Dorian Gray *** (1970, Helmut Berger, Richard Todd, Herbert Lom, Marie Liljedahl) – Classic Movie Review 12,178

Divine decadence with Helmut Berger as the perfect, beautiful, debauched-looking Dorian in the 1970 Oscar Wilde sexploitation film Dorian Gray. 

Co-writer/ director Massimo Dallamano’s 1970 Euromovie Dorian Gray stars Helmut Berger, who makes the perfect, beautiful, debauched-looking Dorian Gray, in an intriguing, well-mounted if unfortunately updated 1970 swinging London-set version of the 1890 Oscar Wilde novel.

Very much of its time, it is a gleeful exercise in Seventies divine decadence. The updating does however allow for a free and frank discussion of sexuality and an explicitness that Dallamano is able to control and handle, and that Oscar Wilde might have approved of.

Richard Todd as the sensitive artist Basil Hallward (who paints Dorian’s portrait that ages horribly in the attic while Dorian remains unaltered), Herbert Lom as hedonistic Henry Wotton, and Marie Liljedahl as Sybil Vane (Dorian’s actress girlfriend) are a big asset in the acting departments.

It is produced by Harry Alan Towers and Samuel Z Arkoff.

It is also known as Il Dio Chiamato Dorian, Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray, The Secret of Dorian Gray.

Release dates: 24 April 1970 (West Germany) and 9 December 1970 (US).

As so often, the US got a cut down version. Running time: 101 minutes (UK) or 93 minutes (US).

The cast are Helmut Berger as Dorian Gray, Richard Todd as Basil Hallward, Herbert Lom as Henry Wotton, Marie Liljedahl as Sibyl Vane, Margaret Lee as Gwendolyn, Isa Miranda as Mrs Ruxton, Eleonora Rossi Drago as Mrs Clouston, Maria Rohm as Alice Campbell, Stewart Black as Jim, and Beryl Cunningham as Adrienne.

Dorian Gray is directed by Massimo Dallamano, runs 101 minutes (UK) or 93 minutes (US), is made by Sargon Film, Terra-Filmkunst, and Towers of London Productions, is distributed by Constantin Film, is written by Marcello Coscia, Massimo Dallamano and Günter Ebert, based on Oscar Wilde’s novel, is shot by Otello Spila, is produced by Harry Alan Towers and Samuel Z Arkoff, is scored by Peppino De Luca.

After half a dozen silent movie versions, it was first filmed in the talkie era with Hurd Hatfield as The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1944.

It was remade for TV in 1973 as The Picture of Dorian Gray with Shane Briant, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1976, TV with Peter Firth), in 2003 as Dorian with Ethan Erickson and Malcolm McDowell, in 2004 as The Picture of Dorian Gray with Josh Duhamel, and again as Dorian Gray in 2009 with Ben Barnes and Colin Firth.

The films are: Dorian Grays Portræt (1910), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1913), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1915), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1916), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1917, Germany), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1917, Hungary), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), Dorian Gray (1970), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973, TV with Shane Briant),The Picture of Dorian Gray (1976, TV with Peter Firth), Dorian (2003, with Ethan Erickson and Malcolm McDowell), The Picture of Dorian Gray (2004, with Josh Duhamel), and Dorian Gray (2009, with Ben Barnes and Colin Firth).

Austrian actor Helmut Berger [Helmut Steinberger] was born on 29 May 1944 and died on 18 May 2023, at the age of 78. He received a special David di Donatello award for Ludwig, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for The Damned.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,178

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