History Film / ThePictureOfDorianGray1945

--> "Why didn't you murder him? They could only have hanged you for it."

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** In the book Lord Henry is all talk, waxing and waning on hedonism. Here he proposes Dorian do a cruel experiment to test Sybil's purity, Dorian should suggest she should "spend the night" with him. If she refuses she's worthy of his love. If not well ...

* AgeLift: In the book Dorian is described as "boy" not yet of age. Here he's an adult.

London, 1886. Lord Henry Wotton, an unrepentant hedonist, is introduced to an extraordinarily beautiful young man named Dorian Gray by his society artist friend Basil Hallward, who has painted a marvelous portrait of Dorian. Due to Lord Henry's influence Dorian begins to wish the picture would grow old and he would stay young. It's just a harmless wish, what could happen? Lord Henry warns Dorian to be careful, for in Basil's studio there's a statue of an Egyptian cat god perfectly capable of granting such a wish.

''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a 1945 film adaptation of Creator/OscarWilde's [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray only novel]], adapted and directed by Albert Lewin and released by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. It stars Creator/GeorgeSanders as Lord Henry, Hurd Hattfield as Dorian, Creator/DonnaReed as Gladys Hallward, Creator/AngelaLansbury as Sybil Vane, Peter Lawford as David Stone, Lowell Gilmore as Basil Hallward, and Sir Creator/CedricHardwicke as the uncredited narrator. The film is notable for its deep-focus cinematography and for the Technicolor inserts of the infamous portrait.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the novel, Dorian stabs the painting for entirely selfish reasons- he hates looking at it, and its continued existence represents the last dregs of a conscience he wishes to be entirely rid of (and there is a chance it could link him to the murder of Basil Hallward). In the movie, his reasons are exactly the opposite- he considers it responsible for leading his life astray, and sees its destruction as a necessary step toward reforming himself into a better man.

Lord Henry's words prove to have a toxic effect on Dorian. Intrigued by Lord Henry's philosophy of pleasure, Dorian begins a life-style of bold experimentation to satisfying his unquenchable lust for all forms of pleasure that ultimately leads to unpleasant consequences.

''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a 1945 film adaptation of Creator/OscarWilde's [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray only novel]], adapted and directed by Albert Lewin and released by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. It stars Creator/GeorgeSanders as Lord Henry, Hurd Hattfield as Dorian, Creator/DonnaReed as Gladys Hallward, Creator/AngelaLansbury as Sybil Vane, Peter Lawford as David Stone, and Sir Creator/CedricHardwicke as the uncredited narrator. Notable for its deep-focus cinematography and for the Technicolor inserts of the infamous portrait.

London, 1886. Lord Henry Wotton, an unrepentant hedonist, is introduced to an extraordinarily beautiful young man named Dorian Gray by his society artist friend Basil Hallward who has painted a marvelous portrait of Dorian. Due to Lord Henry's influence Dorian begins to wish the picture would grow old and he would stay young. It's just a harmless wish, what could happen? Lord Henry warns Dorian to be careful, for in Basil's studio there's a statue of an Egyptian cat god perfectly capable of granting such a wish.

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doriangray1copy.jpg]]

''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a 1945 film adaptation of Creator/OscarWilde's [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray only novel]], adapted and directed by Albert Lewin and released by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. It stars Creator/GeorgeSanders as Lord Henry, Hurd Hattfield as Dorian, Creator/DonnaReed as Gladys, Creator/AngelaLansbury as Sybil Vane, and Sir Creator/CedricHardwicke as the uncredited narrator. Notable for its deep-focus cinematography and for the Technicolor inserts of the infamous portrait.

Lord Henry Wotton, an unrepentant hedonist is introduced to an extraordinarily beautiful young man named Dorian Gray by his society artist friend Basil Hallward who has painted a marvelous portrait of Dorian. Due to Lord Henry's influence Dorian begins to wish the picture would grow old and he would stay young. It's just a harmless wish, what could happen? Lord Henry warns Dorian to be careful, for in Basil's studio there's a statue of an Egyptian cat god perfectly capable of granting such a wish.

''Some letter of that After-life to spell:\\
''And by and by my Soul returned to me,\\
''And answered, "I Myself am Heaven and Hell."''

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doriangray1copy.jpg]]

-->''"I sent my Soul through the Invisible,''\\
''Some letter of that After-life to spell:''\\
''And by and by my Soul returned to me,''\\
''And answered, "I Myself am Heaven and Hell."''\\
-- The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a 1945 film of Oscar Wilde's [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray only novel]] adapted and directed by Albert Lewin and released by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. It stars Creator/GeorgeSanders as Lord Henry, Hurd Hattfield as Dorian, Creator/DonnaReed as Gladys, Creator/AngelaLansbury as Sybil Vane, and Sir Creator/CedricHardwicke as the uncredited narrator. Notable for its deep-focus cinematography and for the Technicolor inserts of the infamous portrait.

''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a 1945 film of Oscar Wilde's [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray only novel]] adapted and directed by Albert Lewin and released by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. It stars Creator/GeorgeSanders as Lord Henry, Hurd Hattfield as Dorian, Donna Reed as Gladys, Creator/AngelaLansbury as Sybil Vane, and Sir Cedric Hardwick as the uncredited narrator. Notable for its deep-focus cinematography and for the Technicolor inserts of the infamous portrait.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** The book Lord Henry is reading at the beginning is ''Les Fleurs du Mal'', a volume that would make the Hays Office ''cringe''.
** Lord Henry's suggestion that Dorian should test Sybil's virtue by wanting to spend the night with her is done by saying "he doesn't want her to go home" -- that's what the Hays Code would allow in those days.
** In the drug den, James Vane meets a foreign woman who remarks "What is English? There are men and there are women." It's not hard to guess her profession; hint it's oldest one.
** Adrian keeps calling Dorian "Sir Tristan", the nickname that Sybil Vane gave him, implying their friendship was something more. Also Adrian mention he got it from Lord Henry, who spends a ''lot'' of time with Dorian.
** Averted with Adrian who admits to doing drugs.

* AgeLift: Inverted. In the book Dorian is described as "boy" not yet of age. Here he's an adult.

* AdaptationExpansion:
** In the book, there's no explanation for how Dorian's mad wish is granted. Here it's the work of a statue of an Egyptian cat god.
** There's a major subplot about Dorian's romance with Basil's niece Gladys and her other suitor David, who is determined she should not marry Dorian.

-->''"I sent my Soul through the Invisible,''
-->''Some letter of that After-life to spell:''
-->''And by and by my Soul returned to me,''
-->''And answered, "I Myself am Heaven and Hell."''
--> -- The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Basil Hallward is described as unattractive in the novel; here he is portrayed by good-looking Lowell Gilmore.

* ShowingTheirWork: What's that book Lord Henry is reading in the hansom cab at the beginning? ''Les Fleurs du Mal'' by Charles Baudelaire, a tome infamous in its day for its themes of decadence and eroticism; in the novel it's "the yellow book" that Dorian tries to blame for his corruption. Basil detests it, and prefers ''The Wisdom of Buddha" instead.

** Lord Henry, notch fitting a character whom Wilde identified as the character the world saw him as.

* OffScreenVillainy: What does Dorian do, that make his picture so corrupt apart from murdering Basil and driving Sybil and later Alan Campell to suicide? We don't know mainly because the Hays Code forade any such behavior from being shown on screen in contrast to more modern adaptation. This makes in line with the novel, where we never see Dorian's evil deeds, merely whispers and rumors. This makes it more effective since the viewers' own imagination fills in the gap.

* ShowingTheirWork: What's that book Lord Henry is reading in the hansom cab at the beginning? ''Les Fleurs du Mal'' by Charles Baudelaire, a tome infamous in its day for its themes of decadence and erotism; in the novel it's "the yellow book" that Dorian tries to blame for his corruption. Basil detests it, and prefers ''The Wisdom of Buddha" instead.

** The book Lord Henry is reading at the beginning is ''Les Fleurs du Mal'', a volume that would make the Hays Code ''cringe''.

** Dorian does go through with Henry's suggestion which makes his rejection of Sybil, much more crueler. There's also him romancing Gladys... after he murdered her uncle.
knocked when Dorian swings the knife, and then sways back and forth.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the novel, Dorian stabs the painting for entirely selfish reasons- he hates looking at it, and its continued existence represents the last dregs of a conscience he wishes to be entirely rid of (and there is a chance it could link him to the murder of Basil Hallward). In the 1945 movie, his reasons are exactly the opposite- he considers it responsible for leading his life astray, and sees its destruction as a necessary step toward reforming himself into a better man.

* {{Chiaroscuro}}: The film has a very artfully lit scene when Dorian murders Basil, complete with a lamp that is

* ToxicFriendInfluence: Lordy Henry is even worse here then in the book.

* AdaptationalDyeJob: In the book Dorian is blond, here he's brunette. Strangely, in the picture his hair is still blond.

* AdaptationalDyeJob: In the book Dorian is blonde, here he's brunette.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doriangray1copy.jpg]]

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1945 film of Oscar Wilde's [[Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray only novel]] adapted and directed by Albert Lewin and released by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer. It stars Creator/GeorgeSanders as Lord Henry, Hurd Hattfield as Dorian, Donna Reed as Gladys, Creator/AngelaLansbury as Sybil Vane, and Sir Cedric Hardwick as the uncredited narrator. Notable for its deep-focus cinematography and for the Technicolor inserts of the infamous portrait.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Dorian, in a very minor way. In the book he never loved Sybil, he loved her art. Here he actually does love her... until she fails his sick test of virtue. Also his "one good deed" is completely different than in the book; there his idea of not seducing a farm girl is but a whim, here he breaks off his engagement with Gladys because he truly loves and knows how terrible they would be together.

** In the book Lord Henry is all talk, waxing and waning on the virtues of hedonism. Here he proposes Dorian do a cruel experiment to test Sybil's purity, Dorian should suggest she should "spend the night" with him. If she refuses she's worthy of his love. If not well ...
** Dorian does go through with Henry's suggestion which makes his rejection of Sybil, much more crueler. There's also him trying romancing Gladys... after he murdered her uncle.

** Lord Henry's suggestion that Dorian should test Sybil's virtue by wanting to spend with night with her is done in by saying "he doesn't want her to go home" that's what the Hays Code would allow in those days.

** Dorian does go through with Henry's suggestion which makes his rejection of Sybil, much more crueler. There's also him trying to murder Gladys... after he murdered her uncle.

--> "Why didn't you kill him? They could only have hanged you for it."

* OffScreenVillainy: What does Dorian do, that make his picture so corrupt apart from murdering Basil and driving Sybil and later Alan Campell to suicide? We don't know mainly because the Hays Code forade any such behavior from being shown on screen in contrast to more modern adaptation. This makes in line with the novel, where we never see Dorian's evil deeds, merely whispers and rumors. This makes it more effective since the viewers' own imagination fill in the gap.

* OffScreenVillainy: What does Dorian do, that make his picture so corrupt apart from driving Sybil to suicide ? We don't know mainly because the Hays Code forbidden any such behavior from being shown on screen in contrast to more modern adaptation. This makes in line with the novel, where we never see Dorian's evil deeds, merely whispers and rumors. This makes it more effective since the viewers' own imagination fill in the gap.