The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

Director:

Albert Lewin

Writers:

Oscar Wilde (novel)
Albert Lewin (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 March 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

Tagline:

His life was a muddy morass into which he dragged all who knew him! Such was Dorian Gray, the man who wanted eternal youth, and bartered his soul to get it!

Plot:

A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

Plot Keywords:

Portrait | Suicide | Attic | Painting | Portrait Painting

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

George Sanders	...	Lord Henry Wotton
Hurd Hatfield	...	Dorian Gray
Donna Reed	...	Gladys Hallward
Angela Lansbury	...	Sibyl Vane
Peter Lawford	...	David Stone
Lowell Gilmore	...	Basil Hallward
Richard Fraser	...	James Vane
Douglas Walton	...	Allen Campbell
Morton Lowry	...	Adrian Singleton
Miles Mander	...	Sir Robert Bentley
Lydia Bilbrook	...	Mrs. Vane
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Agatha
Robert Greig	...	Sir Thomas
Moyna MacGill	...	Duchess
Billy Bevan	...	Malvolio Jones (chairman)
Renee Carson	...	Young French woman (as Renie Carson)
Lilian Bond	...	Kate (as Lillian Bond)
Devi Dja	...	Balinese dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Adams	...	Butler (uncredited)
Fred Aldrich	...	Hunter (uncredited)
Harry Allen	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Cabby (uncredited)
Monica Bannister	...	Guest at Mayfair tea (uncredited)
Guy Bellis	...	Lackey (uncredited)
Helena Benda	...	Queen (uncredited)
Wilson Benge	...	Footman (uncredited)
Mary Benoit	...	Guest at Mayfair tea (uncredited)
Joseph E. Bernard	...	Violinist (uncredited)
Art Berry Sr.	...	Footman (uncredited)
Volta Boyer	...	Guest at Mayfair tea (uncredited)
George Broughton	...	Patron (uncredited)
Elyse Brown	...	Guest at Mayfair tea (uncredited)
Ralph Bucko	...	Beater (uncredited)
Colin Campbell	...	Shopkeeper (uncredited)
Lisa Carpenter	...	Lady Henry Wotton (uncredited)
Bruce Carruthers	...	Patron (uncredited)
Charles Coleman	...	Hallward's butler (uncredited)
Jimmy Conlin	...	Pub pianist (uncredited)
Edward Cooper	...	Ernest Harrowden (uncredited)
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Blue Gate Fields pianist (uncredited)
Robert Cory	...	Cabby (uncredited)
Tom Costello	...	Footman (uncredited)
Oliver Cross	...	London Club member (uncredited)
Anne Curson	...	Lady Gwendolyn Rugby (uncredited)
Frank Dawson	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Wally Dean	...	Hunter (uncredited)
Harold De Becker	...	(uncredited)
Paul De Corday	...	Dorian's friend (uncredited)
Natalie Draper	...	Mrs. Vandelaer (uncredited)
Dick Earle	...	Club member (uncredited)
William Eddritt	...	Patron (uncredited)
Alan Edmiston	...	Cabby (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Club member (uncredited)
Rex Evans	...	Lord Gerald Goodbody (uncredited)
Betty Fairfax	...	Housekeeper (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Patron (uncredited)
Ray Flynn	...	Footman (uncredited)
Dorothy Ford	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Lloyd Ford	...	(uncredited)
J.C. Fowler	...	Club member (uncredited)
Charles K. French	...	Club member (uncredited)
John George	...	Hunchback (uncredited)
John Good	...	Jewel merchant (uncredited)
Bernard Gorcey	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland	...	Gibson (coachman) (uncredited)
Hugh Greenwood	...	Club member (uncredited)
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Narrator (uncredited)
Lumsden Hare	...	Thornton (uncredited)
Bud Harrison	...	Loader (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Club member (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Hunter (uncredited)
William Holmes	...	Club member (uncredited)
T. Arthur Hughes	...	Patron (uncredited)
Kenneth Hunter	...	Sir Geoffrey Clouston (uncredited)
Mike Jeffries	...	Loader (uncredited)
Olive Jones	...	Guest at Mayfair tea (uncredited)
Alice Keating	...	Maid (uncredited)
Crauford Kent	...	Friend (uncredited)
Carol Diane Keppler	...	Gladys, as a child (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Hunter (uncredited)
Skelton Knaggs	...	Blue Gate Fields waiter (uncredited)
Charles Knight	...	Footman (uncredited)
Sidney Lawford	...	Davenant (uncredited)
Ila Lee	...	Patron (uncredited)
Jack Lee	...	London Club member (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness	...	Footman (uncredited)
Mitchell Lewis	...	Waiter (uncredited)
James Logan	...	Jewel merchant (uncredited)
Ann Lundeen	...	Beautiful young woman (uncredited)
Audrey Manners	...	Lady Alice Goodbody (uncredited)
Joseph Marievsky	...	Footman (uncredited)
Herbert Marshall	...	Narrator (uncredited)
Emily Massey	...	Parker (the nurse) (uncredited)
Eric Mayne	...	Club member (uncredited)
Frank McClure	...	Footman (uncredited)
Bob McLean	...	London Club member (uncredited)
Charles McNaughton	...	Cabby (uncredited)
Kay Medford	...	Girl (uncredited)
Leonard Mellin	...	Gentleman (uncredited)
Lorraine Miller	...	(uncredited)
Leo Mostovoy	...	Sandwich man (uncredited)
Arthur Mulliner	...	Duke of Berwick (uncredited)
Toby Noolan	...	Club member (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Footman (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Selby Estate butler (uncredited)
Helen O'Hara	...	Beautiful young woman (uncredited)
Will Patton	...	Loader (uncredited)
Pascale Perry	...	Beater (uncredited)
Frank Pharr	...	Loader (uncredited)
Tom Pilkington	...	Ant man (uncredited)
Alexander Pollard	...	Footman (uncredited)
Guy Bates Post	...	Victor (butler) (uncredited)
Pedro Regas	...	Barkeep (uncredited)
Renie Riano	...	Lady Ruxton (uncredited)
Walter Rode	...	Footman (uncredited)
Allen Schute	...	(uncredited)
Scott Seaton	...	Club member (uncredited)
Anita Sharp-Bolster	...	Lady Harborough (uncredited)
Arthur Shields	...	Street preacher (uncredited)
Sam Simone	...	Footman (uncredited)
Reginald Simpson	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley	...	Footman (uncredited)
William Stack	...	Mr. Erskine (uncredited)
Jerry St. John	...	Persian Prince (uncredited)
Doris Stone	...	Patron (uncredited)
Lillian Talbot	...	Mayfair hostess (uncredited)
Tom Tamarez	...	King (uncredited)
Evan Thomas	...	Club member (uncredited)
Lotus Thompson	...	Maid (uncredited)
John Valentine	...	Butler (uncredited)
Kerry Vaughn	...	Guest at Mayfair tea (uncredited)
Frank Whitbeck	...	Trailer Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Herberta Williams	...	Patron (uncredited)
Larry Williams	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Barbara Woodell	...	(uncredited)
Frederick Worlock	...	Francis (uncredited)
Joe Yule	...	Stage manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Albert Lewin

Writing credits
Oscar Wilde		(novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray")
Albert Lewin		(screenplay)

Produced by
Pandro S. Berman	....	producer

Original Music by
Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Sr.		(as Harry Stradling)

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Hans Peters

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Valles		(costumes: men)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Earl McEvoy	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ivan Le Lorraine Albright	....	paintings: "Dorian Gray"
John Bonar	....	associate set decorator
Hugh Hunt	....	associate set decorator
Henrique Medina	....	paintings: "Dorian Gray, as a Young Man"

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
William Edmondson	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Sam Leavitt	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	costume supervisor
Marion Herwood Keyes	....	associate costume supervisor

Music Department
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Murray Cutter	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Ted Duncan	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Gordon Wiles	....	special assistant: Mr. Levin

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Loew's

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Germany:6 (2006, DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Angela Lansbury's portrayal of innocent Sibyl Vane lost the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress to Anne Revere, who played Miss Lansbury's stalwart mother in the cherished family adventure, National Velvet (1944), a film in which Miss Lansbury was assigned what she long considered a secondary role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Lord Henry first spots the butterfly on the drape in Basil's studio, the mesh edges of his fake beard are clearly visible.

Quotes:

Lord Henry Wotton: I choose my friends carefully.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Good-Bye, Little Yellow Bird

A timeless piece -- Black and White classics with touches of color. It's about the mystery of living.

It is a mystery. Or is it mind over matter? The power of a mysterious painting depicted in this timeless tale of Oscar Wilde's imagination -- probing the depth of life's meaning.

It's costume drama, story began in London 1886. Definitely has an element of intrigue -- "a painting with a life of its own". It's eerie. It's dramatic. Its theme is scary. Such is a "deadly" wish of the main character, Dorian Gray: "If only the picture (a portrait of Dorian Gray) can change, and I can always be as I am now. I'd give my soul for that." Dorian Gray's obsession with youth became eternal youth.

Imagine that as time goes by, he will always stay the same rich attractive young man that he is -- never grow old, while the picture will take on the changes -- his soul and character. Conscience, no longer he has -- the picture took it on. The story describes how Dorian Gray spends his life henceforth and the consequences that entail.

A very young Angela Lansbury, after her debut in George Cuckor's 1944 "Gaslight", portrays the innocent young actress Sibyl Vane from the poor side of town. The bet between the characters of George Sanders and Hurd Hatfield brought to mind the cruel intentions of Neil LaBute's 1997 "In the Company of Men". George Sanders is the cynical callous Lord Henry Wotton. The events all happen in a seemingly civil manner, immersed in the society of the rich. Have and have-nots are juxtaposed.

The film is essentially in Black and White, with only the specific content of the picture of Dorian Gray in color when we see it through Dorian's eyes.

It's another B/W classics gem, well-cut and impeccably presented. It encompasses sentiments and all elements: mystery, intrigue, love lost, friendships, regrets, and fear. Dorian Gray with a tormented inside -- pining for the return of his soul. Is this the Devil's advocate? You see no hell depicted as in Vincent Ward's 1998 "What Dreams May Come", or Woody Allen's 1997 "Deconstructing Harry" or Taylor Hackford's 1998 "The Devil's Advocate". No glamorous, elaborate take on the Devil, but the atmosphere provided that suggestion. There's no special effects, yet you can feel the twistedness: a man asking for help within yet unable to help himself because he's a lost soul. The temperature of the movie seems like being in 10 degree Celsius -- cold in sentiment and tone. There was a glimmer of warmth -- it flickered and faded with the innocent Sibyl Vane character.

The subject matter is timeless even though the film was made in 1945. The story is fascinating in spite of the pace which may not be at breakneck speed as in today's action packed, sound effects filled movies.

You can say it's pseudo sci-fi -- a foreboding tale it is. By and by, Dorian Gray's unchanging mask-like face reminds me of "Mr. Sardonicus" (William Castle's 1961). His behaviors are no longer placid -- gradually turning into hideous evils. This film questions one's probity. The mystery of life is to live it not to attain immortality. How uninteresting it'd be to be changeless and ageless? (John Boorman's 1974 sci-fi "Zardoz" with Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling came to mind). Growth and change are intrinsic elements of life. Life and death go hand in hand cyclically. A truly worthwhile effort from writer/director Albert Lewin.