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Grace Kealey
Doctor Graves
Great Books, Great Films
13 November 2023
Outline of Movie Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Introduction:
This will include the historical context of “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, and some key
information about Wilde’s life that contributes to the overall theme of the novel and film.
Following this, I will provide a brief statement about director Glenn Jordan and those who
contributed to the creation of the film.
Thesis statement: The film effectively reinforces the novel's theme of the conflict between
personal vanity and pleasure versus one's commitment to the integrity of the soul through
deliberate cinematic adaptation techniques.
Summary of the plot:
This story follows the life of Dorian Gray. Initially, he is a simple and innocent person. After
being exposed to the life of Sir Henry, who lives a life of pleasure as opposed to a life of virtue,
Dorian adjusts his philosophy to meet his. Dorian’s inner sense of morality fades as he realizes
that his beauty is fleeting and that he must indulge in his pleasure while he still can. As his
virtues degrade, he notices that the painting of him begins to reflect this after he incidentally
makes a soul covenant with the object. He is disturbed by its changes but he continues to live as
he has been. Near the end of the novel, when he sees how monstrous the painting has become, he
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violently destroys it. The painting changes back to a beautiful young man. Conversely, Dorian
transforms into the figure that is portrayed in the painting and dies (Jordan) (Nevile and Wilde).
Analysis of Film’s Theme with Evidence:
The theme of this novel focuses on the relationship between satiating personal urges with
maintaining one’s integrity. This is highlighted in a conversation between Sir Henry and Dorian
Gray. Sir Henry is picking petals off of a flower, which may symbolize a sense of fleeting beauty.
Dorian is asking Sir Henry about the value of virtue. Sir Henry is attempting to impress his
worldview onto Dorian that the most important concern of a man is his commitment to his
pleasure and actualization. Sir Henry highlights the fact that Dorian’s beauty is destined to be
taken away, and therefore it is in his best interest to yield to his desires while he can. Another
example of how this theme is expressed is when Basil finally sees the distorted painting of
Dorian. At this point, Dorian is very fixated on his appearance. Even though Basil is his close
friend, Dorian is choosing to uphold his sense of personal vanity over his companion’s life. In
response to this act, the painting reflects these actions to Dorian. Even though Dorian can escape
interpersonal consequences, he is not able to escape the relationship that he has with himself
(Jordan) (Nevile and Wilde).
Personal Point of View:
I enjoyed this film. The creative features that captured my attention during the film were the
music and the camera choices. I liked how in some scenes, the music began very sweetly and
rhythmically, and then it gradually degraded into suspenseful, ominous music. I think that this is
very reflective of Dorian’s steady decline from innocent and youthful to cold-hearted and afraid
of the world. I like that they helped the audience to find relatability with Dorian early on by
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choosing to film from his perspective in certain scenes. When the audience projects themselves
onto Dorian, they are better able to see the perils of pleasure and can begin to understand what a
slippery slope it might be when we commit exclusively to what would feel the best for us in each
given moment (Jordan) (Nevile and Wilde).
Conclusion:
I believe that the filmmakers were successful in expressing the polarity between
commitment to pleasure versus commitment to virtue. They were successful because they
integrated visual elements to cultivate the audience’s connection with Dorian, used people and
props to symbolize elements of immortality and mortality, and directed the tone of the film
through musical score.
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Works Cited
Jordan, Glenn, director. The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1973,
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070533/. Accessed 2023.
Nevile, Jill, and Oscar Wilde. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford University Press, 2008.