Released today on DVD is the latest adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic Dorian Gray, starring Ben Barnes as the attractive young man who makes a deal with the devil to save his good looks but damning his soul in the process. Co-starring Colin Firth, Ben Chapman and Emilia Fox, Oliver Parker’s film is – much like its subject – visually appealing but lacking any depth whatsoever. Read on for the full review…
Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray has long proved a source of inspiration for film-makers across the globe, from the 1945 classic named after the novel to the 2003 actioner The Leaue of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which the character appeared as a minor player. The original novel’s aesthetic may be pure 19th century gothic, but its themes of desire and mortality remain of universal fascination; so it is that we are presented with the latest in a long line of Gray adaptations.
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