Monday, September 20, 2010

Dorian Gray and PRB

A big thank you to dear friend Robin over at Passing Fancies alerting me to the fact that Dorian Gray was finally available on Netflix!

Tons of Pre-Raphaelite references/visuals; Sybil Vane's portrayal of Ophelia in the theatre, to her lovely long red hair and ivory skin;  Leighton's God Speed in her dressing room. Yes, I know, the novel pre-dates the painting by a decade, but still it works for the visual tone of the movie. Perhaps that was the director's nod to Oscar Wilde? I suppose we have to make allowances for the art of storytelling and if I had a dime for every time one of the unicorn tapestries appears in an early "medieval" movie, I'd be a wealthy woman.




9 comments:

  1. So glad you enjoyed it! I watched it this weekend, too :-) Love the scene you have posted, with the Gothic Revival pavilion. Good eye on the Pre-Raph references!

    I still cannot get over how much Ben Barnes resembles Hurd Hatfield in the 1945 Dorian Gray. I really enjoyed Colin Firth in the role of Henry, the decadent :-)

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  2. Robin - thanks once again for your vigilance. I loved Ben Barnes in this too. So many familiar faces in the cast - I forgot to mention the actress who was Igraine in Mists of Avalon!

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  3. I am married to a man 12 years younger than myself and I thought he was not my type when we first met.He was a biker with leathers etc and played bass and I am a libraian!.I told him when he asked me out that he was a bit young for me and he replied "Ah but I have a picture in the attic" and so we have been together ever since !! Thanks to dastardly Dorian Ho!I would love to see the new film !

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  4. Angela - That is the best and most romantic of stories - thank you so much for sharing and making me smile. I do like a man on a motorcycle myself:)

    Hope you see and enjoy the movie as much as I did.

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  5. Oooh I need to see this. Is that the actor who played Prince Caspian?

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  6. Jno - Yes, indeed Prince Caspian and he was in Stardust. Am I a total cougar for finding him cute?

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  7. Stardust...dang, I STILL need to see that. And hey...being a cougar isn't a bad thing. Men have done it for eons.

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  8. This looks so, so appealing. You're a girl after my own heart, it seems.

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  9. Julie - Excellent and look forward to many shared interests!

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