DVDFile

I first became aware of this film in the tunnels of the subway system in Madrid, Spain.  Lush posters with a handsome Dorian Gray staring out with dubious intentions papered the walls as I walked out into the city.  It surprised me that I hadn’t heard of the film; it had a well-known actor in it – Colin Firth – and was based on a classic novel by Oscar Wilde.  And not a peep to the American movie-going audience?  Sometimes I miss hearing about a decent movie, though I try to stay on top of what cinema has to offer.  So, when I saw it was out on DVD in the States, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a look-see.

I liked the choice of Ben Barnes as Dorian; he was the general archetype of how I pictured Dorian in my head when I read the book oh so long ago.  Of course we have this actor, who looks like he’s in his thirties, playing someone who has just turned twenty (this goes to prove that we look our best in our thirties – even in movie standards!).  He is very attractive, and seems to instantly be seduced by his own image, a portrait that was painted by an artist friend of his.  It is inferred that he makes a pact with the devil that he can do whatever he wants without effect to his body, but the effects are seen in the portrait.  He becomes forever bound to the portrait that entranced him, and the arc of his character takes him from being somewhat more of a naïve twit than I remember him being in the book to feeling god-like to being tired of his wicked ways. 

Too much of a good thing makes it cease to be all that good anymore.  Dorian also is greatly influenced by his friend Henry, played by Collin Firth.  I have to admit, it’s good to see him play a sharp-tongued cynic; he should do it more often.  Henry preaches pleasure over restraint and controlling one’s emotions over displaying them, which Dorian laps up like a thirsty dog.  At one point I believed that Henry could have been the devil himself, using cunning manipulation guised as logic.  In one scene, Henry walks through a room where an outlandish party is taking place, and he emerges into the scene from behind a large, yellow snake, being held by an exotic dancer.  Hmmm.  Symoblism?  Unfortunately, not.  Henry, too, is merely a flawed character, and soon  we realize that, unlike Dorian, he doesn’t practice what he preaches.  I felt a certain vindication when Dorian has the opportunity to show him his hypocrisy; unfortunately it is at Dorian’s expense.

The movie starts out dark and foreboding, with the dark woods of the furniture, the dim lighting and nary a bright color in sight.  When the debauching really gets into full swing, which consists of a lot of sex to mood music, sprinkled with some drugs and blood lust, primary colors seem to pop as a bright accessory does; mainly some reds but mostly yellow.  Yellow snakes, yellow scarves soaked in blood.  The film’s look fits the mood of the story.  Additionally, at the end, the special effects in the film are impressive and, thankfully, not over the top.

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