''Dorian Gray'' ( it, Il dio chiamato Dorian, translation=''The god called Dorian'') a.k.a. ''The Sins of Dorian Gray'' and ''The Secret of Dorian Gray'' is a 1970 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

'' starring

Helmut Berger Helmut Berger (; born Helmut Steinberger; 29 May 1944) is an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually-ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of the European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is regarded a ...

. Directed by

Massimo Dallamano Massimo Dallamano (17 April 1917 – 4 November 1976), sometimes credited as Max Dillman, Max Dillmann or Jack Dalmas, was an Italian director and director of photography. Life and career Born in Milan, Dallamano began in the 1940s as camera ...

and produced by Harry Alan Towers, the film stresses the decadence and eroticism of the story and changes the setting to early 1970s

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The

sexual liberation The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the 1 ...

of the late 1960s and early 1970s provides a fitting backdrop for Dorian's escapades in this version, and also the general clothing and fashion style of the era is extrapolated into a 1970s version of the aesthetic, decadent world of the 1890s novel. Critical opinion of the film is decidedly mixed. On the one hand, some consider the film trash and

sexploitation A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit s ...

, while others point out that the film was shot at a unique time in the 20th century when a new openness about sexuality and its depiction on film allowed showing scenes only vaguely hinted at in the novel and earlier (and also later) movie adaptations. A marked difference between this version and the novel is the final scene. Instead of Dorian slicing the painting with the knife (thereby inadvertently killing himself), he is seen committing suicide with the knife deliberately.

Plot

Dorian sirs with his friend Basil and another man, drinking in a London strip club. They split up. Dorian goes to an empty theatre and watches a girl rehearsing the part of Juliet from

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

. He takes her for a hot dog and coffee and they drink water from a fountain. They walk arm in arm through the night. She takes him back to the theatre and plays a tape of Romeo and Juliet as they make love. The next day she says she was a virgin. He drives her to her parents' house. He goes to see Basil in his riverside studio. Basil's client Henry Wotton arrives with his sister and wants the picture of Dorian Gray for his gallery. The picture shows him stripped to the waist, wearing a purple scarf. They go outside to speak to Dorian and ironically discuss

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. They debate the demerits of marriage. Dorian takes the girl to a red-tiled cottage in

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for many ...

. She runs off saying that he has had other girls there. He catches her and they make love under a huge oak tree.

Cast

References

External links

* * 1970 films 1970 LGBT-related films West German films 1970 horror films British LGBT-related films German LGBT-related films Italian LGBT-related films 1970s English-language films English-language German films English-language Italian films Films based on The Picture of Dorian Gray Films set in London Constantin Film films 1970s British films 1970s Italian films 1970s German films {{1970s-UK-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links