Dorian gray genre. Dorian Gray

Artists John Beard, Rod McLean, Ruth Myers, more

Do you know that

• In the original (literary) Dorian Gray blonde hair, not dark ones.
• The famous line from “The Importance of Being Earnest,” also written by Oscar Wilde, is included in the script and spoken by Lord Henry Wotton: “ The only way The right way to behave with a woman is to make love to her if she is beautiful, and to someone else if she is simple.” In the play, which premiered several years after the publication of the novel on which the film is based, Algernon speaks this line.
• Unlike the movie poster, Dorian Gray has brown eyes instead of blue.
• Director Oliver Parker previously directed two other films based on the works of Oscar Wilde: An Ideal Husband (1999) and The Importance of Being Earnest (2002). The latter of which also stars Colin Firth as the lead actor.
• Colin Firth and Emilia Fox, who play a married couple in the film, also starred as family members in the BBC film Pride and Prejudice (1995); only in this film they were brother and sister.
• This is Rachel Hurd-Wood's second film. leading role(Sybil Vane), with forever youth male character. The first film was Peter Pan (2003).
• Actors Ben Barnes and Colin Firth previously appeared together in Easy Virtue (2008).
• In Marvel's The Punisher (2017), in the episode "Punisher: Kandahar" (2017), Billy Russo, played by Ben Barnes (who also plays Dorian Gray in the film), reads the book The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Both characters are also similar in that they spend money on their appearance.
• Colin Firth (Lord Henry Wotton) was working on another project that featured Oscar Wilde. Colin played the role of Reggie Turner in The Happy Prince (2018). Film about recent years life of Oscar Wilde.
• In the original novel, Sibyl Vane committed suicide by poison, whereas in this film she drowned.
• In the novel, Lord Henry does not set the painting on fire, as the film suggests. In addition, the painting does not burn when Dorian tries to deal with it.
• In the novel, Dorian does not try to kill Lord Henry.

More facts (+9)

Errors in the film

• When Dorian stops in front of a theater playing Hamlet, the barker tells him that he only missed a small part of the play, but when he goes to take his seat in the theater, the third act is already underway.
• The first shot shows horse-drawn carriages driving down a London street. The film is set in the 1890s, but the road is completely smooth, a surface treatment invented in 1902 and not commercialized until a few years later.
• When Dorian fights Jim in the station tunnel, sleepers and spikes are visible. The spikes observed were not used in 1890, when the novel was written, nor in the era in which the film is set.

Plot

Beware, the text may contain spoilers!

Naive, young and incredibly handsome Dorian Gray, arriving in London, is influenced by Lord Henry Wotton, who leads a riotous lifestyle. Talented artist Basil Hallward paints a portrait of a young man, wanting to forever capture his purity and beautiful appearance. Looking at the picture, the guy expresses a desire to remain forever the way he is depicted in it, never to grow old and never lose his beauty. From that moment on, all sins that discredit the soul young man, begin to appear in ugly strokes on the canvas.

Dorian drives actress Sibylla Vane to suicide by breaking her promise of marriage, tries drugs and participates in orgies, completely surrendering to vice. When Basil asks him to provide him with a portrait for an exhibition, the young man refuses, a quarrel breaks out between them and he kills the artist. Trying to avoid punishment for what he did, the guy leaves to travel and returns only 25 years later, still just as young.

Dorian meets Henry's daughter, Emily, and feelings flare up between them. The young people are getting ready to get married and leave. At one of the parties, Gray's secret is revealed. Henry finds a painting and sees the disfigured face of a once beautiful guy. The Lord throws a kerosene lamp at the portrait and then locks Dorian in the attic with the burning canvas. The guy burns alive.

IN final scene Henry retrieves the painting, which appears largely undamaged. Dorian’s eyes sparkle in the portrait, making it clear that now his soul is forever imprisoned in him.

Reviews of the film "Dorian Gray"

Reviews of the film "Dorian Gray"

• evirgenia August 15, 2018 Movie rating 6 out of 10

  Much sin, little conscience

  My review will be unbiased as I have not read the book. To put it briefly and to the point about the plot, there is a lot, a lot, a lot of sin shown, and a little bit of good. As the plot progresses, we see three forms of the hero in one person: inexperienced youth, a fallen man and a repentant sinner. The worst thing the actor did was the role of the fallen, there was always a feeling of being pretentious... No comments yet 0
• Zhenya Korban May 31, 2014 Film rating 1 out of 10

  Question of compliance with the book

  Truly a ridiculous adaptation. From the book there are only a portrait and the names of the characters, and a few replicas of Wilde. Not disclosed main character. Scenes are screwed up. Magnificent specimen classics are interpreted to suit the tastes of modern people - violence and voluptuousness are emphasized, but questions of morality and conscience are completely absent... No comments yet 1
• Daria May 7, 2013 Movie rating 10 out of 10

  Another “new” Dorian.

  Today, the film “Dorian Gray” directed by Oliver Parker is the most frequently discussed in society, both by film critics and writers, and by viewers. Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was, is and will be excitingly interesting - it is filled with adventure, love in all its forms, and, of course, it describes the ideal young man who experiences all the delights and sorrows of life...

So, a little about the writer’s biography. Oscar Wilde was born on 16 October 1854 in Dublin, the second child of the marriage of Sir William Wilde and Jane Francesca Wilde (William's older brother, "Willie", was two years older).

Oscar Wilde received an excellent education. He studied at the Royal School, from which he graduated with a gold medal, and at Trinity College in the field of antiquity and ancient cultures.

In 1874, Wilde, having received a scholarship to study at Oxford Magdalene College in the classical department, entered Oxford. At Oxford, Wilde developed a crystalline English pronunciation: "My Irish accent was among the many things I forgot at Oxford." He also acquired, as he wished, a reputation for shining without special effort. It was here that his special philosophy of art took shape. His name even then began to be illuminated by various entertaining stories, sometimes cartoonish. So, according to one of the stories, in order to teach Wilde a lesson, who was disliked by his classmates and whom the athletes could not stand, he was dragged up the slope of a high hill and only released at the top. He stood up, shook off the dust and said, “The view from this hill is truly enchanting.”

But this was exactly what the aesthetic Wilde needed, who later admitted: “What is true in a person’s life is not his deeds, but the legends that surround him. Legends should never be destroyed. Through them we can dimly discern the true face of a person.”

At Oxford, Wilde listened to lectures by art theorist John Ruskin and the latter's student, Walter Pater. They both praised beauty, but Ruskin saw it only in synthesis with good, while Pater allowed a certain admixture of evil in beauty. Wilde remained under Ruskin's spell throughout his entire period at Oxford. Later he would write to him in a letter: “You have something of a prophet, a priest, a poet; Moreover, the gods endowed you with such eloquence as they did not endow anyone else, and your words, filled with fiery passion and wonderful music, made the deaf among us hear and the blind see.”

While still studying at Oxford, Wilde visited Italy and Greece and was conquered by these countries, their cultural heritage and beauty. These travels have the most spiritualizing influence on him. At Oxford, he also receives the prestigious Newdigate Prize for the poem "Ravenna" - a monetary prize approved in the 18th century by Sir Roger Newdigate for students at Oxford University who won the annual competition of poems that do not allow dramatic form and are limited to the number of lines - no more than 300 (this John Ruskin also received the prize at one time]).

After graduating from university in 1878, Oscar Wilde moved to London. Thanks to his talent, wit and ability to attract attention, Wilde quickly joined the social life London. They began to “treat” visitors to salons with Wilde: “Be sure to come, this Irish wit will be there today.”

His first was published in 1881 poetry collection“Poems”, written in the spirit of the “Pre-Raphaelite Brothers”. It went through five reprints of 250 copies each during the year.

After spending a year in America, Wilde returned to London in excellent spirits. And he immediately went to Paris.

There he meets the brightest figures of world literature (Paul Verlaine, Emile Zola, Victor Hugo, Stéphane Mallarmé, Anatole France, etc.) and wins their sympathy without much difficulty. Returns to his homeland. Meets Constance Lloyd and falls in love. At the age of 29 he becomes a family man. They have two sons (Cyril and Vivian), for whom Wilde composes fairy tales.

Everyone in London knew Wilde. He was the most desirable guest in any salon. But at the same time, a barrage of criticism falls upon him, which he easily - in a very Wildean way - throws away. They draw caricatures of him and wait for a reaction. And Wilde plunges into creativity. At this time he made his living from journalism. From 1887 to 1889 he worked as editor of the magazine Women's World" Bernard Shaw spoke highly of Wilde's journalism.

In 1887, he published the stories “The Canterville Ghost”, “The Crime of Lord Arthur Savile”, “The Sphinx without a Riddle”, “The Millionaire Model”, “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.”, which formed a collection of his stories. However, Wilde did not like to write down everything that came to his mind; many of the stories with which he charmed his listeners remained unwritten.

In 1890 it was published the only novel, which finally brings Wilde stunning success - “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. It was published in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. But critics accused the novel of immorality. In response to 216 printed responses to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde wrote more than 10 open letters in the editorial office British newspapers and magazines, explaining that art does not depend on morality.

Moreover, he wrote, those who did not notice the morality in the novel are complete hypocrites, since the only moral is that one cannot kill one’s conscience with impunity. In 1891, the novel with significant additions was published as a separate book, and Wilde accompanies his masterpiece with a special preface, which now becomes a manifesto for aestheticism - the direction and religion that he created.

The year 1895 became a critical year creatively. Wilde wrote and staged two plays - An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest. In the comedies, Wilde's art as a witty interlocutor was revealed in all its brilliance: his dialogues are magnificent. Newspapers called him “the best of modern playwrights,” noting his intelligence, originality, and perfection of style. The sharpness of thoughts and the precision of paradoxes are so delightful that the reader is stupefied by them throughout the entire duration of the play.

However, let's return to The Picture of Dorian Gray. Back in 1891, the writer met a young man, Alfred Douglas, the son of the Marquis of Queensberry, who had lost his social favor. Douglas was 16 years younger than Oscar Wilde.

The writer begins everything free time devote to his new friend, forgetting his wife and children, and, in fact, supports the young man. In English secular society a scandal is brewing. The Marquess of Queensberry publicly accuses the writer of having an indecent relationship with a young man. Oscar Wilde, in turn, calls Queensberry a slanderer. The trial begins, which will subsequently be discussed throughout for long years. At the hearing, the prosecutor quotes the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and asks the writer whether this is an autobiography?

“Might not the artist’s affection and love for Dorian Gray lead the ordinary man to believe that the artist is attracted to him by a certain kind?”

And Wilde replied: “Thoughts ordinary people unknown to me." “Has it ever happened that you yourself madly admired a young man?” - continued the prosecutor. Wilde replied: “Crazy - never. I prefer love - it’s a higher feeling.” Or, for example, trying to identify hints of “unnatural” relationships in his works, the prosecutor read a passage from one of Wilde’s stories and asked: “This, I assume, was also written by you?” Wilde deliberately waited for deathly silence and answered in the quietest voice: “No, no, Mr. Carson. These lines belong to Shakespeare." Carson turned purple. He pulled out another piece of poetry from his papers. “This is probably Shakespeare too, Mr. Wilde?” “There’s not much left of him in your reading, Mr. Carson,” said Oscar. The spectators laughed, and the judge threatened to order the hall cleared.

As a result, Oscar Wilde received two years of imprisonment in prisons intended for especially dangerous repeat offenders. The conclusion completely broke the writer. Most of his friends turned away from him; in prison, Wilde learns that his mother has died.

After his release, Oscar Wilde left for France, where in 1900 he died of acute meningitis. The writer’s death was educational; shortly before his death he became completely deaf and speechless, and last days spent in terrible agony. However, all his works, a hundred years later, have not lost their charm and relevance and continue to remain just as beautiful and exquisite. Like a portrait of the golden-haired youth Dorian Gray, over whom time itself has no power.

Genius is undoubtedly more durable than Beauty.

The Picture of Dorian Grey.

Oscar Wilde's only published novel was written in 1890. This philosophical work with Gothic elements, it has been filmed many times.

While admiring the literary hero of his novel, the author condemns him. Following the path of the “aesthetics of evil,” Dorian Gray comes to the ugly and base. The inconsistency of an aesthetic attitude to life without support in the ethical is the theme of another work by Oscar Wilde, for example, “Star Boy”.

It would probably be unnecessary to write another review of this controversial, incredibly poignant and beautiful book, because hundreds have been written about this novel reader reviews. But still.

No matter how much they condemn the novel and literary hero critics and teachers, the moral of the book is expressed unusually clearly. Eternals human values– humility, kindness, sincere love for one’s neighbor as opposed to eternal human vices- narcissism, voluptuousness, acquisitiveness...

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a work by Oscar Wilde, considered one of his most significant books. The work was written more than 100 years ago, but the problems raised by the writer have not lost their relevance, and in the conditions of values ​​and lifestyles of our time, perhaps they have even become more important.

The main character Dorian Gray is an incredibly handsome young man who loves himself and admires his appearance. His beauty is noticed by an artist who considers his appearance ideal and draws his portrait. Dorian Gray admires the resulting splendor and says that it would be nice if he always retained his youth, and old age was reflected only in the portrait.

The main character is friends with Lord Henry, a connoisseur of pleasure. Dorian succumbs to its influence and commits immoral acts, corrupting his soul. He uses his attractive appearance to seduce women different ages. Actress Sybil committed suicide because he rejected her. Older women cheat on their husbands. And Dorian notices that his portrait is changing, all his actions are reflected on it, his facial expressions are changing. He understands that what he wished for is happening. With each of his actions, the face in the picture becomes more and more old and disgusting, while Dorian Gray himself remains young and beautiful. Even when he decides to become a better person, he discovers that it is only complacency.

The book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" reflects many problems, such as the constant thirst for pleasure, consumerism. Now more than ever, the desire to have more money, values, and people don’t even try to hide it. The problem of promiscuity is also acute; many men are ready to deceive an innocent girl in order to satisfy their lust once, and women are ready to provide their bodies in exchange for services and money. The topic of infidelity in relationships is no longer even considered something surprising. Every reader will be able to see how accurately Oscar Wilde described issues that remain important to this day.

On our website you can download the book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read the book online or buy the book in the online store.

Persia. 11th century After drinking a cup of new wine and seeing the truth, Omar Khayyam wrote down one of his incorruptible quatrains rubai:
I sent my soul through the invisible
Find out what awaits us at the gates of the afterlife,
The soul, returning, answered,
Know that I am both heaven and hell

London, 1890 Thirty-six-year-old brawler Oscar Wilde writes his only novel. A novel that people will read and reread different generations and eras. A novel about a man who wished to find eternal youth, which replaced joy ordinary life with love, friendship, affairs, problems for the senseless wasting of days, months, years in dubious pleasures, over time becoming more and more sophisticated and cynical Until finally this rust corroded his soul to the last drop

Los Angeles, 1945 In the pavilions of the MGM studio, filming of the next (one of fifteen to date) film adaptation of the immortal “Dorian Gray” is being completed. Director and scriptwriter Albert Levin reinterpreted Wilde's novel in his own way and presented his version of this story to the public More than $3 million was invested in the filming, a more than decent amount at that time. And, I must say, the money was spent wisely. Beautiful scenery, costumes, props The atmosphere of that era was perfectly recreated! The merit of the director, artists and cameraman is enormous. Add to this amazing music, romantic, sad or creepily gloomy

And despite all this, in my opinion, the picture as a whole turned out not quite perfect

Most of the complaints are against the actor who played Dorian. Yes, without a doubt, Hurd Hatfield is probably handsome in appearance to some tastes, but he is not at all the Dorian that Oscar Wilde describes him in the novel: "Lord Henry looked at Dorian, admiring his clear blue eyes, golden curls, an elegant pattern of a scarlet mouth. This young man was truly amazingly handsome, and something in his face immediately inspired confidence. He felt the sincerity and purity of youth, its chaste ardor. It was easy to believe that life had not yet polluted this young soul with anything." There is no chastity visible in this young man. As well as ardor, purity and sincerity A certain imprint of vice lies on his face already in the very first frames, so the further transformation of his hero from an innocent lamb into a fiend of hell did not turn out to be as shocking as it should have been

But the other actors were very pleased!

Angela Landsbury as singer Cybill, the only true love Doriana, incomparable, young, innocent, touching, like a meadow flower, and tragic A small role, but she is very, very expressive! Anyone who wants to see what the detective writer from the TV series “Murder, She Wrote” was like during her daisy-colored youth, you’re welcome!

Sir Henry Wotton serpent tempter, cynic, esthete The director put almost all of Wilde’s most famous aphorisms in the mouth of this hero an unprincipled observer of the emotions of other people, having fun with what he has fully mastered the art of influencing other people’s lives “How exciting it is to test the power of your influence on another person! Nothing can compare to this". George Sanders is great in this role! Sharp cold gaze, curved lips, aristocracy

The artist Basil Hallward, according to the book, is in love with our Dorian with that same love (as far as I caught it in the lines of the novel), for which the brilliant artist himself was distinguished Oscar Wilde In the film, this strange, enthusiastic, touching tenderness of the painter for his inspiration is completely absent But on the other hand, the actor who played Basil is very convincing in the episodes when he tries to return his friend Dorian to faith and virtue

But let's get back to what surprised me in this film I noticed a certain freedom with which the director approached the original source, shifting some accents, adding extra details (not always necessary) and how to say this chewing on the viewer everything-everything-everything Director constantly poked the screen with an insidious Egyptian cat standing on the table, commented behind the scenes on any movement Well honestly, this is not entirely clear Or is the American viewer so lazy that he could not get to the point with his brains without unnecessary help?

If we evaluate the film as a whole, I can say that the picture is worthy of being appreciated by modern viewers! It’s not ideal, but is it really possible to embody Wilde’s genius on screen, preserving all his liveliness and beauty?

Los Angeles, 1946 Film Academy Awards Ceremony. The main statuettes went to other films, and Dorian Gray was awarded one gold Oscar for camera work, which was actually great. Very interesting find inclusion in black and white film color frames in which we see that same ill-fated portrait in different time periods of his life and aging Oscar for the cameraman fair decision of the Film Academy

London, 2008 Filming begins new version immortal novel

Russia, January 2009 Snowy Ural town. At least one person in town appreciated the 1945 film and is looking forward to the new adaptation of the beloved novel. What will he be like, the eternally young Dorian Gray in the new millennium? Will he be able to reveal to us the soul in which there is both heaven and hell?

Somewhere far away, probably in heaven Forever young Oscar Wilde and Omar Khayyam, sitting at a card table and puffing on a pipe (or hookah), looking at the sinful earth, are playing a strange game of solitaire Will it work or not? Let's wait and see

Some seriously believe that those who see these paintings will experience imminent death. However, they are currently on display in Poland in a museum named after the artist Zdzislaw Beksinski. For those who are inclined to believe in such mysticism, we remind you that there are no paintings in this article, but only photographs of them, so there is no danger.

This work was allegedly written in the artist's own blood. The painting entitled “A Man in Torment” was created unknown author, who committed suicide immediately after its completion. The owner of the painting, Sean Robinson, inherited it from his grandmother. At first he kept the canvas in the basement, but one day a flood forced Robinson to move it into the house. The portrait currently hangs in the guest bedroom on the third floor. After the move, according to Robinson's family members, at night they began to hear muffled sobs and strange sounds, as if someone was scratching on wood. Robinson's wife said that one day she went to bed (not in the room where the painting was) and was horrified to find another man, a stranger, instead of her husband. When she jumped out of bed and was about to call the police, the stranger disappeared.

Edwin Henry Landseer's Man Proposes, God Disposes (1864) is in Royal Holloway College, London. According to rumors, in the seventies of the last century, one of the students committed suicide after seeing this work. His suicide note was discovered during the initial medical examination. It read: “The polar bears made me do it.” Because of this incident, after 1984, the university administration began to hide the painting so that no one could see it. However, a replica entitled “Disappearing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art” is currently on display at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. Dark mystical rumors surround the replica, just like the original painting.

Artist Laura P. painted this watercolor from a photograph taken in the tourist town of Tombston, Arizona by professional photographer James Kidd. If you look closely, you can see a headless man standing to the left of the van. Laura swears that she didn't draw him intentionally and that the figure wasn't in the original photo. After she hung the watercolor in her home, strange events began to happen. The times of appointments mysteriously changed, important papers disappeared without a trace, and antique watch, hanging on the wall for 40 years, fell and broke. Moreover, various items flew at the owner in a completely incomprehensible way, as if someone had thrown them, including dried starfish, nailed to the walls of the garage for decorative purposes.

Bill Stoneham created his painting "Hands Resist Him" ​​in 1972. The people who owned this painting said that the doll and a little boy on the canvas sometimes changed their poses and location, and sometimes they were found even outside the picture, for example, on the wall where it hung. According to the explanation of the then owner of the painting, who tried to sell it through the eBay platform, he hoped to help his little daughter get rid of the fears that tormented her, for which purpose he placed a motion-sensitive camera in the room. By doing this, he hoped to show his daughter that she had nothing to fear. Instead, he said, they saw the boy slowly moving away from the painting.

This portrait, by Bernardo de Galvez, who died in 1786, is believed to be haunting the artist's ghost and cannot be photographed unless permission is first sought. Any attempt to photograph the work without permission will result in the photograph being blurry, regardless of the lens focus.

Painting " Love letters" hangs in the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. She allegedly caused the four-year-old daughter of a US senator to fall down the stairs and die. The girl I'm talking about we're talking about, bore a striking resemblance to the one depicted on the canvas. IN Lately people report that the girl's facial expression in the painting, as well as her location, changes from time to time. Overly inquisitive viewers who stare at her for too long will at some point begin to feel physically ill or dizzy.

The painting "Dead Mother" was painted by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, author famous painting"Scream." People who own this work claim that the sheets in the painting sometimes make rustling sounds or move, and the child sometimes disappears completely from his place.