- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
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3 out of 5
Hesitantly falling between chintzy Hammer horror and cosy costume drama, director Oliver Parker's third Oscar Wilde adaptation (after The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband) is a sumptuous but bland affair. Ben Barnes stars as the titular handsome socialite who's lured by mentor Henry Wotton (Colin Firth, keeping the celebrated bon mots forcefully in check) into wanton ways, while his portrait bears the scars of his misdeeds. The main changes in this version of the story are the addition of a new character in the form of romantic interest Emily Wotton (Rebecca Hall) and the fact that the infamous portrait is depicted as a living entity, whose sudden CGI movements provide the odd frisson. Dissolves from jam scones to (tamely depicted) S&M orgies perfectly sum up the quaint awkwardness of this chocolate-box confection.
Plot Summary
Period horror based on the classic Oscar Wilde tale, starring Colin Firth and Ben Barnes. A young man newly arrived in London is drawn into a world of debauchery after being befriended by the calculating Lord Wotton. Despite the excesses of his new lifestyle, he remains a fresh-faced youth. But a portrait hidden in his attic tells a different story.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Dorian Gray
- Ben Barnes
- Lord Henry Wotton
- Colin Firth
- Basil Hallward
- Ben Chaplin
- Emily Wotton
- Rebecca Hall
- Agatha
- Fiona Shaw
- Lady Victoria Wotton
- Emilia Fox
- Sybil Vane
- Rachel Hurd-Wood
- Gladys
- Maryam D'Abo
- Alan Campbell
- Douglas Henshall
- Jim Vane
- Johnny Harris
- Lady Radley
- Caroline Goodall
Crew
- Director
- Oliver Parker
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