Different Portrayals of Dorian Gray

To help me understand better Dorian Gray as a character, I had to take a look at how other artists have perceived his look and how they bought the character to life in other productions. This made me more aware of the differences between how the character is portrayed in the book, how he originally should have looked, and how other artists slightly (or more) altered this original look.

I've noticed that one of the most repetitive characteristics that aren't exactly as they are in the book is the dark hair of the actors. The "original" Dorian, as portrayed in the book, had mid-long wavy and blonde hair, not brown. I think that Peter Firth in 1976 looked the most like how Dorian was described in the book.

Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray in 2009 film

This is my favourite version of him so far. That's why I have chosen this book, because when I first saw the film I was absolutely fascinated by how this actor played and looked.

Stuard Townsend as Dorian Gray in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003

Dorian Gray portraied by Helmut Berger in 1970

Peter Firth, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1976)

"This BBC production emphasized the gay subtext of the book, implying that Dorian and Alan had a sexual relationship. Actor Peter Firth also starred in the film version of Equus, as well as The Hunt for Red October, Amistad, Pearl Harbor and the BBC series Spooks."

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)

"The Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1945 American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray. Shot primarily in black-and-white, the film features four inserts in 3-strip Technicolor of Dorian's portrait as a special effect (the first two of his portrait's original state, and the second two after a major period of degeneration)."

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic

"Dorian also appears in the comic version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but only in cameo in the 1890s League's British Museum headquarters, where his portrait is visible, in the process of being restored, alongside mementoes of previous Leagues and their missions. Presumably this means Dorian either worked with a version of the League prior to the formation of the 1890s team, or they investigated his case. Additionally, the first series includes a bonus poster of Dorian Gray's portrait, listed as "Basil Hallward's Painting by Numbers No. 1 Dorian Gray."(Dorian Gray no date)

The problematic Picture of Dorian Gray, Trafalgar Studios 2

"Guy Warren-Thomas plays the chiselled-jawed youth Dorian whom artist Basil Hallward (Rupert Mason) falls in love with while he paints his portrait. It is deemed to be his best work something Basil credits Dorian with.  However, the youth is fickle and self-obsessed, the portrait serving to show that day by day he gets older; he'll never be as young as he is in the painting. So, he makes a wish that it will be the portrait that ages not him." (Stan 2016)

THE CONFESSIONS OF DORIAN GRAY SERIES

"Inspired by Oscar Wilde's classic story of hedonism and corruption, The Confessions of Dorian Gray imagines a world where Dorian Gray was real, and his friendship with Oscar Wilde once spawned the notorious novel.

Presented as a series of original horror stories, Alexander Vlahos (Merlin, Privates) takes us on a supernatural journey through the twentieth century: from Oscar Wilde’s death in Paris, right through to the present day." (Productions 2016)

JamesDunlopMusic (2013)

 References:

• The many pictures of Dorian Gray (2014) Available at: http://www.chillertv.com/news/2014-01-07-the-many-pictures-of-dorian-gray (Accessed: 8 January 2016).
• (no date) Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray_(1945_film (Accessed: 8 January 2016).
• Dorian Gray (no date) Available at: http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/d/doriangr.htm (Accessed: 8 January 2016).
• Productions, B.F. (2016) The confessions of Dorian Gray series 01-02 - the confessions of Dorian Gray. Available at: https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-confessions-of-dorian-gray-series-01-02-976 (Accessed: 8 January 2016).
• JamesDunlopMusic (2013) The confessions of Dorian Gray trailer series 1. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVEvB0Rc9-o (Accessed: 8 January 2016).
• Stan, R. (2016) ‘Review: The problematic picture of Dorian Gray, Trafalgar studios 2’, 23 January. Available at: http://theatre.revstan.com/2016/01/review-the-picture-of-dorian-gray-trafalgar-studios-2.html (Accessed: 8 January 2016).