The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) Analysis | Hurd Hatfield & George Sanders Film

This has been an excellent journey 🖼

I love the scene with his old toys in the schoolroom. When he knocks over the horse on the floor...right next to two alphabet blocks that say 'S' and 'V.'

The Dorion Grey character suffers the disastrous effects of debauchery. There is nothing supernatural about the horrible, nightmare of auto-immune disease. The painting represents his superficial image, eventually, as magic fails to hide the truth of his behaviour.

This is the best version. DARE i say i enjoyed this movie better than the Book.

The end portrait is supposed to.come as a terrific shock.and you've put it in the title!!!

The shot of the toys in the attic the toy blocks are a big D block and to the left is S and V blocks and to the right is S and T blocks. On top of the D block is the number 8.. wonder what that could mean 😅

Also I loved David he was trying to protect her 😢

Well done young man, I love the old black and white movies. the original was always the standard in these old movies.

How very sad. More than two thousand views, only fifty seven likes,
inspiring a mere eight comments, and yet an entire year old.
I really wonder just how many people truly understand, and still yet, - appreciate, the profundity and the pervasive curse that it's true meaning indiscriminately bestows upon each and every single one of us. If I could only truly be generous and simply answer this with only sadness, but to be sure, it is indeed and absolutely truly pathetic.

Love your commentary. First time watching movie, so much visuals in the bkground, had to rewind. Love George Sanders. And I agree with all you said! Great film!

I enjoyed your explanation of the film very much!

Really amazing analysis. I’ve seen the painting at the Art Institute of Chicago, but had yet to see the movie.

I always hated the guy they had play Dorian because he wasn't how I had pictured Dorian at all I've always pictured him as an attractive blond..this guy was neither. I'm a huge George Sanders fan so I loved that he was in the movie. I expected it to be watered down because of the Hayes code of the 1940's I think it's still good

I saw this movie one year ago several times which is only shown in the month of October and was trying to figure out who was who etc. The only problem is is that I have NEVER seen the first 20 minutes of it. Then this year it was shown a few times and I still missed the first 20 minutes. OMG I have to wait another year in hopes to see it all the way through

Thank you for explaining some things I may have not caught

Years ago I went to an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago of the work of Albright, and the "degraded" Dorian was at the entrance just inside. It 's kind of typical of what Albright did a lot of, no one could have done it better. You kind of had to stand at a little distance from it; it's something like 7 feet tall!

This is a great movie and I really enjoyed your review.

Thank You much

The back story of Gladys is explained in dialogue between Lord Henry & Basil: she is the orphaned daughter of Basil's dead sister. Lord Henry says she will be as pretty as your sister - cut to a woman's picture painted by Basil?
Moyna MacGill, as the Duchess, is Angela Lansbury's mother. She tells Sir Thomas that Lord Henry's remarks are thrilling and demoralizing and not to be taken seriously. She would again appear opposite George Sanders in THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY. Anita Sharp Bolster appears as Lady Narborough.
The view of Basil's garden suggests Dutch domestic genre paintings done by Vermeer and others. I always that the open door was to a kitchen, and the servant was shelling peas. But you say it is Parker, Gladys's nanny?
Arthur Shields is the street preacher and Barry FitzGerald's brother. Pedro de Cordova is the opium den pianist. Skeleton Knags is the opium den servant. They used THE MYSTERY OD EDWIN DROOD scenic design to suggest and opium den/brothel without showing anything except alcohol. The last servant we see at Selby is Gibson played by silent actor Gibson Gowland of GREED & PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
The lack of realism of the age make up by Perc Westmore on Bette Davis & Jerome Cowan in Warner Bros. MR. SKEFFINGTON may have prompted the aging restrain used by Jack Dawn.

There is an unabridged and completely annotated reproduction of the Lippincott magazine version of the story and relevant excerpts from Wilde's unedited manuscript, available in a large format book. Very worthwhile for anyone interested in the book, it's creation & publication, and the censorship that it encountered.

I was also fascinated with the reveal when I saw this film a few years ago. The full color deterioration combined with the unsettling horn section still affects me to this day. I hope to see Albright's painting in person sometime.

In the book, Dorian is more arrogant and doesn’t really have a redemption ark, he doesn’t really feel guilt at the death of Sibyl Vane’s brother at his Selby estate, this is one of my favourite films

I read the book and Oscar Wilde will not be happy with the film unless it depicts the romantic adoration of Basil to Dorian and the jealousy interplay between Basil, Dorian and Henrietta. if I will make the film , Basil is the the versa bottom Dorian is the dominant top and Henrietta is the insatiable loquatious power bottom and the opium dens on please Oscar meant them to be steamy seedy bathhouses and thank you very much 💅 💄

THE BEST. Loved this film (and book).

Agree very very much with the VO/ sense of destined fate/lends a feeling of myth. An almost archetypal eternal drama.
ALSO liked the idea of the magical cat talisman which is suggested as the wish-granter. (that prop went up for auction a few years back. Sure wish I'd caught that one!
We interviewed both Hurd Hatfield and Angela Lansbury for a retrospect article. yet to be published.
I don't entirely agree with the butterfly comments. Nothing particulaly unreal about it/plus it's such a minor point not worth much comment: The idea and the feeling of it matters far more and lasts far longer than the few seconds it's on screen.

Movies are not just a visual medium. That's an old idea that needs to be put to rest. Sound and dialogue are profoundly part of the art of film. In fact, a lot of movies would fail and/or be utterly meaningless images without the music helping convey the drama, or the substance of what the characters are saying and thinking not being expressed. The visual part is only A part.
But...loved your take and the talk, other than those few disagreements. Big thumbs up. Thanks for the video.

I think this film is a masterpiece. The actors of the day are also superior!

Hello Rambling! I discovered your channel now! Excellent analysis.

Brilliant analysis!

Your wacko... you said you would love that poster mess in your home? this is beautiful to you.. the ugly Dorian? heck never!!!!!
Give me that stunningly beautiful portrait of the
3 H.. Handsome Hurd Hatfield❤ !!!!
❤ Great Movie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saw this movie 1960ish... and without knowing tech talk felt all those things you mentioned. But for me there was a life shaking effect in the aftermath.
One major ambient scene you forgot to mention was the swinging lantern after DG stabs the painting. Or couldve been when he stabs his painter friend???... Also, maybe the TV was set darker which played into the dark themes.
Back in the day 40 years old WAS considered old (matured)
For me the ambience was all consuming and the movie is one of the great master pieces. Certainly puts modern hollywood to shame...

Bad move with the thumb nail BTW but the review was VG !!!😄😃
Just one more thing with the painting... He seems to be surrounded by demons and like a tangle of flesh or something on his right...
We live in the age of incompetence and computers wont fix it.

HURD HATFIELD WAS IN A FEW EPS OF MURDER SHE WROTE!!!! PEACE ND LOVE ON PLANET EARTH