The Difference Between the Movie and Book of the Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray is an American horror-drama film centered on Dorian Gray, a handsome wealthy young man living in the nineteenth century in London. Even though Dorian is a very intelligent person, he often finds himself easily manipulated and this fault will ultimately lead him to failure. Dorian has his picture painted by a friend named Basil, and when Dorian meets his friend Lord Henry Wotton, his life will soon collapse. Dorian begins to believe that youth and beauty will bring him everything he desires, so he makes a wish that the portrait will age, and he will stay forever young and handsome. The picture begins to show Dorian’s truths portraying him as a demon-like creature, and eventually he will come to realize all the terrible sins he created over fourteen years. After Dorian realized he is the result of numerous deaths, he retreats to his old school room to stab the picture in the heart. This relieves him of all his sins and the picture and he switches back, finally showing Dorian’s age. Through out the movie The Picture of Dorian Gray, filmed in 1945 by Albert Lewin, we the audience sees vast amounts of similarities compared to the book written in 1890 by Oscar Wilde. Clearly, the story relates through the plot and gives an accurate representation of what the book would portray, but what stands out the most is the miniscule amount of differences the director decided to change. To start, in Wilde’s version, Sybil Vane is a Shakespearean actress whom Dorian observes playing Juliet, rather than a ball room dancer. This little change has an impact on Dorian causing them to alter his motive for break up with her. In the novel, her acting has become worse due to her heart falling in love with Dorian. In the film, she reacts poorly to his confessions of sensual temptations, which ultimately destroys her trust in him. Also, the movie never brings up the concept of the magical Egyptian who grants Dorian his wish to