Classic Movie Shoutout

Check out 1945's The Picture of Dorian Gray. It's a deliciously creepy telling of Oscar Wilde's most famous story. The titular picture is to the left. It looks haunting, doesn't it? Hurd Hatfield plays Gray with seemingly terrific precision. He brushes off alluded misdeeds as if batting flies.

The film won an Oscar for its cinematography. Normally you won't notice such things, but it plays an important role in setting the mood. Those who have read the book know it is a polemic against Victorian Britain, and the film holds true to Wilde's message. George Sanders plays the amoral and influential Lord Henry, a personality he portrayed well in All About Eve. 

But it's Hatfield who deserves most of the credit. As Gray's friends start dropping like flies he seems to care not a bit for them. He first betrays the love of Sibyl Vane. played by the young but rosy-cheeked Angela Lansbury. She received an Oscar nomination for her role, which was originally promised to Donna Reed, who also appears in the film as Gray's love interest. Gray treats them with the same disposition as everyone else. He seems almost robotic in his disinterest, as if all the world is an experiment: his own. And never do his deeds affect his appearance; only the picture changes. 

It's easy in this day and age to dismiss black-and-white films as "boring." Don't let that happen to you. This is one of the English language's greatest stories, retold superbly on film. Check it out!