The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | |
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Promotional poster
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| Directed by | Albert Lewin |
| Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
| Screenplay by | Albert Lewin |
| Based on |
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde |
| Starring |
George Sanders Hurd Hatfield Donna Reed Angela Lansbury Peter Lawford |
| Narrated by | Cedric Hardwicke |
| Music by | Herbert Stothart |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling |
| Edited by | Ferris Webster |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,918,000 |
| Box office | $2,975,000 |
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1945 American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray. Shot primarily in black-and-white, the film features four inserts in 3-strip Technicolor of Dorian's portrait as a special effect (the first two of his portrait's original state, and the second two after a major period of degeneration).
Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) is a handsome, wealthy young man living in 19th century London. While generally intelligent, he is naive and easily manipulated. These faults lead to his spiral into sin and, ultimately, misery.
While posing for a painting by his friend Basil Hallward (Lowell Gilmore), Dorian meets Basil's friend Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders). Wotton is cynical and witty, and tells Dorian that the only life worth living is one dedicated entirely to pleasure. After Wotton convinces Dorian that youth and beauty will bring him everything he desires, Dorian openly wishes that his portrait could age instead of him. He makes this statement in the presence of a certain Egyptian statue, which supposedly has the power to grant wishes.
Dorian visits a tavern, where he falls in love with a beautiful singer named Sibyl Vane (Angela Lansbury). He eventually enters a romance with her, despite the disapproval of Sibyl's brother James (Richard Fraser), and within weeks they are engaged. Though initially overjoyed, Dorian is again persuaded by Lord Henry to pursue a more hedonistic lifestyle. Dorian sends Sibyl a hurtful letter, breaking off their relationship and "compensating" her with a large sum of money.
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Wikipedia