Young, good-looking Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) wishes that a painting age while he remains unchanged. As Dorian becomes corrupt, the painting takes on not only the look of his progressing age, but of his ever-increasing sin.
The short novel, written by Oscar Wilde, is a story of sin and the dual nature of man and bears more than a passing resemblance to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dorian starts off as a reasonably good man, but a little goading from Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders) sets him on a path toward depravity. Wotton is the most entertaining character of the film, speaking almost exclusively in Wilde-like witticisms, and Sanders makes it all seem natural.
For a film so expertly crafted with so many good performances, it is surprising to have such a bland lead. Dorian needs to be engaging and seductive with a touch of apparent innocence. Here, he is a non-entity. Yes, his face isn’t supposed to change as he ages, but it would be nice if it altered enough in a scene to show an emotion. Whenever Hurd is missing from a scene, the film hums along, but as soon as he appears, all life is drained from the screen.
Aiding Hurd’s non-performance is the old code censorship which banishes from the film not only the sight of Dorian carrying out his depraved acts, but even a hint at what they might be. When he eventually kills someone, it is clear that is his first murder, so what has he been doing that is so foul before that point? My best guess is that he is gambling, gossiping, and sleeping with women and then not marrying them. Or maybe he’s just boring people to death. Gladys Hallward, a character that is clearly virtuous in all ways, is as cruel to her admirer as Dorian appears to be to his. Is there a lesson there? If so, I’ll bet it was unintended by the filmmakers. Adding to those flaws is a narration which treats the viewers as complete idiots. The b&w cinematography, the color scenes of the portrait, and George Sanders are enough to make The Picture of Dorian Gray worth catching. It should have been better.