This has come up on another thread, where MC asked
> Who's in it?
and Alan enquired
> Strong opinions?
So...
The standout performance is from Colin Firth as Henry Lord Wotton, the older
man who leads the initially-inexperienced Dorian astray. Firth is excellent
as the bored aristocrat with a liking for (rather too tastefully depicted)
depravity: a lovely combination of the languid and the lecherous. Other
supports are strong, with Ben Chaplin, Emilia Fox, Fiona Shaw and Douglas
Henshall all fine. If there's a casting weakness it's in the title role:
Ben Barnes (he was Prince Caspian in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
sequel) looks great but doesn't quite bring off the
world-weary-soul-in-a-youthful-body character of the later stages of the
story. But he's by no means a disaster.
For me, the film's real strength is in its look, particularly the earlier
late-Victorian, early-Edwardian scenes, which are really strikingly
captured. All the usual elements are there: the fog, the gaslight, the
huddled poor, the filth, the contrasting high-society glitter, but, as Alan
caught from the trailer, filmed with a very up-to-date approach and
sensibility. I hope the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie manages to look
and feel that good. My only stylistic reservation was the
horror-flick-style tarting up of the portrait's disintegration with various
moving CGI elements. I didn't think that was really necessary.
It's a long time since I read it, but the script seemed pretty faithful to
me. One key element, the death of Dorian's fiancée, felt rather rushed and
brushed-over, but that's a minor quibble.
I'd say it's worth a watch.
Dorian Gray: script by (first-timer, I think) Toby Finlay, directed by
Oliver Parker.
Bert
Movies