Dorian vs. Dorian

I'm going to start this by saying that I LOVE Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.  It's one of my favorite books--among so many others there are too many to count.  Anyway, I love the concept of the picture taking in EVERYTHING from Dorian's life, especially his sins/evil--he doesn't do any good, so there's no reason to mention it.  That's a genius idea of dealing with the whole immortal plot concept.  Who hasn't looked at a favorite picture and thought about the good times  and wished they could have lasted....forever?!

So I was excited, yet a tad trepidatious, about watching the 2008 movie version called Dorian Gray.  We're supposed to watch it in my British Lit class later this week and I felt the need to preview the movie first.  If you've read the book, you understand my trepidation. 

I did NOT like the movie one tiny iota.  First of all, it's awful.  I don't think the acting is good at all.  They deliver Wilde's epigrams as epigrams rather than smooth lines of comfortable dialogue.  Secondly, Colin Firth has straight black hair and dark brown eyes, almost black, even.  Dorian is clearly described by Wilde as having curly blonde hair and blue eyes!!!!  Why change that?!  Even Matthew McConnehy (sp?) would have been a better choice just because of his looks!  UGH!  Third, the BEST scene in the whole book isn't even in the movie!!!!  When Dorian breaks it off with Sibyl in the book, she has fallen on her face before him (yes, she's bowing before him), and she reaches her tiny, pitiful hand out to touch Dorian's boot as he tells her she has killed his love for her because of her bad acting [in front of his friends].  It's such an incredibly tragically, romantic moment in the book.  I can see Sibyl's pitiful, tiny hand reaching out, yet pulling back because she isn't even worthy to touch his boots, as Dorian pulls his boot roughly away from her and storming out of the room--leaving Sibyl to her pain and despair......and eventually, to take the poison to kill herself.

The movie has Sibyl kill herself by jumping in the river.  That IS more tragically romantic than taking poison, but it simply seems to me to be an unnecessary change to the story as a whole.  Overall, it's the least significant change in the story, but I simply don't see the need to change something like that.  Drugs are such an important part of the overall story, so having Sibyl die of some poison fits that part of the story more than her jumping off a bridge into the River.

I also can't believe that the movie has Dorian dispose of Basil's body himself.  Dorian would not have done that.  He's above such things.  Besides, it's an incredibly powerful scene when he calls in his "friend" to dispose of the body.  That scene where Dorian has to convince said friend to do this terrible deed is a superb representation of how powerful Dorian has become.  While he hasn't grown "up" as far as appearances are concerned, Dorian has grown up and grown into his manhood.  He has taken charge of his own life.  He has realized the power of money, as well as his own youth and beauty.  He understands the power he wields...now.  He no longer needs Henry/Harry.  He can make his own decisions.  He has become even more of what Henry/Harry expects him to be---Evil incarnate.

And worst of all, it's really the director's excuse to create a porno movie.  I personally think the director should have called the movie Dorian Makes a Porno.  The graphic sex and drugs scenes are TOOOOOOOO..........I know that Wilde very clearly talks about the fact that Dorian, after Sibyl's death, proceeds to live a life of utter pleasure, doing anything and everything that pleases Dorian himself, including, but not exclusive to, sex with both men and women and drugs, opium in particular.  But Wilde was able to create an amazing story with vivid images of Dorian's life of pleasure without specifically describing the events in detail.  Which means that the extreme pleasure scenes this director takes with this movie version are completely over the top and unnecessary.  I don't need to SEE "it" to know "it" is going on......Do you know what I mean?  Besides, it's sexier to leave something to imagination.

I'm very disappointed in the movie version.....And I haven't even talked about the picture itself!  I'm not even going to get started on THAT......good grief.....did they have to have the picture growl evilly??????  Seriously?!  UGH!!!!  And then to have Dorian fall in love with Harry's daughter and betray Harry by sleeping with her?!  No words.......

For those in my British Lit class, if you want to see Dorian Gray, you'll have to watch it on your own time--with your parents' permission.  I'm not going to show this one.  I'm corrupting you enough just by agreeing to the class choice to read the book.......!!!!!