“It’s a part of me, now. I don’t know which part… but it’s me.”
Such a mesmerising, atmospheric and sensual film. Everything - the architecture, costumes, score - drips with lush decadence.
The cinematography is amazing, and really immerses you into the scenery. The scenery itself is really hypnotic - colourful and pulpy. The design of the buildings and their interior is really sleek.
The costumes are unapologetically 70s. I LOVE everything in Dorian Gray’s wardrobe and I need it now. He was consistently serving looks!
Helmut Berger, who played Dorian Gray, did such an amazing job with the character. His line deliveries were great, and he totally fits the aesthetic of the film.
The score is perfect. It’s seductive and foreboding at the same time.
This film has the best intertwining of sex, sensuality and horror I have ever seen. There’s an undercurrent of erotism in almost every scene, even when Dorian isn’t seducing/fucking anyone he comes across. The camera is also fetishising everyone it comes across, but especially Dorian. Very few films manage to EFFECTIVELY achieve that intertwining to similar results.
To some people this film may seem like “style over substance.” But to me, the style IS the substance. The dialogue veers into expository sometimes, but that didn’t hamper my experience one bit.
I haven’t read the source material, but this film has piqued my interest in it, so I will be picking it up soon.
