A young and innocent man named "Dorian Gray" (Hurd Hatfield) is having his portrait taken by an artist by the name of "Basil Hailward" (Lowell Gilmore) when he happens to make the acquaintance of an aristocrat named "Lord Harry Wotton" (George Sanders). Unfortunately for Dorian, Lord Harry turns out to be an extremely bad influence upon him from the very start and it is during this time that Dorian wishes aloud that his portrait would age instead of himself. Unknown to him, an Egyptian statue of a cat which is supposed to be one of the 73 great gods of Egypt is in the room and it grants Dorian's wish in exchange for his soul. In due time Dorian changes-for the worse. Yet as he changes his portrait proceeds to capture his age and wickedness while he continues to look young and innocent through the years. Now, although this movie was produced in 1945 it still manages to retain much of its horror and intrigue. In that regard I thought both Hurd Hatfield and Lowell Gilmore performed in an excellent manner. On that same note I should probably also mention that Angela Lansbury (as "Sylvia Vane") won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in a fine supporting role. In short, unlike the portrait, this movie ages quite well and I give it an above average rating.
Review of The Picture of Dorian Gray
