The Picture of Dorian Gray 1945

imdb-logo 7.5 / 10

The Picture of Dorian Gray

A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

Videos & Photos

All 1 Videos & 18 Photos

... Dorian Gray

... Lord Henry Wotton

... Gladys Hallward

... Sibyl Vane

... David Stone

... Basil Hallward

User reviews

See All 1 Reviews

23 Jun 2021 by John Chard

It's only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion. The Picture of Dorian Gray is directed by Albert Lewin, and he also adapts the screenplay from the novel written by Oscar Wilde. It stars Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford, Lowell Gilmore, Richard Fraser and Douglas Walton. Music is by Herbert Stothart and cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr. Dorian Gray of Mayfair and Selby. Oscar Wilde's Faustian tale about a young Victorian gentleman who sells his soul to retain his youth is given a magnificent make-over by MGM. Pumping into it a budget reputedly of $2 million, the look and feel is perfect for this macabre observation of vanity, greed and self destruction. In many ways it's still an under valued movie, mainly because there will always be Wilde purists who think it lacks the writer's poetic spikiness, while horror fans quite often venture into the picture expecting some sort of violent classic ripe with sex, drugs and debauchery unbound. Lewin crafts his film in understated manner, never allowing the themes in the source material to become overblown just for dramatic purpose. He cloaks it all with an atmosphere of eeriness, thus keeping the debasing nature of Dorian Gray subdued. The horror aspects here mostly are implied or discussed in elegantly stated conversations, where the horror in fact is purely in the characterisation of Dorian himself. We really don't need to see actual things on screen, we are urged to be chilled to the marrow by his mere presence, and this works because Lewin has personalised us into this man's sinful descent by way of careful pacing and character formation. There are some jolt moments of course, notably the famous inserts of Technicolor into the black and white film, the impact of such bringing the portrait of the title thundering into our conscious. However, this is not about thrill rides and titillation, because the film, like its source, is intellectual. Lewin is aided considerably by Stradling's beautiful photography, which in turn either vividly realises the opulent abodes or darkens the dens of iniquities, so just like Lewin, Stradling and the art department work wonders and prove to be fine purveyors of their craft. Hatfield is wonderful, it's an inspired piece of casting, with his angular features and cold dead eyes, he effortlessly suggests the black heart now beating where once there was a soul. Yet even he, and the rest of the impressive cast, are trumped by Sanders as Lord Henry. Cynical, brutal yet rich with witticisms, in Sanders' excellent hands Lord Henry becomes the smiling devil like mentor perched on Dorian's shoulder. Dorian and Lord Henry are movie monsters, proof positive that not all monsters need to be seen hacking off limbs or drinking blood. In this case, the decaying of the soul is a far more terrifying experience. Fascinating, eloquent, intelligent and frightening. 9/10

Directors:

Albert Lewin

Release Date:

Mar 03, 1945 (United States)

Run Time:

1hr 51`

MMPA Rating:

NR

Original Language:

English

Production Countries:

United States

Status:

Released

Related Movies To

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Write Review

Found 1 reviews in total

23 Jun 2021 by John Chard

It's only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion. The Picture of Dorian Gray is directed by Albert Lewin, and he also adapts the screenplay from the novel written by Oscar Wilde. It stars Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed, Peter Lawford, Lowell Gilmore, Richard Fraser and Douglas Walton. Music is by Herbert Stothart and cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr. Dorian Gray of Mayfair and Selby. Oscar Wilde's Faustian tale about a young Victorian gentleman who sells his soul to retain his youth is given a magnificent make-over by MGM. Pumping into it a budget reputedly of $2 million, the look and feel is perfect for this macabre observation of vanity, greed and self destruction. In many ways it's still an under valued movie, mainly because there will always be Wilde purists who think it lacks the writer's poetic spikiness, while horror fans quite often venture into the picture expecting some sort of violent classic ripe with sex, drugs and debauchery unbound. Lewin crafts his film in understated manner, never allowing the themes in the source material to become overblown just for dramatic purpose. He cloaks it all with an atmosphere of eeriness, thus keeping the debasing nature of Dorian Gray subdued. The horror aspects here mostly are implied or discussed in elegantly stated conversations, where the horror in fact is purely in the characterisation of Dorian himself. We really don't need to see actual things on screen, we are urged to be chilled to the marrow by his mere presence, and this works because Lewin has personalised us into this man's sinful descent by way of careful pacing and character formation. There are some jolt moments of course, notably the famous inserts of Technicolor into the black and white film, the impact of such bringing the portrait of the title thundering into our conscious. However, this is not about thrill rides and titillation, because the film, like its source, is intellectual. Lewin is aided considerably by Stradling's beautiful photography, which in turn either vividly realises the opulent abodes or darkens the dens of iniquities, so just like Lewin, Stradling and the art department work wonders and prove to be fine purveyors of their craft. Hatfield is wonderful, it's an inspired piece of casting, with his angular features and cold dead eyes, he effortlessly suggests the black heart now beating where once there was a soul. Yet even he, and the rest of the impressive cast, are trumped by Sanders as Lord Henry. Cynical, brutal yet rich with witticisms, in Sanders' excellent hands Lord Henry becomes the smiling devil like mentor perched on Dorian's shoulder. Dorian and Lord Henry are movie monsters, proof positive that not all monsters need to be seen hacking off limbs or drinking blood. In this case, the decaying of the soul is a far more terrifying experience. Fascinating, eloquent, intelligent and frightening. 9/10

Cast & Crew of

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Directors & Credit Writers

... Director

Cast

... Dorian Gray

... Lord Henry Wotton

... Gladys Hallward

... Sibyl Vane

... David Stone

... Basil Hallward

... James Vane

... Allen Campbell

... Adrian Singleton

... Sir Robert Bentley

... Mrs. Vane

... Lady Agatha

... Sir Thomas

... Duchess

... Malvolio Jones

... Young French Woman

... Lead Dancer

... Hunchback (uncredited)

... Club Member (uncredited)

Produced By

... Unit Manager

Videos & Photos of

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Videos ( 1)

Photos ( 18 )

Related Movies To

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Found 12 Movies in total

poster-Final Destination Bloodlines
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)

0 /10

Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.

Run Time: 1hr 50` . MMPA: R . Release: 14 May 2025

Director: Zach Lipovsky , Dominic Dobrzensky , Amanda Petura

Producer: Craig Perry , Chris Pan , Nathan Stewart

Stars: Tony Todd , Melissa Barrera , Anna Lore , Renata Vaca , Quintessa Swindell , Mary Elizabeth Winstead

poster-The Twisters
The Twisters (2024)

0 /10

A deadly patchwork of destructive cyclones is on an apocalyptic path of convergence at a populated Midwest city center. There, the twisters will merge into one mega tornado that threatens to obliterate the cities for hundreds of miles around.

Run Time: 1hr 27` . MMPA: . Release: 28 Jun 2024

Director: Michael Su

Producer: Avery Guerra , Kasia Szarek , David Rimawi

Stars: Kayla Fields , Mark Justice , Paul Logan , Curtis Strong , Tiffany , Sofia Riba

poster-The Legend of Catclaws Mountain
The Legend of Catclaws Mountain (2024)

0 /10

Mindy adopts Angel, a high-spirited pony that—according to legend—will lead its owner to gold hidden in the nearby mountains. When Angel is kidnapped by a mad treasure hunter, Mindy and her school friends head into the hills to rescue the pony and hunt for the lost gold. But Mindy meets a mountain man that warns her the treasure is part of an ancient curse—if they remove the gold, they'll destroy the beautiful forest.

Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: PG . Release: 27 May 2024

Director: Ritchie Greer

Producer: Heather Jocelyn Blair , Amber Wegner , Adrienne McQueen

Stars: Hayden Hishaw , James Duval , Robert Davi , Dee Wallace , Ilia Volok , Ricco Ross

poster-How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

0 /10

On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart, defying centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: PG . Release: 06 Jun 2025

Director: Dean DeBlois , Fraser Fennell-Ball , Lizzie Pritchard

Producer: Marc Platt , David Cain , Lucy Bevan

Stars: Mason Thames , Nico Parker , Gerard Butler , Nick Frost , Julian Dennison , Gabriel Howell

poster-KPop Demon Hunters
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

0 /10

When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.

Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: PG . Release: 20 Jun 2025

Director: Chris Appelhans , Elizabeth Schantz , Maggie Kang

Producer: Aron Warner , Lori Anna Elagozian , Julia Kim

Stars: Rolando Davila-Beltran , Arden Cho , May Hong , Ji-young Yoo , Ahn Hyo-seop , Yunjin Kim

poster-The Cult
The Cult (2024)

0 /10

When a young woman relocates to a small town in Europe, she notices the place has something weird. As time goes by, she starts to fear for her life. Based on actual events and in the book the day she became plastic.

Run Time: 1hr 30` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Jun 2024

Director: Alexandre Alonso

Producer:

Stars:

poster-28 Years Later
28 Years Later (2025)

0 /10

Twenty-eight years since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one member departs on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

Run Time: 1hr 55` . MMPA: R . Release: 18 Jun 2025

Director: Danny Boyle , Emily Perowne , Richard Styles

Producer: Danny Boyle , Gail Stevens , Bernie Bellew

Stars: Cillian Murphy , Jodie Comer , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Charlie Hunnam , Jack O'Connell , Ralph Fiennes

poster-Life After Fighting
Life After Fighting (2024)

0 /10

Retired martial arts world champion Alex Faulkner has settled into a simple life, when the disappearance of two of his students leads to an unthinkable discovery close to home. Just when all hope of finding the children is lost, he locates the imprisoned girls and unsurfaces an international child trafficking operation, which draws him back into the fight of his life against those behind it.

Run Time: 2hr 6` . MMPA: . Release: 07 Jun 2024

Director: Bren Foster

Producer: Bren Foster , Navid Bahadori , Chelsea Jean Foster

Stars: Bren Foster , Cassie Howarth , Luke Ford , Annabelle Stephenson , Anthony Nassif , Arielle Jean Foster

poster-Santa Isn't Real
Santa Isn't Real (2023)

0 /10

After suffering a brutal attack on Christmas Eve, Nikki struggles to convince her friends that the assailant was none other than Ol' Kris Kringle. When Santa returns to terrorize the group in their remote cabin the next Christmas, Nikki and her friends must overcome disbelief as they fight to stay alive.

Run Time: 1hr 16` . MMPA: R . Release: 08 Dec 2023

Director: Zac Locke

Producer: Jordan Michaud-Scorza

Stars: Scarlett Sperduto , Kaya Coleman , Dana Millican , Cissy Ly , Michelle Damis , William Earl Ray

poster-STRAW
STRAW (2025)

0 /10

What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.

Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025

Director: Tyler Perry , Diann Malcolm , Nicholas Hiles

Producer: Kim Taylor-Coleman , Carole Wurst , Tyler Perry

Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher

poster-Crypto Legacy
Crypto Legacy (2020)

2.5 /10

Troy Morgan doesn't like his family's farm. The place creeps him out. After spotting some strange lights one evening, Troy and his little sister Carrie go to investigate the creepy barn.

Run Time: 1hr 11` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Oct 2020

Director: Charles Townsend

Producer: Charles Townsend

Stars: Sheri Gill Dixon , Brian Kunz , Brandon Young , Nathaniel Barton , Linzi Gray , Thalia Reynolds

poster-Conjuring the Cult
Conjuring the Cult (2024)

0 /10

After discovering his blood-soaked daughter dead in the bathtub, David Bryson attends a self-help group to help save him from his ghostly nightmares. But when a group of mysterious cult-like women offer to help him resurrect his daughter. David's choices will not just decide his fate... but the fate of his dead daughter's SOUL.

Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Oct 2024

Director: Calvin Morie McCarthy

Producer:

Stars: Neil Green , Elissa Dowling , Chynna Rae Shurts , BJ Mezek , Jason Brooks , Brad Littlefield