Product Description

Oscar Wilde's most debated work about a man who stays eternally young while his famous portrait ages through the years, until the gripping and eerie climax.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12934 in VHS
• Released on: 2001-06-12
• Rating: Unrated
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Amazon.com
These nip/tuck, Botoxed times would seem to be ripe for a remake of Oscar Wilde's ageless story of youth-worshiping aristocrat Dorian Gray. Until then, we have this 1945 prestige production starring Hurd Hatfield as Dorian, who, under the influence of the incorrigible Lord Henry Wotton, vows to live only for pleasure and to give in to all "exquisite temptations." While he sinks into a vile life of decadence and corruption, he remains young, while his painted portrait becomes "an emblem of his own conscience," growing more hideous as Gray becomes more monstrous. Angela Lansbury was nominated for an Academy Award for her heartbreaking performance as innocent singer Sibyl Vane, the first victim of Gray's callousness. George Sanders is at his contemptuous best as the cynical Lord Wotton, wringing every drip of disdain out of such Wilde-isms as, "I always choose my friends for their good lucks and my enemies for their good intellects." This pristine transfer does full justice to the film's Oscar-winning black and white cinematography (with vivid Technicolor inserts of the mesmerizing painting). With entertaining extras that replicate an old fashioned night at the movies, including a trailer and two Oscar-winning shorts, the Tom & Jerry cartoon, "Quiet Please" and "Stairway to Light," and affectionate, detailed, and illuminating commentary by Lansbury and film historian and screenwriter Steve Haberman, this DVD is suitable for framing. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Hitchcockesque
This film belies itself in that it's presence seems very innocent and moral on the outside, afterall it's a vintage MGM movie set in the aristocratic culture of Victorian England. However, take these layers away and you have a very creepy and horrific movie. This reminded me of Hitchcock film due to the light atmosphere and surroundings with the deep undertones of the dark side of human nature.

Hurd Hatfield gives a fine and creepy performance as the indifferent and evil Dorian Gray. I found his face very mask-like and cold as I would imagine a person without a conscience to be. He harms and destroys people with the grace of the finest Victorian gentleman. He has sold his soul to the devil to remain eternally young and beautiful, as his painted portrait takes on what he has truly become.

I have seen the actual demonic portrait of Dorian Gray at the Art Institute of Chicago where it resides. It's even more horrific in person and it adds dimension to this movie, and truly shows the destortion of pure evil. This is exemplary in the fact that even though this movie is in black and white, when the painting is in the film frame, it is in technicolor. I think that even though Oscar Wilde has produced a wonderful literary piece, some credit needs to go to the artist, Ivan Albright, for producing such a stark visual reminder of how horrible the dark side of human nature can be.

An Exceptional Film Adaptation of the Classic Novel
This 1945 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic novella is more that likely the best adaptation one will ever see. This may seem to be a big statement, but Albert Lewin's direction along with Harry Stradling Sr.'s Oscar winning Cinematography for 1946, appears almost flawless when comparing the classic novel with the film.

George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton should have won the Oscar that year for best supporting actor because his performance is faultless, brimming with style and wit. To my mind, he is Oscar Wilde, snobbish, intelligent and uses his tongue as a sword, cutting anyone down to size who cares to challenge him. Some of his lines from the screenplay are pure gems that Wilde is so famous for:

"I like persons better than principles and persons with no principles better than anything at all."

"Forgive me for the intelligence of my argument; I'd forgotten you were a Member of Parliament."

Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) is a slightly effeminent aristocrat who makes a Faustian pact to gain eternal youth. Gray's portrait, however, reveals Gray's soul, as he plunges himself into the dark and criminal world of 19th century London. Gray is selfish, uncaring, and arrogant and portrays the true 19th century hedonist; a Wildean character in the truest sense, as the then infamous novel, during the famous Wilde trials, was partly responsible for his four year imprisonment. This was the time when homosexuality was illegal, and Oscar Wilde became a scapegoat for the English's notorious hypocrisy.

Angela Lansbury as Sibyl Vane won her the Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. She is beautiful in this role, touching and almost pitiful as her innocence is corrupted by the cruel Dorian Gray.

What is curious about this film is that it is black and white; however, the actual portrait of Dorian is shown four times through the film in colour.

This was the only novel Oscar Wilde ever wrote, as he was predominantly a playwright and poet. The book also is a comment on the "Art for Art's Sake" sensibility and a philosophical commentary on the Aesthetic movement. The film also touches on these points, albeit on a superficial level.

This is a wonderful film and one hopes that in the near future it will be available on DVD.

Absolutely excellent.

A wonderful film that needs a DVD version
This is a wonderful film, filled with atmosphere and wonderful actors. George Sanders is outstanding as Lord Henry Wotton. Never have I heard someone make evil sound so appealing. You can just feel the blackness going into Dorian's heart as he listens to him speak his honeyed words.

Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray was the perfect choice. He has the look of someone who has been sheltered from the world. He looked untouched as he committed the evil the sealed his fate. Sanders and Hatfield were perfect together.

Angela Lansbury as Sibyl Vane has a short put very important role, you can hear her heart break when Dorian leaves her.

It is a slow and somber ride down the path to evil but that makes it so much more real.

Wonderful sets, great lighting, perfect casting, this film calls out for a DVD version stuffed with extras.

It should be done now while we still have some of the actors and crew from the film still alive.

Great film for a lonely night when the shadows are long and dark.