The Picture of Dorian Gray 1945 ~ Lost in Adaptation
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
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A look at how loyal the 1945 film adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray was to the book it's based on by Oscar Wilde.
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Sorry there's no bloopers on this one. I had a cool thing filmed with my other cat Sir Terry but everytime I tried to upload the new video to youtube it got corrupted D:
Time for a second channel: Noble CatsTM - All Cat Bloopers, All The Time
Quick Question, sorry to divert from your beloved cats, but where can we find that song at the end?
I mean, you had magical Wisp, so...
Proof that Sir Terry is too BIG for CZcams. He's a STAR!!! ❤❤❤
If you haven't seen it yet you need to watch the Good Omens "quarantine" short. It's fabulous.
Falling in love with your really hot straight friend whose actually a jerk that leads you on and then reacts violently when you confess your feelings...
Poor Basil IS the gay experience.
Ok, now I'm sad! 🤯
Basil deserved so much better
Woah, too real
i'm in this picture and i don't like it
Dorian's clearly bi though. Just a massive tease to Basil
Hey, Dom, not related to Dorian Gray, but don't cover 365 Days if you don't want too. I think a lot of us are very very serious about you not doing it if it's going to be too upsetting, even if the poll said yes. Thanks for your endless devotion to literature and art. You're the coolest.
This needs more likes - I second the sentiment
Yeah, plus there's the whole gazing-in-the-abyss thing. That kinda stuff gets corrosive after awhile.
Im in that camp. As much as id enjoy watch dom rip it to shreds, i dont know that its that worth it. I dont want dom to ruin himself for that.
Same. There are already a whole bunch of funny reviews of it, even though they don't cover the adaptation angle, I really don't see the need to scar oneself for it if one doesn't want to.
Completely agree, Dom does such a great job discussing things he actually likes (or that at least have their merits) that to me it would not at all be worth it to have to cover something actively upsetting. With certain channels discussing such things is their bread and butter, but I don't think this one needs it all especially if it would be painful to make
Fun fact, the painting from this movie is in the Chicago Art Museum. It's considered legit art.
I’m going to see it eventually since I live in the burbs
@@LucyLioness100 I saw it on a field trip at some point. My childhood is all mixed together.
My artist grandma loves Ivan Le Lorraine Albright's work. She saw this movie in the theater when she was young and fondly described how everyone screamed when the painting was shown.
The young painting or the monster painting?
@@Dameduse823 Monster painting. The other one was by Henrique Medina and is literally titled "Portrait of Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray."
The Picture of Dorian Grey always struck me as one of those books that's really hard to deliver a satisfying payoff for one simple reason. Your imagination can create a painting FAR more disturbing than anything a movie studio could come up with so there's always gonna be something of a letdown when you see the final monstrous painting that Dorian kills.
I mean a film could just avoid showing it and let the actors disgust in its appearance inform what the audience is supposed to think of it.
@@quinnsinclair7028 yeah! Definitely show the original, but focus on the actors' reactions as it progresses
It doesn't need to be all show, even in film
@@quinnsinclair7028 can't go wrong with a good cut away horror reaction
just need the reaction to be spot on(possibly trickier then that sounds)
The most effective horror scene in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is when Giles, a hardened veteran of vampire hunting comes to a house where a vampire butchered a guy. We don't see what the vampire did to the guy but whatever it was made Giles physically ill at the sight of it. That's good horror.
I agree here in a way though not in regard to the painting. I never had an issue with the way they made the horrible painting look in the end but rather with Dorian. Dorian is pure beauty, so much so it destroys people around him, and it's almost impossible to find an actor look this beautiful because Dorian's beauty isn't almost supernatural. Every movie adaption I watched so far just couldn't do justice to that because it's plainly not possible.
One more noteworthy thing: People back then legit believed that physical beauty was a sign of good character and morality, and "ugliness" the absence of that. That is kind of the whole premise for the painting not only aging but looking ghastly: people believed horrible behaviour had an actual physical effect on the body.
Heck Roald Dahl's The Twits had the physical change to one's body depends on whether they think positive or negative thoughts with thinking only negative thoughts makes you really ugly.
Which is why Mr. Hyde looked the way he did.
@@msmockturtle4921 Ironic that given in the book, Hyde was younger (though I don't recall if he was more handsome) than Jekyll
@@clockworkmonsters8590
No comment was made of his physical beauty, but he had an awful aura to everyone around.
You hit on the main adaptation problem: Dorian HAS to be enthralling, so much so that he is a destructive force without meaning to be.
plus as dom mentioned he was cherubic, blond curls, blue eyes, “the picture of beautiful innocence” the more evil he did the more the painting reflected on it but Dorian always kept that air if beauty and innocence. It’s in fact the reason he could literally get away with murder.
Isnt that the thing that makes it a good book?
@@zararobnett8284 Yeah it's odd isn't it, he is cast usually dark and dramatic, like in the League of Gentlemen movie that was otherwise very... No I cannot, not even as a joke. S%¤# is what it was. - But I have so far not seen any where he would be this adorable, wide-eyed boy, hair colour notwithstanding.
@@TulilaSalome I wonder if any film producers will pick up this book & adapt from it faithfully. Other than that, I'm sorry, I enjoy The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as it is (as someone not too familiar of the sources of how that movie came to be, as well as Dorian Grey's (edit: Gray?) literary origin, as I am not an American). But I laugh at your displeased comment about TLEG nonetheless.
@@zararobnett8284 *Dominic Noble?*
*The latest Netflix hit, 365 Days, by Polish Reality TV Show Host Barbara Białowąs?*
*He knows what to do now, let's see E.L. James have her competition get some much-desired delicious revenge! ;)*
I love all of the nicknames for Lord Henry
Same they made me laugh my ass off every fucking time 😂😂😂😂
Lol "Lord Hemorrhoid" was quite possibly my favorite
His utter disgust when he used his name also made me laugh.
Lord fuck-nugget 😆
Lord Stone-for-a-Heart
When you realise you only liked Lord Henry because you first saw him portrayed by Colin Firth and that man could make Jack the Ripper charismatic and likeable
Patrick Lastin i read the book outside of an academic setting and my main takeaway was that Sir Henry is The Worst
@@alisaurus4224 yeah, I put him on the same level as the marquise de merteuil from dangerous liaisons.
Nah! Col is far too dull to play Lord Henry.
I never saw that version! What year is that from? It’s hard for me to really see him playing the part. I think that George Sanders was the perfect actor to portray him in the 1945 film.
@@MsAppassionata 2009, I think?
Another thing different in the book than the movie was you were always left wondering if Dorian only SAW the painting as awful reflecting his hidden guilt and in fact it was his own mind creating that image. In the book he only ever shows that painting to one other person and before it can be discussed what exactly basil saw he kills him. It’s possible the reason the painting looked exactly the same when dorian was found dead is because it never had actually changed and only dorians belief in the painting led to his death.
I never considered that interpretation before, but that's really cool!
That actually reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe's Telltale Heart. The narrator chops up a man and hides him under the floorboards. When the police investigate the disturbance the next morning, the narrator hears the dead man's heart beating louder and louder until he can't take it anymore and confesses. Obviously the heart wasn't actually beating, but rather was a manifestation of his guilt.
Basil was scared of the painting
so what about him not physically aging did he actually just age super gracefully and thought it was because of the painting
@@thundertits Aging from early twenties to late thirties can be indiscernible in a lot of people as long as they take care of themselves or have the right genes. Hell, it’s such a small window you don’t even need both.
When you mentioned Angela Lansbury I absolutely expected PushingupRoses to burst through the wall like the goddamn kool aid man.
My brain replaced his voice by hers anytime Angela was mentioned
(In her voice)
"Ooh yeah!"
Yessss
oh good, I wasn't the only one.
I'm still waiting tbh
“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it"
“Now days we know the price of everything but the value of nothing”
“Forgive your enemies. It will upset them to no end.”
"Either these curtains go or I do" - Last words
I think part of the reason more recent media has changed Dorian to a dark haired young man is because of changing perceptions of the most beautiful form. In the time of Oscar Wilde, blonde hair and blue eyes are very popular and considered rare and beautiful, but as of more recent times, it has become clear that darker hair, features, and over all aesthetic has become very popular to the general population.
Exactly. The modern version of Dorian Gray ties perfectly to that "tall, dark and handsome" archetype.
Film makers tend to prioritise the vibes of a character and skill of an actor over 100% book accuracy. The point of Dorian Gray is that he's handsome as fuck so they prioritised finding a handsome and talented actor over just anyone who's blonde.
Being a twink wasn't considered attractive at the time so this doesn't make much sense
"Increase sad boy zoom" 😂
The various nicknames of Lord I-don't-even-remember-his-name-anymore were just *chef's kiss*
The Importance of Being Earnest is a lot of fun, if anyone wants to cheer themselves up after this.
i was in a production last year, it’s such a fun play!!
We read it in English class one year and it was probably the thing most people actually enjoyed reading (more so than Hamlet at least)
Just don't count on getting any of those cucumber sammiches!
I love the 2002 film. I believe it's relatively accurate to the play and the acting is fantastic.
The 1952 adaptation feels more fitting with the classic look, similar to this version of Dorian Gray.
My brain saw the title and autocorrected it to “Dorian GAY”
You're not wrong
@Mary Akage Honestly hope Dominic dose the more recent 2009 movie.
My read Christian Gray...I had a mini panic attack in Dom's name for a moment there when I saw the notification.
Basil certainly was.
Hey, that kinda worked out then, huh?
In the book, when Dorian lets go of the girl he goes home fully expecting to find the painting completely fixed, only to throw a fit when he sees hyporicy on the face now. The guy fully expected one single kidness - which he didn't even actually had to put any effort anway - to absole him of all his misdeeds.
Then he stabs it in anger, not different when he stabbed Basil, blaiming IT for everything wrong with his life.
There's a Dorian Gray graphic novel where his crimes turned all the way up to eleven: drug smuggling, murder both for business and just for evulz, seducing nuns just because, he even creates a crime lord persona called "Prince Charming". His portrait is shown getting worse with a montage of his sins. He doesn't even attempt at "redemption", it's replaced with him ordering his lackeys to murder a woman who refused him, and killing them in anger when they refuse in the grounds she's charity worker everyone loves and respects But, he does kill Lord Douche before stabbing the painting in this version, so that was satisfiying. (Also, Sherlock Holmes was there for some reason. He doesn't do anything besides investigating - his friend - Basil's death and trying to pin it on Dorian.)
@@lunaleavesme if only :( I found it when I first got into Wilde/almost a decade ago. If it helps, the cover had a green aesthetic going on with blonde haired, blue eyed Dorian longing on a chair
EDIT: okay, I found it. Its adapted by Stanislas Gros. It was translated (to Turkish), but I don't know if there's any English edition
@@billuraral1870 Was it perhaps the 2007 Marvel Illustrated series by Roy Thomas? I tried searching for an adaptation in the Wikipedia list that fits your description and it's the only one with a cover that kind of resembles what you're saying.
Wait...Sherlock Holmes was friends with Basil? It's probably not a deliberate reference, but Jeremy Brett, who gave one of the most iconic performances of Holmes, actually played Basil in a Dorian Grey mini-series.
@@PassTheMarmalade1957 One of the first actors on screen as Holmes was Basil Rathbone. I figured that would be the refference. He is super iconic. He coined the «Elementary my drar Watson» line and everything.
@@PassTheMarmalade1957 huh, it'd be pretty clever if it is intentinol
“The gods of the Disc have never bothered much about judging the souls of the dead, and so people only go to hell if that's where they believe, in their deepest heart, that they deserve to go. Which they won't do if they don't know about it. This explains why it is so important to shoot missionaries on sight.” - Terry Pratchett, Eric
This is actually very freakishly similar to my religions' theology... Except we don't shoot missionaries, we just laugh.
Edit: usually because we know more about what they're quoting than they do.
@@searchingfororion Genuinely curious: what religion?
@@jasonblalock4429 Well, a *branch* of Wicca I suppose is the easiest way to sum it up.
Not to be confused with what they did on Buffy or Charmed, though they borrowed some of our terms.
It's hard to explain entirely from the ground up in a CZcams comment.
Oh, hey, the people of the Sentinel Island sure took that one to heart. (Or more like John Chau got 'one' to the heart?)
@@searchingfororion I've heard from another Wiccan on "Love Joy Feminism" that she loves talking to the Mormons. She points out that in her religion, she's an elder and women can become priests. So there's no point for her to convert. LOL.
One of the things that showcase I'm getting old is that it annoys me no end that characters like Dorian Grey, who is an undeniable monster in the original but sexy became "sexy antihero" in popular media.
Like... didn't Beauty & the Beast leave any lesson?
That’s what I think the original 1945 movie adaptation of the book gets right. Dorian is not portrayed as “sexy antihero”, but is a cold hearted ass for what he has done to people. Although I don’t think it was bad for him having a last moment of humanity towards Donna Reed’s character (even though she’s not in the novel) before he destroys himself
It's all thanks to Paradise Lost. From the source of all evil to misunderstood sexy man in one easy go.
Spoiler warning: Even League of Extraordinary Gentlemen didn't really turn him into "sexy antihero". It did start out making him look that way, but he eventually turns out have been a narcissistic asshole all along, just playing the part of an antihero to get access to do villain stuff.
A character like Dorian Gray was never going to survive Hollywood, thematically speaking. Hollywood is populated almost entirely by Dorian Grays who see themselves as sexy anti-heroes instead of narcissitic sex offenders
@@trequor Even aside from that, it's hard to do "Beauty is skin deep" stories in a visual medium. Compare Brienne of Tarth in the books (bucktoothed with protruding eyes and later a prominent and ugly facial scar) to the beautiful Gwendolyn Christie with no make up. Book Brienne also has this interiority and hidden vulnerability that's much easier to convey when the readers are privy to her thoughts.
It's easier for readers to sympathise with an ugly character when they see straight into their soul, but harder for audiences who just see the outward appearance.
I remember reading this book in my teens and being blown away by how much more hatable Lord Henry Wotton was that Dorian himself. His smug nihilism and hateful rhetoric are what help mold Dorian into the monster he becomes, without ever lifting a finger to actually DO anything evil. It’s kind of fascinating.
Fun facts:
Arthur Conan Doyle had dinner with Wilde and the editor of the magazine where Dorian Gray was published, Doyle wrote the sign of the four for the same magazine
Doyle also endorsed the picture of Dorian Gray in a way that seems like he was fine with Wilde being gay
The first version of this story I came across was a satire where Dorian ate a lot and the painting gained weight for him. I remember this so well because the painting gained a lot of weight when Dorian ate a watermelon. I remember thinking how difficult it would be to gain weight that fast just by eating watermelons.
What the absolute fuck 🫠
I was hoping Dom would point out how Lord Henry is a terrible person and everything is his fault, and I was not disappointed.
I just finished the Dorian Grey audiobook recently. Read by Ben Barnes, one of the actors who played a version of Dorian. Will always recommend without hesitation.
That's so cool, is there any link? :D
would you be able to give a link? All the versions I find have no enthusiasm so they just sound exceedingly boring
I forgot Ben Barnes did the audio book, I’m going to find it to listen to it. Thanks for reminding me. 😁
Very nice, he has a lovely voice.
Dorian's soul is in the painting, he's a version of the giant with the separated heart. Having no heart, Dorian has no compassion or empathy.
Which is strange considering compassion and empathy come from the brain.
like Howl from Howl's Moving Castle maybe?
@@0816M3RC In fairy tales it's the heart. And Gothic Horror is closer to fairy tales than to reality.
I actually watched this version of The Picture of Dorian Gray just a couple months ago. And, after loving it, I decided to read the book. I had to go on a very long and tedious search to find the version of the book that was the most like what Oscar Wilde had first written. I wanted all of the uncensored passages!
I finally did find a suitable version that had all the controversial passages, chapters, and lines. And, it was amazing! I can not reccomend this book more! The version I found was called The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray. If you're going to read the book, I reccomend you read the uncensored version. It is more so what Oscar Wilde was going for, and contains, yes, the gayness! Ah! Shock, and horror! Lol. I love it!
Thank you.
very late but ty for this! i already have dorian gray but i think mine is the censored one lol
Thank you so much, i had to read the cencored version for school and kept wishing i could get my hands on the og gay version
@@CaraTheStrange Glad to have helped!
In the copy of the book I have, the text is the later (the censored) edition, but it has footnotes saying "the original edition said this instead" or "this was changed at this stage" so I can compare them directly. I'm writing a musical adaptation which has lines from the uncensored version as well as plot that was added in the later one.
I liked the book, except for that one chapter where he describes everything Dorian collected and studied for years...
Mood
Anytime i think about giving it another chance, thinking that maybe i was too young to understand a lot of it, i remember that chapter. I don't care how many carpets you have for god's sake
After writing a thesis on the book I gotta say, yes that chapter may have been boring, but damn if it wasn't a goldmine of little things to analyse. I can appreciate it for that at least.
The OG Ready Player One?
Or that one where he retells a book he read, in my opinion
I never thought lord Henry could have so many inventively nasty nicknames! 😂
They’re quite warranted as they make me giggle
@@LucyLioness100 Indeed! My fave was "lord Hemorrhoid"
@@Logitah Same!
and he earned every single one! lol
@@Druzica18 Yes, I hated him with full passion. I skipped sentences when he said something because he pissed me off so much.
Both ways you talked about in which Dorian abandoned Sybil are terrible and hurtful, but the one in the book is more fitting to his character and the story's themes. In the book he decides to live for the sake of pleasure *and* beauty alone, so when he abandons Sybil it's clear his love for her was entirely conditional on her embodying Art and Beauty (with capital letters because he was pompous like that). After she dies there's like half a chapter dedicated to all the shiny stuff he collects s.a. gems and fabrics instead of doing anything meaningful, reinforcing he only lives for pleasure and beauty.
The portrait, the decrepit version, was done by Ivan Albright. All his works look like that painting and it is amazing in person. Angela Lansbury's entire career can be traced to this film. She and Dorian's actor remained friends his entire life. Also fun fact, Basil Rathbone wanted to play Lord Henry but was deemed to despicable to be played by Sherlock Holmes. The studio didn't want to work out a deal for him to work at a different studio and possibly hurt his box office draw as a wholesome leading man.
I think my favorite Oscar Wilde quote comes from when he was dying
"either this wallpaper goes, or I do."
Watched the version with Ben Barnes and Colin Firth...even if actual redemption isn't book-acurate, I did like how Dorian's arc in that version made stabbing the painting a genuine moment of redeeming sacrifice because it managed it in a way that didn't excuse the way he'd lived his life up to this point with a so-you-did-one-good-deed, well-all's-forgiven-then, but rather demonstrated the whole theme of how genuinely being a better person is better than appearing so while being, in reality, awful by having Dorian self-aware as he finally destroys the painting, knowing he'll no longer have imortality and will die, because it represents his final realisation that he can't allow this personal duplicity and the horror wrought with it to hurt anyone anymore.
Lucie Simpson I actually didn’t mind that movie version either. It was pretty dry in areas but I though Ben Barnes did a great job at playing both an earnest then more sinister Dorian. And Colin Firth is just superb and a national treasure. Lol
I was also amused when I saw Ben Barnes’ character in The Punisher on Netflix reading The Picture of Dorian Grey in a scene. I also believe he has narrated the latest audiobook version of the novel too. He seems to have a lot of ties to Dorian Grey.
Honestly I think the Ben Barnes Version really did. understand Oscar‘s novel better than anything else could. It took why some people feel for Dorian in the book, and developed it, while playing with the roots of Dorians obsession with his own beauty. genuinely a great adaption.
I think that's a good example of how changing things can bring certain themes to light and give a different message in a positive way.
See, I would 100% buy Sir Terry arranging that deal and not Wisp.
I just love the fact the cat's name is SIR Terry
Ashleigh Tompkins literally Terry Pratchett’s daughter praised him for adding the sir
@@epicremarc That's very high praise.
something was planned with sir terry as noted from the pinned comment, but that wouldn't upload
@@prcervi Yeah, I made this comment before Dom did.
You really had me thinking you weren't going to mention the Ben Barn's version. You Rapscalian!
Are we sure the writer of the film didn’t time travel, see Fifty Shades of Grey, and decide that the only thing Christian was missing to be the perfect character was giving his gf a purity test?
He caught a short ride with a mad man in a blue box....
As a gay guy I can say that Wilde's frustration with women in his work is normal. I had a very incell-y view on women before I came out of the closet. When you're not attracted to them emotionally or physically yet society insists you need to it can seriously fuck with your mentality. If you're out and proud and make it clear you have no intentions of dating women these feelings tend to go away, they did for me at least.
Speaking from an art perspective I love the painting they made for Dorian’s ugly form and how they took advantage of making it in color giving it a poisonous, toxic waste color scheme
"blame the kitties" while holding your fur baby made me sooo happy
But was it the cat or was Lord "Can't stand the words coming out of his mouth" secretly...MEPHISTO!
*somewhere on the internet Linkara screams out in anger*
I know it's a One More Day joke, but the original Faustian bargain technically WAS with Mephistopheles, so...
Whoops sorry for that I accidentally replied to the wrong comment. Have a good one!(If you don't know what I'm talking about, good.)
Ok but I love that you posted this on the last day of pride month. Intentional or no you just made my day!
Same here! I had no idea Oscar Wilde was gay and that made me so happy 😊
The 2009 Dorian Gray strays from the book but is still an enjoyable film. Lots of graphic content though. It addressed the aging of those around him better.
I didn’t care for the 2009 film because it was a bit too much for my tastes, but I really liked the idea of Lord Henry turning his life around and having to protect his daughter form the monster he helped create.
My 80-year-old Granddad saw this film when he was about 6 or 7 and he still looks traumatised when he talks/thinks about it.
You know, the fact that at the end of it all Dorian chooses to attack the painting in what feels like a pretty obvious "I want to die!" moment feels powerful to me. As if being first confronted with the consequences of his actions with the brother, and then realising he was about to ruin another woman...
The sentiment of "You can only fall so far before realising you have fallen" is one I'll never get tired of. It's this hope that humanity is at its core good and that eventually every monster hits their limit and stops being a monster, either by changing or by ending it... or by being ended.
WHERE ARE THE CAT BLOOPERS 😂
Oooh, you mentioned the '09 version! Thank you. I just adore Ben Barnes' performance. Gotta check this version as well though. I personally always saw Dorian as the dark haired, dark eyed smoky hot pie. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I read the book and found out he's a bloody *blonde* lol
They are tied as my two favorite versions. Angela Lansbury is wonderful and I end up having her song in the movie stuck in my head afterwards every time.
Love Oscar Wilde's writing and stories. My favorites growing up used to be the parable stories, i.e The Selfish Giant and The Happy Prince. Comparatively, I didn't read this book until I was around 16, and not as any class assignment.
Knowing Wilde's history/gay identity helps with some interpretation of the book, but it holds up even if you don't know about it. As a concept, it holds up in terms of the aging painting as an iconic story device, and of course the quality of the writing is excellent.
Phoenix
A lifetime ago I saw an animated version of The Happy Prince, it was heartbreaking...
Wait isnt the selfish giant about the giant with a garden that children love to l=play in but its so beauitful he doesnt to share it?
@@OcarinaSapphr- There is also a story called The Little Prince, by a different author, which was made into an animated film. I'm not sure if you're referring to that one or to a completely different animated version of The Happy Prince that I've been previously unaware of. Either way, both are lovely stories
Phoenix
Nope- ages & ages ago, my mother got me a two-for-one VHS from Reader’s Digest; The Little Mermaid & The Happy Prince, credited to Hans Christian Anderson & Oscar Wilde, in the respective credits.
@@dustyrose192 Pretty much, but I don’t know if he kept kids out because the garden was so beautiful or if that was more of a “whippersnappers get off my lawn” kind of deal.
The way how Dorian Grey is described in the book is very similar to how the Lestat character in ‘Interview With The Vampire’ is described. Both are immortal, unchangeably appearing twenty years old, blond with blue eyes and very handsome. Anne Rice based Lestat on her husband but I wonder if there was some Dorian Grey influence.
I read somewhere (correct me if I’m wrong it was a while ago) that Dorian represented a lover and friend he had who was blonde with blue eyes. From what I read he felt he was being played and though Oscar’s emotions grew his lover didn’t feel the same and used him for his own purpose.
Truly the poster child (Or would “portrait child” be more appropriate under the circumstances?) of “good standalone film, iffy adaptation” for me. But I’m open to being swayed.
I’m thrilled that you’re covering this film! One of my favorite artists of all time is Ivan Albright, and he is the artist who painted the horrific portrait seen at the end of the film. The painting is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago and Damn it is the most beautiful and grotesque paintings I’ve ever seen.
I love how you never fail to come up with fitting yet insulting names for the antagonist! Props to you, kind Sir!
As a fellow Gray/Grey with a female cousin named Dorian this book was basically a required reading. I loved the blonde book version of Dorian Grey as it seemed like more of a contrast to his behavior and inner awfulness. This was one of my many plane reading books in college since I took flight often back and forth to visit family. This book and The Scarlet Letter were the ones I eventually worked through while only reading them on flights.
I have a special attachment to Oscar Wilde and this book. Something about the way he wrote people and the way they talk about art and love is something I haven't seen before. Oscar's writing feels like he's letting me in on a secret every time I read it.
*squeals seeing a clip of Ben Barnes’s Dorian Grey where Dorian kisses Basil*
I think this is the only version that I have watched... I was like "uhh, wasn't the whole point that Dorian Gray lived a libertine style lifestyle that was extremely sadistic toward women and collected males?"
Oh, we're talking THAT era of cinema.
That's the production code for you.
Hey, your video was brought up by an osp video! Progress in becoming more renown in the youtube community.
I think the most interesting part of this book is that nearly all the bon mots which people attribute to Oscar Wilde are actually sayings of the characters he intends for the readers to see as either loathsome or foolish, and that is 100% the case with Henry. I grew up hearing his comments cited as though they were actual Wilde-isms, but nope. They were things Wilde viewed as contemptible -- and by the end of the book, even Dorian sees them as such.
Loosely related: If you haven't, you should check out the "Kids In The Hall" episode in which Scott Thompson's ultra-flaming alter-ego, Buddy Guy, gets to meet Oscar Wilde whom he regards as an idol.
Hey Dom, quick question. What are your thoughts on the planned Percy Jackson Disney+ series? You think they're actually gonna manage to nor fuck it up this time?
After seeing what they did with Artemis Fowl I personally don't have really high hopes about it.
Our only hope is uncle Rick
@@hernanpizarro8383 ah but heres the difference: Rick Riordan is HEAVILY involved in the disney+ series.he is writing it, helping cast it, produce it etc. I think he even said JK Rowling levels of control of the project
@@ConnorNotyerbidness *THANK GOD* my heart would honesty break if Percy Jackson got fuck up again.
Personally, my main concerns are that Percy Jackson doesn't always fit the "Disney Brand". Disney is SUPER kid/family friendly & sometimes Percy & Greek/Roman mythology aren't PG, especially in the later books. Beyond that I worry about excessive Disney product placement & attempts to replace the AMAZING & SMART jokes/sass from the books with "MCU humor".
what you said about not knowing where the character ends and the author begins really made me think of 'All Quiet on the Western Front'
Love the nicknames and the tiny ponytails
Angela Lansbury can get it. Then and now. Probably going to watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen now because it's the first place I'd ever seen Dorian Gray.
That's my guilty pleasure movie.
@@alyssabrown-carleton6173 I have to watch League and Van Helsing with Hugh Jackman on it back to back. They're connected somehow I swear.
Alexa Nolte Both films feature vampires, Hulk-like Mr.Hyde and Richard Roxburg. I also feel there is a connection with “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”. I always suspected this movie is the prequel to the “League”.
@@user-sf3pg6fi1j I haven't seen that one yet, I'll have to watch it next time I'm in the mood for a back to back monsters and mayhem power hour.
Alexa Nolte There are no monsters in “The Game of Shadows”, but there is Professor Moriarty, who plans to start a World War and sell weapons to both sides. Basically what Moriarty in “The League wanted to do.
It's literally 2 am right now, so I think I'm gonna save this one for breakfast tomorrow. Just commenting and liking it now to fight the algorithm.
Oscar Wilde said: “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be-in other ages, perhaps.”
I always read the aggressive misogyny as Wilde's way of playing up how despicable he thought the attitude was, given how it ends.
Also, now I can only think of him as "Lord Hemorrhoid" so thanks for that.
Yeah he had some very close and even romantically tinged friendships with women and generally seemed to like them, plus he was very close to his mother. On the other hand once he started being open about his preferences he was really nasty to/about his wife at various times. A lot of the time he said things for effect though I think
So there's quite lot differences between classic, highly symbolic book and movie adaptation?
I can picture it.
Hehe. Picture. Puns.
*Ohhh~* 👏😄
I think they framed it well
Fun fact: One of my college profesors, when revisiting XIX Century Literature for the Modernism in Latinamerica, told us that the book that Lord Henry gives Dorian is À rebours by Joris Karl Huysmans
Does the end scene mean you’re going to do a LiA on the 2009 version?
omg that use of colour in the film is GENIUS!!! I can imagine the impact it had in contemporary audiences :D
After seeing Wilde (the 1997 film about the life of Oscar Wilde), I can't help but wonder how much of Lord Henry's character was inspired by Lord Alfred Douglas. He was the love of Oscar Wilde's life but sadly, the relationship was incredibly toxic.
I find it interesting that in this adaptation, the "beautiful" painting is realistic while the "ugly" one veers more towards surrealism and avant garde in general. Without meaning to, the movie makes a statement about "proper" and "degenerate" art. Which is chilling when you consider the fact that the Nazis considered all avant garde art "degenerate".
I think it’s more that the ugly painting provided more of an oppertunity for an artist to really interpert how it should look, while the pretty picture is yours of a pretty young man. Therefor the ugly painting would be far more fun to paint and become a bit more surrealistic as a result.
This was the only book in high school I was forced to read it that I actually enjoyed.
4:16
The actors probably didn’t want to ruin their image by making them look too old prematurely in the film. The studio probably also didn’t want their actors, who were their investment, to look old and wanted them to still look glamorous, despite the characters’ on-screen ages.
Also they literally only age 20 years.
DAMN those paintings in the movie are beautiful! Also can I say how much I loved that you refused to give Lord Douche Nozzle his proper name throughout most of the video? ^-^
Dom, in the case of Oscar Wilde I think I'd try and steer clear of deciding whether or not he was a misogynist. From my study of the man, he partook in the particular obsession with women as purity common to his period. Or the cult of the youth in general. Personally, I can't think of him as a supporter of women given the way he spoke of his wife. But it's like asking a wounded person not to bleed, given the position and method of thinking that his environment bestowed upon him. Deciding if Wilde is a misogynist won't exclude his writing from the canon, and generally doesn't affect the way we understand his female characters and their role in the text. But if you haven't looked at the way he discussed the one woman he had absolute legal and moral control over, do. It makes my heart hurt for, just, everybody in the situation.
I love all of your nicknames for Lord Wotton. All absurdly fitting.
Dorian Gray comes off like a vampire. Lord Henry is his sire and we watch his decent into darkness.
I've loved this film since I was a child. (I actually had read the book first. I have been a classic literature nerd from a very young age.) My grandma used to buy me old films, and this one was extra special because we would always watch Murder, She Wrote together. 💖 Anyway, I had my eldest child watch this with me after he became obsessed with tictoks featuring George Sanders' Prince John. I still had to give it away with a "Power. POWER! Forgive me a cruel chuckle... Hehehe mmmmpower." But, in the end, he did enjoy the movie.
The new Sabrina has Dorian Grey as a character as well, and he's handled very well there. Love the way his portrait is handled, too.
Man, a reverse lost in adaptation sounds amazing.
I really love the fantasy of Dorian's painting that I went to such lengths as having a full-body oil painting of myself hanged on a wall in my living room, the only downside is I still keep on aging :(
Well, ya' gotta make a deal with a cat god or something....
i really liked the story of dorian gray. a tragic character in my opinion. he was basically groomed by a horrible man to be just like him. yet in his last moment he tried to redeem himself. i would have loved to see a young angela lansbury i loved her as an actress. great video.
My parents putting me up for adoption immediately after I was born: "Ew, this is way too gay!"
10:14 okay, I was the only one that didn't realize Dom's hair was so long? It's looking cool dude
Ah, Lord Knobhead, a classic literary villain.
This is still one of my favorite books, so I have a tendency to devour any adaptation or reference to the character, so the fact that you did this ep AND referenced the Ben Barnes adaptation was a real treat.
Was it by design that you've spotlighted two literary characters in a row that were once horribly portrayed by Stuart Townsend, or just an amusing coincidence? For those who don't know, he played Lestate in the queen of the damned movie and Dorian Gray in league of extraordinary gentlemen.
LEG is a terrible movie but I'll still take Stuart over that completely unconvincing boy they had playing Dorian in Penny Dreadful.
"blame the kitties" is one of the most wide spread cinema trope.. 😆 your video made me want to read and ser the movies.. known the story, never got arround to read it! good job! 😁
Sooo, in the movie Dorian gets his curse the same way Halle Berry gets her powers in Catwoman, via magical Egyptian cat?
A cat also revived him via burping into his mouth??
You know, Dom, we are aware that you put a lot of effort into making this a kind, welcoming community.
I'm surprised you didn't point this out Dom but I liked the small detail they kept in the film of Dorian showing Alan the note that he uses to blackmail him into helping dispose Basil's body and how we never actually see what's written in it.
Another really bad adaptation that I remember as a kid was both the black and white and color film versions of Wuthering Heights. Those were the first movies I'd watched where I read the book and got to witness the butchering of the source material
There are so many adaptions of Wuthering Heights and all of them seem to fuck up in one aspect or another.
The image of Tom Hardy in that bad...bad...bad wig is still haunting me to this day 🤦🏼♀️
Have you see the 1992 version with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche? That was great, I thought.
@@vanyadolly It has got to be pretty hard to adapt a work with half-siblings having an extramarital affair tastefully. Especially because they're both the focus of the story and pretty terrible people even putting aside their relationship.
My parents : So you wanna go visit Irland with us next year to celebrate your diplomat in literature ?
Me : Gosh, yes ! Can we visit Merrion Square when we'll be at Dublin ?
My parents : * confuse look *
Me : Oh, you wouldn't understand, it's a... literature thing. * big big big gay smile *
(Joke aside, really happy that you made that video, and hope that you'll maybe talk about that more recent film that made me fall even more in love with the book ? Still, it's interesting to see an old version, so we can know more about the different interpretations ^^ )
The 2009 version is my FAVORITE!!!! I'd adore a whole video on that one, even if it is mostly good lol.
The Dom is doing DORIAN GRAY?
OH HELL YES!
This is one of my favorite gothic novels. It's so underrated!
I actually liked the 2009 adaptation better than the 1945 one, mostly for its dark and sensual atmosphere that I thought matched the tone and philosophy of the novel. The 1945 movie didn't feel Victorian, or gothic. The 2009 one wasn't as true to the book in terms of plot, but I think it made up for that with the decadence and the extra gay.
One thing that bothers me is that in most adaptations, it's always Lord Henry's fault that Dorian breaks up with Sibyl, either because of his callous philosophizing, because of shockingly bad romance advice, because he tempted Dorian to come to a brothel instead of going to see Sibyl perform, etc. In the book, it's all Dorian. He realizes that he fell in love with Sibyl's acting and not with her, and so he cruelly dumps her. It's the first time we see any actual cruelty from Dorian, and it's not actually Henry's fault. I don't think Dorian was actually that great of a person to begin with, and Basil was projecting onto him out of infatuation.
omg I fallow you on quora!
Well, since you're on the subject of Oscar Wilde, try ALL the adaptations of The Canterville Ghost. Yes, there are too many of them, but it's a simple story, and most of them follow the same format. They keep updating them for modern eras, and one of them has Patrick Stewart in the title role. Oh, and the story's in public domain, supposedly.
There's a Dorian Grey character in The Chilling Tales of Sabrina Netflix show as well. :)
And hes an unrepentant selfish bastard, it's kind of great.
As someone obsessed with Egyptian God lore I do not appreciate them doing Baste dirty like that in the movie.
I've never seen the 1945 film, but I do love me some Colin Firth & Ben Barnes fantasy. I've seen it, liked it, read the book, watched it again and liked it even more. And then there's the Dorian from Penny Dreadful... That one's just so magnificent, you can freaking fight me on it 🙈
Another great adaptation is the Big Finish ”Confessions of Dorian Gray” series. Most of the series is also available on spotify/itunes!
My english teacher gave me this book in high school and I've loved Oscar Wilde ever since! So happy to see my favorite reviewer discussing the work of my favorite playwright and author! Thanks Dom :)
Great video! I love how you choose older interesting works as well as contemporary.
I really needed this tonight, thank you ❤️