Think of it as Yoga for the brain, we are going to stretch a bit.
What Happens When Beauty Gets Everything Except a Conscience?
"A man can hide his sins from the world, but not from himself." --YNOT!
The Story of Dorian Gray usually refers to Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.
It is about a handsome young man, Dorian Gray, who has his portrait painted. He wishes he could stay young forever while the portrait grows old instead. His wish comes true. Dorian remains beautiful, but every selfish, cruel, and corrupt thing he does appears on the painting. The story is really about vanity, temptation, moral decay, and the danger of living only for pleasure. Dorian keeps his good looks, but loses his soul one bad choice at a time.
Dorian Gray begins as a young man blessed with the kind of face that makes people forgive him before he even does wrong. He is rich, charming, innocent enough to be dangerous, and vain enough to be useful to every devil wearing good shoes.
When his portrait is painted, Dorian sees something terrible: the picture will stay young in memory, but he will grow old in real life. That thought poisons him. He wishes the opposite were true — that he could remain young while the painting carries the damage.
And somehow, heaven or hell takes the deal. From that moment on, Dorian lives without consequences. He sins, lies, ruins lives, betrays love, and still walks into every room looking untouched. But upstairs, hidden away, the portrait changes. It grows older, uglier, crueler — not from time, but from truth.
The movie’s backstory is really this: Dorian Gray is not punished because he becomes evil. He is destroyed because he is allowed to enjoy evil too long without paying for it.
vanity, temptation, moral corruption, the worship of beauty, the danger of living without consequences, the difference between reputation and character all lead to an overdue payment.
That is the trap. A mirror can flatter a man. A portrait can remember him.
EXTRA CREDIT: The Book and the two Dorian Gray Films, the 1945 and a 2009 version
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in 1890 in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, then expanded into a book in 1891. It is Wilde’s only novel.
The 1945 film, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is the classic, more highly regarded version. It was directed by Albert Lewin and stars Hurd Hatfield as Dorian and George Sanders as Lord Henry. The 2009 film, Dorian Gray, was directed by Oliver Parker and stars Ben Barnes and Colin Firth. The older film runs about 1 hour 50 minutes, the newer one about 1 hour 52 minutes. (Turner Classic Movies)
In tone, they are very different. The 1945 version is elegant, eerie, and restrained. It is mostly shot in black-and-white, with the portrait appearing in Technicolor, which gives the painting a shock effect when it shows up. The 2009 film goes the other direction: lush, sensual, more overtly gothic, and much more interested in sex, corruption, and horror as spectacle. (Turner Classic Movies)
In faithfulness to Wilde, neither is exact, but they stray in different ways. The 1945 film makes “minor changes,” including adding a romantic subplot and softening Dorian’s worst behavior because of studio-era censorship. The 2009 film was made with a more openly revisionist attitude; Parker said he needed to move away from the novel to make it work cinematically, and the film adds major new material, including Lord Henry’s daughter to drive the later plot. (Turner Classic Movies)
In performances, the center of gravity also shifts. The 1945 film is often praised for George Sanders’ Lord Henry and for Angela Lansbury’s Sibyl Vane. The 2009 version tends to get its strongest notices for Colin Firth, while critics were much less enthusiastic about Ben Barnes’ Dorian. (Rotten Tomatoes)
Critically, the old film won by a mile. On Rotten Tomatoes, the 1945 version sits at 94%, while the 2009 film is at 43%. The 1945 movie also won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, and Angela Lansbury received an Oscar nomination for supporting actress. (Rotten Tomatoes)
So the practical answer is this: Watch the 1945 film first if you want the stronger movie, better atmosphere, and the version most people still remember. Watch the 2009 film second if you want a darker, more explicit, more modern gothic take.
The older one feels like a warning whispered in a velvet room.
The newer one feels like the same warning after a few drinks and a bad decision.
Who Made the 1945 Picture of Dorian Gray?
The 1945 film is called The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was made by MGM, directed and written by Albert Lewin, and produced by Pandro S. Berman. It was released in March 1945. (Wikipedia)
Main cast
Actor / Actress
Role
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
Cedric Hardwicke
Narrator
The movie is famous for being mostly black-and-white, but the cursed portrait appears in Technicolor, which gave it a shocking, supernatural punch. The cinematographer was Harry Stradling, who won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for the film. Angela Lansbury also received an Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe for playing Sibyl Vane.
