Il dio chiamato Dorian

Updated to the Swinging Sixties, produced by infamous exploitation guru Harry Alan Towers and directed by a one-time cameraman from 'spaghetti' Westerns, this is - incredibly enough! - one of the best versions of Oscar Wilde's oft-filmed Decadent classic. At the very least, such a hedonistic decade allows for a frank portrayal of Dorian's bisexuality, promiscuity and drug addiction - hinted at so strongly in the novel, but barely glimpsed in Albert Lewin's 1945 film classic.

Its trump card is the presence of gorgeous Helmut Berger as 'the god named Dorian' (to quote the Italian title). If there was ever a more inspired bit of casting in film history, I can't think of it right now. Best known as the protege of Luchino Visconti, the beauteous Berger here proves himself as an actor in his own right. In or out of his deliciously camp Carnaby Street wardrobe, Berger glows with golden-limbed hedonism and seductive evil!

Backing him up is a splendid supporting cast. Herbert Lom as the sinister gay aesthete Lord Henry Wotton, whose barbed witticisms are lifted directly from Wilde. Margaret Lee and Eleonora Rossi Drago as two Sapphic jet-setters. Isa Miranda as a raunchy and vulgar American millionairess. (Her outfits would make Fellini blush for shame!) Not too sure about Euro-porn starlet Marie Liljedahl and Richard Todd is a bore as the painter Basil Hallward.

But even when the acting falters, the outrageously kitsch costumes and settings make this film a visual delight! Will I ever recover from that first sight of Dorian's zebra-lined 60s shag pad? Somehow I doubt it. This whole film is sleazy, trashy, vulgar, over-the-top...a shameless piece of camp on every level. Poor old Oscar Wilde would have adored every minute of it! And so do I!

The story is familiar - Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray wishes his painting would grow old whilst he remain young. This film version certainly does not equal the production quality of Albert Lewin's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1945), but it is superior in several other ways.

Foremost, the casting of Helmut Berger as Dorian is perfect. Mr. Berger has the "beautiful/handsome" balance necessary to essay the role; he matches his looks with a fine performance, taking Dorian from youth to decadence. Richard Todd (as Basil) and Herbert Lom (as Henry) support Berger well. Dorian's decadent slide is more appropriately depicted in this "modernized" version; however, the sexual situations run on way too long - for a time, the screen is filled with one sexual romp after another; and, the film loses focus. The sexual situations must have been very risqué at the time, but "Dorian Gray" is not "X-rated". The film may remain titillating because there are numerous sexual escapades; and, Mr. Berger and the women are very attractive.

The final "confrontation" between Dorian and Basil is used to effectively begin this version with a flashback; it might have helped to begin the 1945 version in this manner. The passage of time could have been better depicted during the early part (the 1940s-1950s) of this 1970 version, but the 1960s look terrific. The aging of Dorian's portrait is much more realistic in this version, and it somehow seems much truer to the spirit of Oscar Wilde's original work.

******* Dorian Gray (4/24/70) Massimo Dallamano ~ Helmut Berger, Herbert Lom, Richard Todd, Marie Liljedahl

This updating of Oscar Wilde's Victorian-age novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," to the 1970s and translating of the English-language text to Italian is surprisingly faithful--more so in some ways than the classic 1945 MGM version, among others. I generally don't find faithfulness important for an adaptation, but in this case it's usually for the best. And, the ways in which it does diverge from Wilde are interesting, including all of the 1970s style. I also believe that this is the first screen version to be explicit about homosexuality, which, of course, even the book wasn't (although granted, chronologically, this is only the third Dorian Gray film I've found available after the 1945 one and a 1915 silent two-reeler).

Some of the film techniques employed leave much to be desired, including the abruptness of the opening prolepsis, and its point-of-view shots of bloody hands. Some of the sex scenes are too long as well, although they're not very explicit because the bodies are generally obscured by foreground objects. Consequently, some consider this trashy or a sexploitation film, but I don't necessarily agree. At least, it could've been a lot more risqué considering its source. Anyways, it's not the gorgeous piece of art that the MGM film remains. It does, however, have plenty of 1970s fashion and style and a groovy soundtrack. It also benefits from the most-appropriate-looking (as far as being blonde, blue-eyed, young and handsome) and probably best-looking Dorian to ever appear on screen, Helmut Berger. The removal of many of Wilde's epigrams, however, leaves an unusually dull Henry.

Unlike other versions, including the 1945 and 2009 ones, this film doesn't do away almost entirely with the details of Sybil Vance's Shakespearean acting. It keeps the reason that Dorian rejects her because of her poor performance, even though she still has sex with him, as in the other movies and as just about everyone else in this film does. It bothers me that other adaptations miss the self-reflexive implications and theme of artistic illusion of this plot point. Another thing I like here is that it doesn't add a second grand romance, who is either related to Basil or Henry, for Dorian. It's entirely unnecessary. The Gladys here is an actual character from the book who partly fits that bill, instead, as well as the host of other characters from Wilde whom Dorian shags here. One of these liaisons explains his wealth, as 1970s Dorian, apparently, must work unlike his 19th-century counterpart. Another is the source of his blackmail of Alan Campbell, which is unexplained in the novel. The Alan storyline also involves photography, which is better employed here than it was in the 2009 "Dorian Gray."

Most sensationally, however, is the scene where Dorian drops the soap in the shower and Henry picks it up, and there are a few more homosexual hookups besides that. Oddly, the two characters I thought were most coded as gay when reading the novel are straight here: Basil, who gushes over his feelings for Dorian's looks in the book and fears that his portrait will expose those feelings, is merely a painter for hire here; and the usual theory of Alan's blackmail in the book is that Dorian threatened to expose his homosexuality--a crime back then, for which the author Wilde would later be sentenced. Dorian, Henry and Gwendolyn, on other hand, all take part in this iteration. I'm also rather surprised by the lack of drugs for a 1970s low-budget, supposed exploitation film. Even Wilde had Dorian visit an opium den. Regardless, this remains the most daring Dorian Gray screen adaptation to that date, which benefited by its updating to the sexual revolution.

Massimo Dallamano's Dorian Gray is a REALLY kitsch version of Oscar Wilde's classic tale, set in 'swinging' London, with funky music, gaudy fashion, and decadent sexually-liberated characters of all persuasions. Helmut Berger is the beautiful young Gray, who sells his soul so that his portrait will age and decay while he himself stays eternally youthful; Richard Todd is artist Basil, who captures the likeness of Gray so perfectly that his subject becomes obsessed with his own attractiveness; and Herbert Lom is influential art dealer Henry Watton, who leads Gray astray by telling him to make the most of his youth and yield to temptation. Marie Liljedahl plays stage actress Sybil, who falls for Dorian, but finds herself abandoned once Gray gets a taste of the high life.

Dallamano keeps the film moving at a decent pace, and his cast all put in entertaining performances, with Lom being particularly fun as the corruptor of youth, providing the film's funniest moment (unintentionally so) when he pops up in Dorian's shower, bar of soap in hand. Isa Miranda is also a hoot as ageing millionairess Mrs. Ruxton, who Dorian reluctantly treats to a spot of back-door sex in a stable. Perhaps the best thing about the film is the hideous '70s clothing, especially Berger's wardrobe: his blue velvet shirt and shorts two piece is quite the fashion statement, but it pales in comparison to the zebra stripe coat, brown flares, foppish hat and cravat ensemble that he opts for in the final act. Talking of zebra stripes, they must have been popular back then - Dorian's apartment is adorned with zebra pattern curtains, and not one, but two zebra skin rugs. Other animal-based decorations include a lion skin rug (you can never have too many dead animal skins to lounge on) and an elephant tusk picture frame. How tasteful!

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for Liljedahl, who is gorgeous (and not averse to taking her clothes off), and for the hilarious pair of mincing queens outside the Black Cock nightclub (I kid you not!).

Much like other sexploitation films of this period, looking back on them can be quaint. They have plenty of nudity, but it's not as if they ever get into hardcore sex. This adaptation of Dorian Gray promises tons of sex and depravity, but its fairly chaste when all is said and done. What's most surprising about it is that it's not a half bad adaptation of the Oscar Wilde story from which it's based.

Helmut Berger plays Dorian Gray, an impossibly beautiful young man who falls for an actress named Sybil, but as he starts to make it way up through the London society crowd, he no longer has much use for Sybil and after he discards her, she kills herself. This leads Dorian to harden and only rely on his looks until people begin to get suspicious as to why he never seems to age after many years. Perhaps the secret involves a painting hidden away in his attic.

Despite adding in some sex and nudity to spice things up, this version of Dorian Gray plays out, more or less, like the original story. It might dwell in the sexual depravity a bit more than most adaptations, but at least it works for the story it's telling. It's a bit slow at times, but at least it's trying to tell a somewhat interesting story.