Wilde, Oscar: The Picture of Dorian Gray

[calico_reaction]

Comments

[jeffhowell]

Thanks for the review, enjoyed it. I've also found it hard to fit the classics in. I read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" a couple years ago, and agree with everything you said. Definitely a lot of witty and quotable stuff out of the mouth of Wotton, and as a character study it's well done, Dorian certainly goes through the whole range of humanity as you mention. I had to skim a few parts myself, probably due to the novel's age, but the good parts certainly do hold up.

[justinhowe]

I should probably reread Picture, though I agree with everything you've said. I've reread RL Stevenson's stuff but not Wilde's. I think it shares a lot of similarities with Jeckyll & Hyde, another cool book for speeches. You know being able to have your cake and eat it too. A curious fact is that the Wilde wrote the book for a competition sponsered by a magazine or newspaper. AC Doyle entered the same contest and wrote The Sign of the Four. I don't know who won, but it's cool that these two books came from the same motivation. Then again I could have my facts wrong and just made all of that up.

You might want to check out the movie version from the 40s with a young Angela Lansbury. Ivan Albright (sp?) contributes the painting, and it's over the top. The actor who plays Dorian is like this beautiful ice-cube, handsome but cold.

[justinhowe]

Hey look at that... I f'd up my post.

[calico_reaction]

*laughs*

That's okay!

I kept hearing Dorian's voice (especially when he was more innocent sounding or petulant) as Orlando Bloom. I think Bloom would make a great Dorian Gray if they re-made the movie, that is, of course, if he could act. :)

[justinhowe]

He wouldn't have to act, just walk around looking handsome and pretending he shits ice cream. Simple.

I'm also looking forward to V for Vendetta. The posters look great and are popping up all over the city. They really capture the feel of the book--like 1984 but with a superhero. I think it's the best thing Moore ever did... besides some of the Swamp Thing stuff.

I f'd up this post intentionally. You know, to keep it real.

[steelvictory]

Unfortunately I haven't read the book because it still holds too many mental associations in my mind with some ex-friends of mine. But it's definitely on the list.

Dorian Gray was the only addition to the travesty that was the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie. He got all the great lines.

"I'm an immortal, not a gazelle!"

[calico_reaction]

*laughs*

I never got around to seeing it, mostly because I can't stand Sean Connery. I don't read Alan Moore's books either, but I'm fascinated by the movies they make of them, hence one of the reasons I'm looking forward to V for Vengeance. I did see From Hell, and really liked it, but I don't know how badly it deviated from the book. :)

[steelvictory]

I haven't seen From Hell and I've only read about the first third of the graphic novel, so I really couldn't tell you.

The comics for LXG are fantastic. Soooo much better than the movie.

But I have high hopes for V, which is also an incredible book. You'd like it if you're into dark, dystopian furturistic, post-WW3 Britain.

[calico_reaction]

Oh, I definitely am. :)

And check out From Hell. It's a really good movie on its own right. :)

[calico_reaction]

No and no. :) With the exception of what I'm reading for SHU, and a couple "required" reads that I do with a friend of mine, I have a very..nebulous way of picking out what I want to read and when. :) It's highly dependent on mood, what I feel I need to read for my work, etc. :) I just finished reading Wild Seed, and should be posting a review of that sometime today. :)

I wondered how I could go about doing something like that, reviews for publication. I don't feel mine would be comprehensive enough, but then again, you never know. :)

Know of any places I should check out? :)

[calico_reaction]

That's all right. :) I didn't know if you had any markets in mind when you mentioned it. :)