Having only been familiar with Oscar Wilde's plays, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a real eye opener to me. For all of Wildes seemingly cavalier and flippant attitudes towards life and especially the moneyed class, this film showed a whole other side of his character. There were traces of classic Wilde in some of the characters, especially George Sanders, Moyna Magill, and some of the other "idle rich" characters who seemed to thrive on gossip, good food, fine wine and juicy scandal. But, the other characters like Sibyl Vane, her brother James, the artist Basil and David all showed a vulnerability, a sensitivity, a truthfulness that played well against the artificiality of the moneyed class. While I found the character of Dorian intriguing, the portrayal of him by Mr. Hatfield was at best one dimensional. Thank goodness for the voice of the narrator or I would never have known what the character was thinking. In truth I enjoyed the film mainly for the prescence of Ms. Lansbury. I have been a fan of hers for a number of years and enjoyed her many screen performances immensely. Her portrayal of Sibyl is touching, sincere and believable. The scene where she gets Dorians letter ending their relationship is absolutely riveting. While she has no lines, you can clearly see every emotion running through her mind on her face. It moved me to tears and her actions that follow are completely true to the character. The film was a great lesson in the price of getting what one wishes for and how vanity can destroy ones life and the lives of those he cares for. For these reasons I do think The Picture of Dorian Gray is well worth viewing.