Obviously this film is not intended to be a realistic rendering of Wilde's text, too often talked about by those who have never seriously read it. Nor does this film even intend to bear comparison with one classic and several abysmal "more faithful" interpretations. If Jarman were being credited with this film, reviewers would labor far more carefully to make some artistic and spiritual justification for the choices. It seems fashionable to bash this film, while tolerating and even praising far shallower interpretations. I have seen them all.
So, what is this variation attempting to accomplish. It takes a true innocent of breathtaking beauty, and shows that such innocence is constitutionally unable to defend or heal itself. It is a Beauty every human so envies and hates, that uncontrollable malice arises in each person to destroy and ruin the Beauty of Innocence. Every character in the piece carves, distorts, spoils and overpaints the original innocence of Man with doubts, fears, questions, and most of all judgments, until Dorian Gray becomes a collection of wounds, scars, defacements and ugliness which have literally driven out the innocence, life and Beauty, leaving only a corrupted husk. The theme is Man's "fall from innocence," universal ingratitude, and unmitigable envy. The core of this variation on Dorian Gray can be found in one line uttered by literature's most evil character, Iago: "He hath a daily beauty in his life/That makes me ugly."
I think Josh Duhamel's Dorian is simply beautiful in its simplicity and transparency. This young actor is more generous and less vain in his own physical beauty than any other interpreter of the role. He "gives" that beauty to you, the viewer, without any withholding or judgment of your worthiness to receive his radiance. He IS innocence and beauty, therefore he IS simplicity, wonder, and total vulnerability. Not since Terrence Stamp debuted as Billy Budd has innocent beauty been so unfailingly personated.
So, what is this variation attempting to accomplish. It takes a true innocent of breathtaking beauty, and shows that such innocence is constitutionally unable to defend or heal itself. It is a Beauty every human so envies and hates, that uncontrollable malice arises in each person to destroy and ruin the Beauty of Innocence. Every character in the piece carves, distorts, spoils and overpaints the original innocence of Man with doubts, fears, questions, and most of all judgments, until Dorian Gray becomes a collection of wounds, scars, defacements and ugliness which have literally driven out the innocence, life and Beauty, leaving only a corrupted husk. The theme is Man's "fall from innocence," universal ingratitude, and unmitigable envy. The core of this variation on Dorian Gray can be found in one line uttered by literature's most evil character, Iago: "He hath a daily beauty in his life/That makes me ugly."
I think Josh Duhamel's Dorian is simply beautiful in its simplicity and transparency. This young actor is more generous and less vain in his own physical beauty than any other interpreter of the role. He "gives" that beauty to you, the viewer, without any withholding or judgment of your worthiness to receive his radiance. He IS innocence and beauty, therefore he IS simplicity, wonder, and total vulnerability. Not since Terrence Stamp debuted as Billy Budd has innocent beauty been so unfailingly personated.