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In London in 1886, Lord Henry Wotton's curiosity is
aroused when his friend, artist Basil Hallward, devotes his energies to
painting the portrait of a beautiful young Adonis named Dorian Gray.
Lord Henry, a cynical idle aristocrat who finds pleasure in manipulating
the lives of others, takes an interest in Dorian, advising him that
youth is all too fleeting and that the pursuit of desire is the only
real goal in life. Lord Henry's words strike a chord in Dorian
and, as Basil completes his portrait, Dorian declares that he would give
his soul if the painting would grow old while he remained forever young.
Lord Henry then cautions Dorian about making a wish in the presence of
his Egyptian cat statue, a figure capable of granting it.
Inspired by Lord Henry's sentiments, Dorian begins to
seek new adventures, and one day wanders into a cheap music hall where
he is smitten by singer Sibyl Vane. The idealistic Sibyl addresses
Dorian as "Sir Tristam," the name of a mythical, chivalrous knight.
When Dorian tells Sir Henry that he plans to marry Sibyl, whom he
describes as an antidote to his cynicism, Lord Henry suggests that he
test her integrity by inviting her to see the portrait and then asking
her to spend the night. At first, Sibyl refuses Dorian's unseemly
request but, unable to displease him, agrees to his terms.
Disillusioned, Dorian writes Sibyl that she has killed
his love and he will never see her again. Troubled by his cruelty,
Dorian glances at the portrait and notices that the face has grown
hardened, a reflection of his own soul. Vowing to reform, Dorian
writes a letter begging Sibyl's forgiveness. Just as he finishes
it, Lord Henry arrives to inform him that Sibyl has committed suicide.
When Lord Henry advises Dorian to expunge the incident from his mind,
Dorian's guilt prompts him to assume an air of indifference. Basil
comes to the house to reproach Dorian for his unconcern and notes that
the portrait has been concealed behind a screen. After Basil
leaves, Dorian decides to lock the painting in his old schoolroom amid
the souvenirs of his innocent childhood.
As the years pass, rumors of Dorian's changeless youth
and strange debauchery intensify. Periodically, Dorian scrutinizes
his portrait, which has become disfigured by his sins and his aging.
The only person to whom Dorian remains vulnerable is Basil's niece
Gladys, who has loved him since she was a child. Over the
objections of her suitor, David Stone, Gladys impetuously decides to
propose to Dorian, but he rejects her offer.
One foggy night, Basil, on his way to Paris, visits
Dorian to ask him to deny the unremitting rumors about his wicked ways.
In response, Dorian offers to show Basil his soul and takes him to view
the portrait, by now a monstrous testament to his venality.
Realizing that Basil might reveal his terrible secret to Gladys, Dorian
plunges a knife into his back, causing fresh blood to appear on the
painting. Afterward, Dorian arranges for Allen Campbell, a chemist
over whom he has a sinister hold, to dispose of Basil's body.
Dorian then proposes to Gladys and she accepts.
Months pass as the police search in vain for Gladys'
missing uncle. Then, one day the police notify Dorian that Campbell has
committed suicide. Throughout the years, Sibyl's brother, James
Vane, has sought the man responsible for his sister's death, the man he
knows only as "Sir Tristam."
One night, in a cheap pub, Vane hears Dorian called Sir
Tristam and follows him into the alley, intending to slay him.
Upon discovering that Dorian is a young man, Vane thinks he is mistaken
until he later learns Dorian's strange story. Vane tracks Dorian
to his country estate and, while hiding behind a clump of bushes,
awaiting his chance to kill Dorian, Vane is accidentally shot and killed
by a hunter. Realizing that he is indirectly responsible for
Vane's death, Dorian decides to break his engagement to Gladys and
returns to London. Believing that by destroying his portrait he
will be free of its evil spell, Dorian plunges a knife into its heart.
As the knife pierces the painting, Dorian falls to the floor, mortally
wounded. While Dorian fervently prays, the portrait slowly changes
into the image of a beautiful young man. Soon after, Lord Henry,
Gladys and David burst into the room and find the hideously disfigured
body of an old man lying on the floor. |
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