The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) in Color — Starring Hurd Hatfield & George Sanders

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) — Buy This Classic in Color

Experience the chilling Gothic masterpiece The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) colorized in stunning HD quality. Directed by Albert Lewin, this lavish MGM production adapts Oscar Wilde’s immortal novel into a visually stunning, psychologically rich horror drama starring Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray, a beautiful young man in Victorian London who makes a Faustian bargain: his portrait, painted by an adoring artist, will age and bear the marks of his sins while Dorian himself remains eternally young and beautiful. As decades pass and Dorian descends into cruelty, hedonism, and ultimately murder, the portrait locked in his attic transforms into a hideous, rotting record of his corruption — the monstrous truth hidden behind the mask of eternal beauty. Now available as an instant, DRM-free digital download for only €15.00.

Plot Summary

In the glittering world of Victorian London high society, the brilliant, aristocratic Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders) discovers Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield), a stunningly beautiful young man who is sitting for his portrait by the gentle painter Basil Hallward (Lowell Gilmore). Lord Henry, a seductive cynic who believes in pursuing pleasure above all else and that the only sin is ugliness, begins corrupting Dorian’s innocent mind with his philosophy that youth and beauty are the only things worth having.

When the portrait is complete — a masterpiece that captures Dorian’s beauty at its peak — Dorian makes a desperate, heartfelt wish: that the portrait would age instead of him, absorbing the ravages of time and sin while he remains forever young. The wish is granted. As years and then decades pass, Dorian does not age a single day. His face remains flawless, his beauty unchanged. But the portrait, hidden in a locked room, transforms into a nightmarish document of his soul’s decay.

Dorian’s corruption accelerates as the consequences-free existence enables increasingly evil behaviour. He destroys the sweet singer Sibyl Vane (Angela Lansbury) through callous rejection; she commits suicide. He ruins the lives of friends, lovers, and innocent strangers. He descends into every form of vice and cruelty Victorian society could offer — and some it couldn’t openly name. Each act adds another layer of horror to the portrait. When Basil discovers the rotting painting and is appalled, Dorian murders him. The portrait now bears the face of a murderer — while Dorian walks through London looking like an angel.

Cast & Crew

Director: Albert Lewin
Stars: Hurd Hatfield brings an eerie, mask-like beauty to Dorian that perfectly serves the story — his face is so unnervingly still and perfect that the horror of the portrait becomes the natural counterpart to the unnatural beauty. George Sanders is wickedly perfect as Lord Henry Wotton, delivering Oscar Wilde’s devastating epigrams with silky, poisonous relish. Angela Lansbury received an Academy Award nomination for her luminous, heartbreaking Sibyl Vane.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This professionally colorized edition enhances the film’s gorgeous Gothic cinematography with era-accurate hues. The elegant Victorian interiors, gaslit London streets, rich velvet drapery, and the atmospheric portrait sequences gain extraordinary visual magnificence through careful colour restoration. Now also available in colour.

Buy now for an instant, secure digital download with no DRM restrictions. Compatible with all devices that play MP4 files.

Historical Significance

Released in 1945, The Picture of Dorian Gray won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black and White) — the very art that this colorized edition now enhances. The film is celebrated for its literary faithfulness, its stunning visual design, and its daring treatment of Wilde’s themes of moral corruption and hidden sin. Angela Lansbury’s Oscar-nominated performance launched her extraordinary career. George Sanders’s Lord Henry is considered the definitive screen interpretation of Wilde’s most famous character. Through colorization, this magnificent Gothic classic is preserved for modern audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4
• Resolution: HD 720p
• Colorized: Yes — professionally restored frame-by-frame
• Audio: Original English mono soundtrack
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — play anywhere, keep forever
• Instant download: Yes — available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this faithful to Oscar Wilde’s novel?
A: Remarkably so — the film preserves Wilde’s wit, his philosophical themes, and his central Gothic concept with a faithfulness and visual sophistication that does justice to one of the greatest novels in English literature.

Q: Is the portrait shown?
A: Yes — and its revelation is one of cinema’s most famous shock moments, shown in vivid colour (even in the original black-and-white film, the portrait was shown in Technicolor) as a horrifying contrast to Dorian’s eternal beauty.

Q: Is George Sanders good as Lord Henry?
A: Sanders delivers Oscar Wilde’s epigrams with such silky, poisonous perfection that it is impossible to imagine anyone else in the role — he IS Lord Henry Wotton, the most charmingly dangerous man in Victorian London.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as a high-quality MP4 file compatible with all modern devices and media players.

Q: Is there DRM protection?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free — you own it outright and can play it on any device forever.

Q: How do I receive the film after purchase?
A: You receive an instant download link immediately after payment. A backup copy of the link is also sent to your email address.

Related Colorized Classics

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
• The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
• Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
• Rebecca (1940)
• Gaslight (1940)