Dorian Gray (2009)
Country: GB
Technical: col 112m
Director: Oliver Parker
Cast: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin, Rebecca Hall
Synopsis:
The heir to a considerable fortune returns to London society on the death of his grandfather, and is initiated into a life of hedonism by his older friend, Lord Henry Wotton. However, when a rising artist paints his portrait, he notices that the tars of depravity appear, pustule-like, on the fabric of the canvas, while he remains unchanged and forever young.
Review:
Wilde's fin de siècle moral tale about the choice between good and evil in a godless society is here given some modern dishings of sex and gore, though the former is so coyly shot as to be embarrassed at its own daring, following a very proper Ideal Husband, and a transatlantic but otherwise innocent Earnest from the same director. The production ranges from a Sherlock Holmesian London of hansom cabs and coming-out parties to a Great War-stricken capital of motorised transportation, once Dorian returns from his too-squalid-to-depict travels abroad. It is all rather devoid of energy and zest, with even the normally excellent Firth offering some rather indifferent line readings, and the bland Barnes providing angelic beauty without the hint of Faustian compromise that hovered about Hurd Hatfield's gaunt visage. The special effects department contribute some novel 3-D gimmickry surrounding the painting, but 'tis more likely to provoke a titter than a shudder.
Country: GB
Technical: col 112m
Director: Oliver Parker
Cast: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin, Rebecca Hall
Synopsis:
The heir to a considerable fortune returns to London society on the death of his grandfather, and is initiated into a life of hedonism by his older friend, Lord Henry Wotton. However, when a rising artist paints his portrait, he notices that the tars of depravity appear, pustule-like, on the fabric of the canvas, while he remains unchanged and forever young.
Review:
Wilde's fin de siècle moral tale about the choice between good and evil in a godless society is here given some modern dishings of sex and gore, though the former is so coyly shot as to be embarrassed at its own daring, following a very proper Ideal Husband, and a transatlantic but otherwise innocent Earnest from the same director. The production ranges from a Sherlock Holmesian London of hansom cabs and coming-out parties to a Great War-stricken capital of motorised transportation, once Dorian returns from his too-squalid-to-depict travels abroad. It is all rather devoid of energy and zest, with even the normally excellent Firth offering some rather indifferent line readings, and the bland Barnes providing angelic beauty without the hint of Faustian compromise that hovered about Hurd Hatfield's gaunt visage. The special effects department contribute some novel 3-D gimmickry surrounding the painting, but 'tis more likely to provoke a titter than a shudder.
Country: GB
Technical: col 112m
Director: Oliver Parker
Cast: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin, Rebecca Hall
Synopsis:
The heir to a considerable fortune returns to London society on the death of his grandfather, and is initiated into a life of hedonism by his older friend, Lord Henry Wotton. However, when a rising artist paints his portrait, he notices that the tars of depravity appear, pustule-like, on the fabric of the canvas, while he remains unchanged and forever young.
Review:
Wilde's fin de siècle moral tale about the choice between good and evil in a godless society is here given some modern dishings of sex and gore, though the former is so coyly shot as to be embarrassed at its own daring, following a very proper Ideal Husband, and a transatlantic but otherwise innocent Earnest from the same director. The production ranges from a Sherlock Holmesian London of hansom cabs and coming-out parties to a Great War-stricken capital of motorised transportation, once Dorian returns from his too-squalid-to-depict travels abroad. It is all rather devoid of energy and zest, with even the normally excellent Firth offering some rather indifferent line readings, and the bland Barnes providing angelic beauty without the hint of Faustian compromise that hovered about Hurd Hatfield's gaunt visage. The special effects department contribute some novel 3-D gimmickry surrounding the painting, but 'tis more likely to provoke a titter than a shudder.