	Parker the Nurse
Jimmy Conlin	Piano Player
James Aubrey	Cabby
Joe Yule	Stage Manager
Rex Evans	Lord Gerald Goodbody
Audrey Manners	Lady Alice Goodbody
Renie Riano	Lady Ruxton
Gibson Gowland	Gibson
Toby Doolan	Club Member
Major Sam Harris	Club Member
Lee Powell	Loader
Bill Patton	Loader
Frank O'Connor	Butler
Mary Benoit	Guests at Mayfair Tea
Elyse Brown	Guests at Mayfair Tea

Technical Credits

Albert Lewin

Albert Lewin	Director,Screenwriter
Pandro S. Berman	Producer

Editorial Reviews

The 1945 production of The Picture of Dorian Gray was something of an anomaly, coming several years after the end of the "classic" horror cycle which had included Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the like. Dorian is an excellent production, the best of the many cinematic adaptations of this popular tale, and in some ways an improvement on the Oscar Wilde story upon which it is based. It is not flawless, however; Hurd Hatfield is a bit colorless in the title role, and while director Albert Lewin was undoubtedly trying to use his blandness to make points about the nature and deceptiveness of evil, Hatfield's hollow performance dampens the dramatic punch of the film in a few key places. This is certainly not the case with George Sanders, playing one of those droll cynics for which he was born and getting to spout some of Wilde's most delightful epigrams (such as "I like persons better than principles, and person with no principles better than anything in the world"). Young Angela Lansbury is also used to excellent effect in a change-of-pace "good girl" part, proving that Hollywood rarely appreciated the extent of her talent. The real stars of Dorian, however, are director Lewin and cinematographer Harry Stradling, who work together seamlessly to create wonderful chilling sequences and moments of sheer beauty. Of particular note is the murder sequence, which employs a swinging light to create a stunning play of light-and-dark that emphasizes the manner in which Dorian's soul has been separated from his very being.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler