When I learned at the end of October 2008 that Len Gray would be on the screen for the 11th time, and for the first time by the British independent filming of this original British masterpiece of "the last classic of Gothic novels", my central nervous system immediately A strong current passed through. The intense excitement caused a short-term impediment to my language and thinking skills. Even utilitarian fantasy of a magical epic literary blockbuster is about to be released. Anticipation and anxiety. Not sure how Gray will be represented. Although Ben Barnes's long face worried me a bit, the performance of Oliver Parker's "No Child's Play" and "The Ideal Husband" as a Wilde fan calmed me down somewhat, and he was able to squeeze Tim Burton out after all.
Finally had the honor to watch "Dorian Gray", Oliver Parker at least not let me down, but not so comfortable.
Whether it’s the hand-made silk coats and gilded buttons of the haute couture tailors on London’s Savile Row or the Café de Paris in the West End; whether it’s Dowling’s haircut or Basil’s scarf; whether it’s the camera or the music… every detail counts. It reflects the rigor of Oliver Parker's excellence. Oliver Parker is also a director who pursues aesthetics. The film does restore the old London, especially the vividness of the portrait in the early stage, and the ugliness in the later stage. The entire film is truly breathtaking. Coupled with the weird music, the ghostly atmosphere came out.
The movie alone seems to be good. But I'm really not satisfied with Wilde's paranoia. Oliver Parker changed it a bit, but I think it's a lot more. First of all, the paragraph between Dorian and the painter has been added. Originally, the vague ambiguity between the two added a bit of the charm between Wilde and Douglas to Dorian. But the director's straightforward and almost explicit performance makes people feel a little nauseated. And most of the director's performance of Dowling's depravity is through sex, but not enough of other aspects of Dowling's life and inner monologue. The overemphasis on sensuality keeps Wilde from expressing what he meant to say. Fortunately, Oliver Parker's performance of sex is more metaphorical and aesthetic, otherwise it will really become a erotic film...
What surprised me the most was the handling of the ending. The first is the addition of Lord Henry's daughter for no reason. In the performance of the movie, this buried a trouble-free transition for Dorian's awakening and return, and it also responded to the ending that broke out in the fire for no reason at the end. The extra emotional scenes may also earn Dorian a little more tears. But it's a bit "stingy" compared to the original. The ending of the original is that the collapsed Dowling grabbed the knife that killed the painter and stabbed it at the portrait. With a scream, people woke up from their sleep and ran into the attic to find a radiant portrait of Dorian Gray on the wall. Lying on the ground was a shriveled corpse, Dorian Gray. This ending seems a little rushed on the surface, but it is actually shocking and memorable. Just think, after looking at the whole play, if the director can leave us with the portrait of youth and the hateful Dorian lying on the ground at the end, what a contrasting picture it will be. This unexpectedly abrupt ending is a tribute to humanity and the soul. Wilde's ending is not without reason. Such a finish leaves more to the audience. The air-conditioning behind people's backs, the ghostly meaning, and the fear of the degeneration of the soul are even more alarming.
Next, Dowling stabs the portrait with the knife that killed the painter. The director did not show this detail. Dowling's ideological activity in the original work is "This knife is bright and shining, it was used to destroy the painter, so the painter's work and all its connotations should also be destroyed." This detail is very important, it tells the truth Lin's actions are once again linked to the painter, which in turn strengthens his connection to the portrait.
The director also didn't do a great job of Dorian's handling of Basil's body. In the movie, Dowling dismembered Basil's body and put it on a box marked with DQ (short for Dorian Gray) and threw it into the river. Yes, this expression has more visual impact, and it also saves a character from appearing. But doing so is flawed in Dorian's character. The omitted character, Alan Campbell, is important to Dorian's fallen soul. In the original work, he was a deep friend of Dorian 5 years ago. In the end, he was forced by Dorian to melt Basil's body with aqua regia prepared by himself. Finally, he couldn't bear it and committed suicide. The appearance of this character further deepens the ruthlessness and loneliness of Dowling's fallen soul. Dorian didn't believe anyone, and no one cared. He was completely indifferent.
Ben Barnes played really hard. The innocence and innocence when he first arrived in London, as well as his increasingly depraved guilt, were all shown, and they gave him a gentlemanly style. But instead of playing Dorian Gray, he was playing Wilde. This is somewhat different from the original. And Ben's cynicism, indifference, hypocrisy, indulgence, absurdity, fear after Gray's fall... just wasn't enough. Personally, I think some shots of Dowling's viewing portrait should be added to the film. Because it is most interesting when a person meets his own soul. Fortunately, when Dorian shouted "I am what you made me" to Lord Henry, he was sincere.
The look of Lord Henry is the most unexpected to me. A moustache, a slightly fat body, curly hair in instant noodles, the whole image of a middle-aged woman and man. What was Colin Firth thinking? ! Lord Henry is the closest thing to Wilde. He is arrogant, personable, gentle, cynical, with a needle hidden in the cotton, beautiful and arrogant but not a posture, and there is a charm in the femininity. He is the instructor of Dao Lin, a veritable socialist of the upper class, but he has his own moral sense. It is an elegant "criminal" who is conducive to social morality and restraint. I can't relate to this unshaven middle-aged man in front of me. Fortunately, Colin Firth's authentic London accent somewhat makes up for this shortcoming.
The general feeling is that the whole movie is not enchanting enough. Wilde's bisexuality gave him a unique perspective on men and women. Therefore, the male and female protagonists in his works have more or less his own charm. Especially men. Dorian essentially pinned Wilde's love for Douglas. This man should have a strong sense of enchantment. It should be a character who wanders between the sexes.
And there should be plenty of personal monologues in the movie. Rather than just Lord Henry gushing. After all, the essence of Wilde's essence lies in his fantastic and beautiful language.
But in that case the audience should all fall asleep.
There is only one God after all.
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