Dorian Gray

I seem to have an affinity for old music, movies, and a lot of historical information. So, I woke up this morning around 7 and after making an egg white omelette, I headed downstairs to the basement. Must have just turned 7:30. So I turned the TV on and started flipping through the dials. On TCM, I saw "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

Now I had not seen this film, but I knew of it. Get Smart had done an episode based on the idea of aging, except Dorian Gray was a lethal paint instead of a man's name.

Gray is a wealthy, young, British aristocrat. While posing for a painting by his friend Basil, Dorian meets Basil's friend Lord Henry Wotton. He is cynical and witty, and explains to a naive Dorian that the only life worth living is one dedicated entirely to pleasure. After Wotton convinces Dorian that youth and beauty will bring him everything he desires, in front of an ancient Egyptian statue, Dorian openly wishes that his portrait could age instead of him.

"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."

That final sentence. As time goes on, Dorian notices that while he doesn't age, the photo, which now hangs in his private study, does. Over the years, the painting of the young Dorian had warped into that of a hideous, demon-like creature, to reflect Dorian's sins. I'm not going to summarize the rest of the movie, but I want to point out a few things I realized while watching this movie, and more specifically, the life of Dorian Gray.

1) Dorian became more and more paranoid about his photo being discovered by anyone. He held the only key to the study and anytime one of his servants became suspicious of his youthful appearance, he would fire them.

2) By striving for earthly happiness, Dorian took all his sins upon himself. And as he looked into the picture over 20 years, he was able to see it.

3) I realize more and more how much impact I can have on other people. Dorian's desire for constant pleasure and selfish ambition ultimately resulted in pain, anguish, and even death for him, his friends, and female companions.

This is not exactly a fun movie to watch, but it is a very unique, compelling story and deals with the harsh reality of sin and consequence. And perhaps our culture could learn a little from this movie 66 years after it was made.