...DULL!
All of Oscar Wilde's wit and witticism were lost on some very underwhelming and wooden performances. In particular George Saunders gives a "larch" performances as Lord Henry Wotton. The movie does star a very young Angela Lansbury. And only possible criticism I could give to Miss Lansbury is she was hardly in the movie and was sadly under-utilized I feel she was the only bright spot in a very lackluster endeavor.
And the actor playing Dorian Gray I confess I have never heard of. But somehow I didn't imagine Dorian looking like a young Zeppo Marx.
Yes I'm aware Dorian Gray is supposed to be a vain and vapid young man. However, that's no excuse for a lackluster performance.
There is a version of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY which was produced by the BBC in 1976 featuring Sir John Gielgud and Jeremy Brett as Lord Henry Wotton and the artist Basil Hallward. And from what I have seen so far of that version, their perfomances are far more sparkling and much more intersting despite the BBC's limited budget at that time than the forgettable performances from the '45.
This proves to me that the only way for Oscar Wilde's lines to work is good acting and good delivery.
But despite my criticisms, any opinion I give is just my opinion. You should be allowed to enjoy any movie you wish. If you think the 1945 film is a classic, then you have every right to think so..
By the end, I just felt like I aged two hours and the movie remained young.
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