THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

US, 1944, 111 minutes, Black and White/Colour.
Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury, Peter Lawford.
Directed by Albert Lieven.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an attempt to visualise Oscar Wilde's moral fable of the man who had everything and wanted to keep it as long as he could. He keeps youth, appearances, reputation while his portrait in his attic grows old and ugly with his debauchery. The film tries to recreate a nineteenth century atmosphere, which it does quite well. Where it fails for twentieth century audiences is in its reticence and lack of frankness. Like Henry James, in The Turn of the Screw, telling us about 'evil' and 'horrors' without descending from the abstract to hint to us what these 'horrors' were or how bad they were, The Picture of Dorian Gray only suggests Dorian's debauchery and leaves it to conversation to convey what it is.

The film is full of Wilde's talent for elegant conversation and wit and these reinforce the impression that the film should not be taken on a realistic level, but as a parable of moral good and evil. Hurd Hatfield is adequate in the main role, but George Sanders makes more impact with his suave aesthetic philosophising and Angela Lansbury's singing of 'Little Yellow Bird' remains in the memory.

1. The story was clearly a moral fable. What was the point of the fable?

2. Was the point effectively communicated through story and characterisation or was it laboured and obvious?

3. What was the function of the aristocrat, played by George Sanders, in the film ? his patter about playing with people's emotions and observing how people reacted? Was this detached power corrupting?

4. What kind of personality and character did Dorian Gray have? Why was he corrupted by the desire for power and pleasure?

5. Did you like the cafe singer? Was Dorian Gray fair in asking for the test of her virtue and love? What was his reaction to her death and how did it affect his life?

6. Was the 'power of the portrait' convincing? Was it meant to be convincing on a realistic level or was it merely a part of the fable?

7. Did you get a clear picture of what Dorian's debauchery and corruption consisted, or was there too much 19th century Victorian reticence?

8. In the original the portrait was in colour. Was the final portrait really horrifying? Did it suggest the depravity of soul of Dorian? What was the final effect of the horrible dead Dorian?

9. Was Dorian doomed to an evil life or did he choose it freely?

10. Was he happy as he remained young and fresh and as others grew old? Was he happy in his engagement? Did he have any remorse?

11. Did Dorian have the power to repent had he wanted to?

12. Why did he commit murder ? fear of discovery or the culmination of evil?

13. What was the nature of his death? Suicide? Which self was killed?

14. Give some indications of how Oscar Wilde's story would be written for the screen today and filmed? Is the fable still relevant? The theme of appearances and reality? Evil in the heart and soul of a man?

15. Would the film be made in the same style today? What differences would you suggest? (A 1972 version, "The Secret of Dorian Gray" with Helmut Berger, Herbert Lom and Richard Todd updated the story into too Italianate and bizarre a film.)