Review of Dorian Gray

After the death of his grandfather, the naive and pure Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) returns to the Victorian London, where he befriends the talented painter Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) and the corrupt Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth). Basil paints Dorian's portrait and gives the beautiful painting to him while Henry corrupts his mind and soul telling that Dorian should seek pleasure in life. Dorian makes a deal with the devil, trading his soul to keep his beauty and youth, while his picture ages and displays the effects of his corrupt life. He leaves his fiancée Sibyl Vane (Rachel Hurd-Wood) that is pregnant and commits suicide and lives a self-destructive life of orgies and drugs. Dorian Gray travels abroad for many years and when he returns to London, his friends are aged while he is still the same. When Dorian meets Henry's daughter Emily Wotton (Rebecca Hall), they fall in love with each other and Dorian wants to revert his life. However it is too late for salvation and his soul that is trapped in the painting is doomed.

"Dorian Gray" is an enjoyable version of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. When I was a teenager, this novel was one of my favorites; I do not recall details of the book, but I liked this adaptation a lot that has a wonderful cinematography, great acting and a good screenplay. The relationship of Dorian and Sybil should be longer and better developed, but to adapt a novel to the screen, it is necessary to have the capability of being concise and the screenplay writer never disappoints. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Retrato de Dorian Gray" ("The Picture of Dorian Gray")