The Picture of Dorian Gray 2009 ~ Lost in Adaptation 

Honestly even after everything Dorian Gray is still somehow better than Christian Grey, go figure

“The Picture of Dorian Grey but Grey gets drafted into the war” Sounds like a sweet premise

I don't even care how good/bad this movie is, I had a genuine Ben Barnes fangirl phase as a kid.

What I thought was a nice touch when i saw the film was Dorian Gary was still wherrying Victorian fashion in the 1910's.

"So, my suffragette daughter, this man exploited, betrayed and abandoned hundreds of women." Doe-eyed movie suffragette: "I don't care." Quite an empowering feminist character.

Prince Caspian: blonde Dorian Gray: blonde Ben Barnes: brunette, both roles of the above

1:50 - The performances varied WILDEly, you'd say? I'll see myself out.

"Off the rails" ...he says as the brother gets run over by a train... ... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well played, Dom! Well played!

Its pretty surprising dom has never done a video on treasure island and its most faithful adaption treasure planet

I did my thesis projec on "PoDG" and I unironically really like this movie. I like that it takes its time with Dorian's downward spiral. I like that it shows the debauchery. I LOVE that it brought back the gay. I especially like that it showed the changing times with the updated technology and clothing and the war -- things which, as you pointed out, Oscar Wilde could never have predicted (heck, things he never even lived long enough to see.) I like how they have an explanation for Jim appearing out of nowhere trying to kill Dorian. I like the changes towards the end, where Lord Harry has a daughter and has a change of heart now that it's HIS daughter in danger from Dorian. I even like the ending, with Lord Harry left a scarred, lonely old man reviled by the remnants of his family -- it's like a taste of karma for him, even though it makes the story more about him than Dorian. Honestly, the only part I don't like is portrait growling and jump-scaring. I'm not going to argue that the movie is good or that it's bad. I'm just saying I like it.

The moment when I finally realize who it was being used in Harry Potter music videos and edits/gifsets of Sirius Black in marauder era creations.

I 500% just watched a bootleg copy of this adaptation back in the day because of Ben Barnes. I can kind of see where they tried to go with this, but they definitely got lost in the sauce.

Dorian trying to reform to appeal to a suffragette could have been a great dissection of the Nice Guy trope, staying in keeping with the spirit of the book while updating for a modern audience.

I don't know why but the demonic painting voice makes me laugh every time you use it. Somehow it becomes incredibly silly when you do it!

I loved the book, so when I rented this movie to watch, expecting a proper adaptation, I felt so disappointed. It left a sour taste in my mouth. I didn’t like how they handled Basil, my favorite character, I HATED the added in Dorian/Emily storyline and Lord Henry suddenly becoming “good” because of his daughter as I felt the idea that love (be it romantic or parental) can change even the most vile people went against the entire point of the book. It’s not that it couldn’t be an interesting storyline if it had been handled better (I LOVE Disney’s 1992 Beauty and the Beast, after all), but it’s just not what the novel is about. It’s one thing to make changes to better suite a modern audience, it’s another thing entirely to go against the themes of the book and the characters Wilde created. I know that there are a lot of people who love this movie, but I’m sorry, I’ll never be able to enjoy it.

I know objectively that this is not a great film, but my love of the gothic atmosphere (and love of Ben Barnes...) means I can't help but really enjoy it.

I'm so glad you talked about this version. This movie was my intro to Dorian Gray as a teen and was a very effective gateway drug to Wilde.

The go fish segment got me hard lol its so stupid but funny as hell. Love your content.

I love the little scetches you do. They always add a little fun to the review 😁 Edit : Also the bloopers are amazing!

I remember watching this entire film for that one kiss between Dorian and Basil. I knew nothing about the original story beyond the fact that it existed, so Basil's ultimate fate was... a surprise, to say the least.

Is a Dom of ice and fire going to continue or is permanently cancelled because of how bad season 8 was?

I guess we'll have to go back to Importance of Being Earnest for decent Wilde adaptations.

I like that after everyone has seen Collin Farrel as Mr Darcy everyone just calls hom Mr Darcy. I didnt know the actors name till i was 18 because my mum always called him Mr Darcy.

Notification brought me here. Really have to wonder what the 2009 version did differently than the first adaptation of the book.

I really like the addition of the painting also absorbing all the damage to Dorian's body, including diseases and everything. They also did this in Penny Dreadful etc, so I always thought it were the case, book included.

Dorian gray: “fine. Make me your villain.”

Remember watching this for school after reading the book and thinking "wait where did all that extra stuff tacked on the end come from!?"

10:45 I want to see a blooper scene of Dominic playing cards with his painting.

While I watched this movie, I kept thinking that ‘maybe it’s all just in his head’, unfortunately the movie then started going out of its way to show that.. no, it really wasn’t.

Just as Dominic said the painting made creepy breathing noises, my refrigedetor let out a weird gurgling, followed by some kind of wailing. And yes, it scared me shitless

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Penny Dreadful both also took the painting to mean Dorian was immortal and could heal as well.

Here to make the algoritm understand Doms excellence!!

Can’t wait for the 3rd video to complete this trilogy when the new version comes out…

a little nod/reference to Oscar Wilde that the movie included was Henry's use of a silver cigarette case, which Wilde owned in real life! (given to him by Lord Alfred Douglas during their love affair) my teacher pointed it out when we covered the book and this moving in school (and boy howdy were those orgies awkward to watch in class!)

I've watching this video a few times, but I still begin to laugh so hard it kind of hurts when the painting and Dorian play fish

Here to fight the Devilish RU-vid Algorithm! (Edit: 56 comments, 6 views U the Algorithm is stuck again!)

Ending a review of Dorian Gray with Forever young Iconic.

Just finished the book. Now I am here to watch the video!

For a minute there, I actually thought this was a re-upload.

With the Ben Barnes connection - would you ever consider doing Stardust? Because the book is brilliant and the film is fun but radically, radically different from each other.

My wife's a big fan of the book, and she'd argue that in the book, Lord Henry plays at being a terrible person, but doesn't really follow through, and the tragedy is that Dorian takes his bloviating literally. So one could argue that having him try to take responsibility for the monster he's made is a plausible adaptational development for the character.

I am literally reading this rn wtf, Dom, have you been spying on me???

I have a theory about way the picture was bleeding maggots and trying to jump scare the audience thought it only works if Dorian was alone during both scenes. It could be that Dorian was imagining it because on some deeper level he was feeling guilty for what he was doing. Also to why only the picture was effected by the injury earlier on but Dorian still died when he stabbed the painting, it could be because if the injury happens to Dorian he becomes fine but it effects the painting where if something happens to the painting it becomes fine but it effects Dorian.

I don't disagree with Dominic's criticisms of the film, but I still love it.

"BUGGER!" Made me laugh. A word that, no matter how hard I try, does not sound good in a Canadian accent. Also, Ben Barnes is a delight and I legitimately did not remember Colin Firth being in this.

The dumbest thing that makes me irrationally angry is every time I look at the title of this book/movie and realize it's not actually called The Portrait Of Dorian Gray.

I’m still amazed at how good it looks on the budget

I forgot how much I like your warm narration style and great videos until start watching after a little break, you make each video feel so friendly

Just finished the book, in 2 days no less, and this actor was exactly how I pictured Dorian in the book. Might have to give this adaption a try honestly, I could never sit through the old B&W 1945 version, your video was good enough.

I haven't watched it yet but I'm already so happy!

Thank you for also doing this version. It isn't a masterpiece but I very much like this film.

I was so confused and thought this was a reupload. Also wow last one was a month ago? Feels more recent

I have to admit this was my introduction to Dorian Gray. I still enjoyed it, but I am the opposite of the dom in media intake path

This whole movie is uploaded on RU-vid. I just watched it, and it's WILD, y'all.

okay but that Go Fish sketch was hilarious

Hmm... Given how many film and television adaptations of The Picture of Dorian Gray there are, I half-expected a multi-adaptation comparison ala The DomOscars for A Christmas Carol or the three-part series on The Three Musketeers. Oh, well. Still holding out for the multi-adaptation reviews of all the other works of literature that have been adapted umpteen times, like the works of Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, etc.

Now I may want to see his opinion in that episode of The Haunting Hour inspired in this book. It´s not an adaptation as much a "similar idea, new contex" but it does an interesting take on the spirit and message of the original story. Also, it has some homosexual undertones too... kinda.

3:32 That jacket is amazing. Wish that I could pull that off. God damn.

After watching Ben Barnes character in the first season of Westworld, I thought that he would make an excellent Dorian Gray. When I went to search if anyone else also has this thought, I found that he had in fact already portrayed DG years earlier. However after watching clips of that performance on RU-vid I took back my assertion of excellence. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Hiya Dominic. I dunno if you will ever read this but i just wanted to say i really love your channel. only recently found it but i think your reviews and analyses are very interesting and you are very eloquent and articulate in your delivery. The are 2 movies that have been adapted from books that i would love to see your opinions on. they may not be films you would gravitate towards but i know you cover lots of different genres of books and films on this channel so i know you will do well with them and that is the 1993 film adaptation of The Secret Garden adapted from the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett and the 2016 film adaptation of Me Before You adapted from the book by Jojo Moyes. I have a feeling you would make interesting videos for these. Please keep up the good work on your channel. Please stay safe and look after yourself.

After seeing a tiny clip of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen put into the previous adaptation's video, I'm a little surprised that you haven't done a video for that. But, I don't know how much you look at graphic novels in comparison to regular books, so it's not something I'd expect from your channel.

Oh dear! I do not want to make the llama king cross! Does not seem jolly if you make him cross, that llama king! ALL HAIL THE LLAMA KING AND HIS LLAMA LIKE GLORY! MAY HIS GREAT LLAMMA MAJESTY JUSTLY AND EVER SO FAIRLY GUIDE HIS LLAMA SUBJECTS INTO A GREAT ERA IN HIS LLAMA KINGDOM!

The llama king is back! All hail the llama king!

I have left the comic the make the RU-vid algorithm happy

He should review Frankenstein. He could get two videos out of it too: one review for the black and white film and one for the 1994 adaptation, since the goal of that film was to be a closer adaptation of the book.

I liked this movie, but I have never read the book so the only context I had was the general "character" of Dorian Gray portrayed in other things

Thank you so much for this video. I was never aware of any further adaptations of the Picture of Dorian Grey after the late 80s version making it more of a supposed cautionary tale of the dangers of pursuing fame and fortune in Hollywood. I believe it was titled 'The Curse of Dorian Grey', but it has been quite a while since I've seen it, so I can't be too sure about that. The one thing I did enjoy hearing about in this adaptation is that there is a longer time jump for the characters involved. As I recall, the book covers 20 years or so, and for some people, not much happens to change their appearance depending on how they choose to live their lives or any possible illnesses.

A most fair review. I have the book so I'm invested in the original story. Love the old film for what it did. Yet I have a soft spot for the 2009 version. Flawed but enjoyable.

I genuinely think the horror-y aspect sounds cool!

Failure to trust the source material seems to be a continual main reason why a lot of adaptations fail. Would be interesting to see you review the recent adaptation of the Cohen Brother's 'True Grit' as film that tries a lot harder to stick to it's source material without the need to embellish it significantly.

I dunno...I haven't seen this version from first to last so I can't judge it as a whole, but I rather like the idea of Lord Henry turning around once he has a daughter to love. It makes the point that it's easy to be oh-so-fashionably cynical and nihilistic when nobody is depending on you...but that changes once you've got a child who means something to you, who'll look to you for guidance, who may just remind you of your own long-ago innocence. And I like the outcome that Henry's past cynicism, selfishness and casual cruelty ends up, in the long run, costing him the person who means the most to him.

I really want a modern adaptation of Dorian grey because it would work so well

The Hound of the Baskervilles, next?

Dom. Cats are naturally magical creatures, baked in mythology and folklore, and you didn't think you cat would listen to you while you were petting it? Fair enough. I don't even think my cat would have when she was alive.

Fun fact: I own the same teacup Dorian is using at 4:10 - not the actual cup he used, but the same pattern.

You need to acquire another soul to make another wish

I remember they showed this movie to us in my high school literature class after we read the book. I was... disturbed, to say the very least.

If I were to give this movie a grade it would be: A+ effort. C result.

Now I'm kind of hoping he'll look at that batshit insane 2002 adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest.

I think the portrait movements are similar to the behelit in Berserk. It's an object of evil that seems to come to life if you stare at it long enough. But it happens so quick the viewer is never sure if it actually moved, or if it was their imagination. Most people never look close enough for the most part, making it a rare occurrence.

I actually LOVE this movie despite all my problems with it (the Sibyl break up, and then all the post-return plot). So often, I actually watch this movie up until Dorian returns from his travels, or just that return scene, because then it’s really just dealing with the Sibyl Vane thing. I’m less miffed about Dorian doing the body-disposal than the other things, but I do think seeing his manipulation of Alan and the consequence is more powerfully illustrative of Dorian’s corrupted soul/ever youthful body than him butchering the remains himself. It’s weird too, because I think one of the companions in Dorian’s early days of debauchery in this film is called Alan. I never understand though why they can’t keep to the original Dorian-Sibyl fall out. To me that’s so perfect and honestly more realistic (who hasn’t had a fleeting crush where the crush suddenly becomes totally unappealing? Albeit the consequences are not normally as tragic...). There also is an adaptation, I think it’s a made for a TV one, where Dorian is a young blonde. Jeremy Brett plays Basil in it. It is quite 1970s.

There's a Dorian film that is modern, they set the picture on fire, but I can't think of it. Guess I will watch this. I thought it came out earlier than 2009.

YES. I loved this movie when i was younger. Well... I loved Ben Barnes

I have to ask again: How many shades does this Gray have?

*lizzo voice* I’ve been WAITING for this one

I know the film isn’t technically a great film. It’s definitely a bad adaption…but a part of me still kind of loves it!

I feel like Treasure Planet should be next, I mean while you have the look and all...

Oh god the ponytail snuck into a video 😲

Sorta want to write a "A Picture of Christian Grey" fanfic ^.^'

I love your website!

Aside from the movie, the other versions of Dorian Grey I’m familiar with are League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Penny Dreadful

My boy Ben! 💕

Now I, Ray am Vigo!

Hello! I was hoping you could do a "Lost in Adaptation" with The Rise of The Guardians! I haven't read the books but I heard that its one of the most insane book series of all time and it is nice that someone tried to make a movie out of them if the books had that kind of reputation.

Waistcoat game on point.

I would be curious to see a Lost In Adaptation for The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, being an adaptation of a reinterpretation of several literary characters. It's basically an "In Name Only" for an "In Name Only." Plus I want to know his opinion on how Alan Moore doesn't like adaptations of his work, even when said work often uses other people's characters or is a stand in for other people's characters ( a la Watchmen)

I feel like the "o shit he's back" moment in the movie didn't age well because Ben Barnes ages too well

You should cover the 1983 Sins of Dorian Grey

I didn't even know this existed

My friend and I did not expect the sex scenes and we both couldn't stop laughing bc we felt so awkward. Now I want to play layers of fear again