Oscar's Wildes Dorian Gray is a solid picture. It is the classic Gothic type of horror film which has gone out of style today. There is one scene with a stabbing but very little in the way of action besides & lots of words.
This film is actually a youth movement of sorts as Angela Lansbury is a stunningly stacked 20 years old when this film was shot. Donna Reed & Peter Lawford are both closer to 20 than 25 when the film was shot. Even some of the older members of the cast are less than 40. This film was more a spring board for the younger cast members than anything else.
The direction is OK & what is interesting is the investment in shooting a handful of scenes of the portrait in full color while all the rest of the film is black & white. To me this black & white gives it the Gothic Horror type effect. While the color shots of Dorian's portrait are quite stunning, they are so few that they do not contribute much to film.
This film is actually a youth movement of sorts as Angela Lansbury is a stunningly stacked 20 years old when this film was shot. Donna Reed & Peter Lawford are both closer to 20 than 25 when the film was shot. Even some of the older members of the cast are less than 40. This film was more a spring board for the younger cast members than anything else.
The direction is OK & what is interesting is the investment in shooting a handful of scenes of the portrait in full color while all the rest of the film is black & white. To me this black & white gives it the Gothic Horror type effect. While the color shots of Dorian's portrait are quite stunning, they are so few that they do not contribute much to film.