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Dorian Gray
2009 112 min United Kingdom R 18+
★6.1
Fantasy, Drama, Thriller
Director: Oliver Parker
🎭 Based on
«The Picture of Dorian Gray»
byOscar Wilde
Trailers
Description
Seduced into the decadent world of Lord Henry Wotton, handsome young aristocrat Dorian Gray becomes obsessed with maintaining his youthful appearance, and commissions a special portrait that will weather the winds of time while he remains forever young. When Gray's obsession spirals out of control, his desperate attempts to safeguard his secret turn his once-privileged life into a living hell.
Worldwide:
$4.71M
Starring
Ben Barnes
Actor
Colin Firth
Actor
Rebecca Hall
Actor
Awards
1 nomination total
Key opinion
This 2009 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic is a polarizing visual experience that prioritizes gothic aesthetic over literary fidelity. While many viewers appreciate the lush production design and atmosphere, fans of the novel often find the characterizations and narrative departures to be frustratingly superficial.
| Production | The film excels in production design, offering a visually stunning, dark, and elegant reconstruction of Victorian London. | |
| Production | The transformation effects of the portrait are widely criticized as repetitive, forced, and lacking the subtle, artistic grace of the original novel. | |
| Acting | Ben Barnes’s performance as Dorian is divisive; some find him effectively seductive and nuanced, while others feel he lacks the required angelic beauty or emotional range. | |
| Acting | Colin Firth's portrayal of Lord Henry is contested; critics argue he lacks the character's signature wit and subtlety, though some appreciate his gravitas. | |
| Adaptation | The screenplay is viewed as a poor adaptation that sacrifices the novel's thematic depth and sharp aphoristic wit for gratuitous, modern-style debauchery. |