The Film: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Albright's painting of Dorian Gray, from the 1945 film
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/93798

Albert Lewin wrote the screen play and directed the film The Picture of Dorian Gray based on Oscar Wilde’s once controversial Victorian novel of the same name. The American film, released in 1945, won a number of film awards including an Academy Award for its black and white cinematography and a Hugo Award for dramatic presentation. As we begin our semester analyzing and considering portraiture through questions relating to character and determinism, the story that this film tells seems to be a worst case scenario. The film’s horrific painting of the debauched Dorian Gray is certainly a worst case likeness of a man’s soul.
Watch the film. The dialogue is marvelous and fascinating. The characters are intriguing and well realized. In this morality tale, the message seems clear. In your own words, what is the films message? Summarize the story. This is a film that tells the story of... In your own words, write a short synopsis of the story and its message.
Select a scene that you like. Describe this scene so the rest of us will know which passage you have chosen. Does your scene take place in the beginning, the middle or the end? What did you find meretricious or interesting about this film passage that you have selected. Was there a visual aspect that you found particularly noteworthy? Describe some of the dialogue. Which characters are involved in the part you chose. How does your selected scene relate to the overall message of the Picture of Dorian Gray? How does your chosen segment fit into the larger story, a particular character’s fate, or the overall message of the film?
Here is a list of the film’s main characters to help you with the correct spelling as you write: Dorian Gray (acted by Hurd Hatfield), Basil Hallward (played by actor Lowell Gilmore), Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders), Sybil Vane (Angela Lansbury), Hallward’s niece Gladys (Donna Reed), and Glady’s friend David Stone (Peter Lawford).