What receives reviews "Portrait of Dorian Gray": a book, a film, a play

About the work of art can often be judged by what readership about it is about. "The portrait of Dorian Gray" in this respect is an exception. After all, this work, which today is considered a classic not only of English but also of world literature, was once called scandalous and was attacked by critics. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how this one of the most controversial and simultaneously interesting works is perceived by the readership.

Summary

"Dorian Gray" - the book is quite complicated both from the plot and from the semantic point of view. It was written by the famous English writer O. Wilde in just three weeks. And was born in 1890. Penetrated by the spirit of dissent that prevailed at the end of the century, filled with complex philosophical allegories, this work immediately attracted the attention of the general public to the unusual content and pressing issues that arise in it.

The novel tells of an unusually beautiful young man. He, possessed by the idea of preserving eternal youth and his external attractiveness, expresses the wish that he should always remain as beautiful, strong, healthy as he was in his twenty years. These words come in some unusual way. However, after this, the young man begins to lead a dissolute life, and his portrait begins to reflect the internal disintegration of the personality of the protagonist. Eventually, unable to withstand the consciousness of his own depravity, Gray tries to destroy the drawing, but at the same time perishes himself, turning into a decrepit old man.

About us

Not surprisingly, such a controversial story received conflicting reviews. "Portrait of Dorian Gray" - a novel in which you can conditionally identify several layers. But the greatest controversy was caused by the image of the writer of his contemporary high society English society. Many saw in this attempt to discredit the nobility, the friend claimed that the author unfairly judges the representatives of the upper strata of the population. Today, on the contrary, this description of the light of the rich is especially appreciated by modern readers. Based on the text of the novel, they can form an idea of what the upper circles of the nobility of the late nineteenth century were.

This aspect of the novel receives, as a rule, positive reviews. "The portrait of Dorian Gray" in our time is valued precisely for the authentic, vivid and convincing artistic reproduction of the customs, customs, lifestyle of the then nobility. Most users note the undoubted skill and talent of the writer in describing his time. Thus, what used to be the object of criticism now raises enthusiastic reviews among readers.

About the idea

Regarding the plot of the narrative, there were several other reviews. "Portrait of Dorian Gray" on the composition clearly has references to the famous work of Balzac "Shagreen Skin". Therefore, the reading public of the time was in principle acquainted with a similar story. However, the famous French writer focused not so much on the philosophical as on the social component. He tried to give the most complete picture of all the vices of contemporary high society, while the fantastic line with shagreen skin served him as an effective means to reveal with the fullest and most authenticity the inner world of the protagonist.

At the same time Wilde in his history strengthened the mystical component in the sense that he brought to the fore the transformation of the psychology of the character, his inner state, the deterioration of which so clearly reflected in the portrait. This move was quite in the spirit of his time. However, modern readers consider this ideological idea to be especially successful and exciting. Many directors even find in this idea elements of a thriller and even horror, trying to re-comprehend the author's work.

About the main character

Perhaps the most famous work of O. Wilde is the novel "Portrait of Dorian Gray". Reviews about the book at first were the most controversial, even mostly negative. But in our time the product is gaining more positive ratings. The main character of the work is one of the most controversial images in the world literature. At first he appears as a bright, clean young man with a romantic outlook. A young man is naive, simple, he is capable of pure love (it's not for nothing that the artist B. Hallworth sees in him the ideal of man). However, the subsequent metamorphosis strikes readers. Gradually, under the influence of the fashionable and cynical hedonist, Lord Henry, he pores into vices.

The latter circumstance also caused a wave of criticism in due time, as many considered immoral such a detailed depiction of dark human passions. However, it should be noted here that the writer did not dwell in detail on the description of the inner fall of his hero. Today, the "Portrait of Dorian Gray" is perceived somewhat differently. The reviews about the book are more positive, and in the fall of the character they see the philosophical meaning that has already sounded in Balzac's mentioned novel: the main thing is the inner spiritual state, and not the external wealth and prosperity to which both heroes aspired.

About Lord Henry

One of the most mysterious and controversial characters in the book is the man who pushed the young man on the wrong path. He inspired him with the idea that everything should be taken from life, and also expressed regret about the temporary nature of youth and beauty. This person was Lord Henry - a representative of the high English society, the sybarite, which has a cynical character and an unusual sense of humor.

The novel "Portrait of Dorian Gray", reviews of which are the subject of this review, many remember this particular character. In his mouth, the author puts a sharp and caustic criticism of his contemporary Victorian society. Being a sybarite in the intellectual and physical sense, Lord Henry achieves that the young man embarks on the path of crime. This is one of the most controversial and ambiguous characters in the whole work. He acts as a young man's seducer, surreptitiously pushing him to illegal actions, contributing to his corrupting and turning into a spoiled man.

The image of Sybil

The work "The Picture of Dorian Gray", reviews of which show how controversial his plot, content and ideological meaning are, interesting unusual heroes, a subtle and believable depiction of their psychology. In this respect, the image of Sybil Wayne attracts attention. She is a poor but very talented actress. Before meeting D. Gray, she lived in her fictional, theatrical world, in which she was perfectly happy. She brilliantly played the main roles of Shakespeare's repertoire and with her unusual talent attracted the attention of an impressionable young man who, having seen her on the stage of the stage, immediately fell in love.

O. Wilde proved himself to be the real master of psychological analysis in the love storyline. "Portrait of Dorian Gray", reviews of which are generally positive - a novel with a complicated love line. Her tragic finale in many ways served as an impetus to the terrible metamorphosis of the protagonist. Almost all readers agree that the nature of this girl is interesting, unusual in that she lost her amazing talent just when she really fell in love and tried to escape from the artificial world in which she still lived. Seeing Gray's disappointment, she committed suicide.

Screening

"Dorian Gray" - a film whose reviews were also extremely controversial, was filmed in 2009 (here it should be noted that the work of Wald was photographed more than thirty times). Many viewers criticized him for having significantly altered the story line, introduced a new female character, incorrectly shown the characters' images. Some users were dissatisfied with the fact that the director introduced elements of the thriller and horror into the picture, in particular, changing the look of the portrait. Also, the actor's play of the protagonist of the protagonist caused controversy, in contrast to the work of K. Firth (played Lord Henry), whose improvisation fell to the public to taste.

However, another part of users positively took the experimental moves of the director. Endorsement caused the scenery and costumes of the film. However, those who are well acquainted with the book, negatively perceived the changes in this classic work.

The closest to the original book called "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a film whose reviews are generally very positive. This old black and white tape was released in 1945. She was nominated for a number of prestigious awards and prizes (including Oscar). The picture was warmly received by both critics and spectators, despite some discrepancies with the text of the work, which, however, are insignificant. Especially attracted by the game A. Lansbury. For the best female role of the second plan, she received the Golden Globe. A large number of adaptations indicate the unrelenting interest of the public in this work of the English writer.

Musical

It would seem that such a complex and controversial plot can not be taken as a basis for creating a musical performance. Nevertheless, the American composer R. Bauer wrote the eponymous work, the world premiere of which was held in 2010. The musical "Portrait of Dorian Gray", the reviews of which turned out to be as controversial as the work itself and its adaptation, combines elements of drama, complex multi-voiced choruses. It is permeated with quite dynamic solo parts. At the same time the performance contains elements of computer animation, which was ambiguously perceived by the audience.

Lovers of the text of the novel reacted negatively to this experiment. While the other part of the audience considered this move by the director as a successful way of conveying the writer's thoughts on stage. Not everyone liked the use of microphones during the performance. Some put in credit to the musical the fact that it quite accurately follows the content of the work itself. In general, the majority of users acknowledge that, in principle, the composer succeeded, if not to convey the complex philosophical subtext of the novel, then at least combine the unusual plot of the work with a mild musical form.

theatrical performance

The performance "The Picture of Dorian Gray", reviews of which also turned out to be different, became a landmark event in the theatrical life of the capital. The transfer of this complex, multifaceted work to the scene attracted the attention of fans of this work. However, the estimates were highly controversial. Staging on a modern style, unusual costumes, animation is not everyone liked. Experiments of the director in the spirit of our time, many did not like. However, a number of users note original music, interesting choral parts, spectacularity of computer animation. However, the last reception caused some viewers bewilderment. They note in the comments that because of the use of the visual series, the feeling of the theatricality of the action was lost.

Thus, an important cultural event in 2014 was the performance "Portrait of Dorian Gray". Theater Ermolova, reviews of which are generally positive, went to this experiment in view of the great and unflagging interest in this novel. At the same time, it should be noted that if the production itself provoked controversy, then the excellent play of the actor O. Menshikov was highly appreciated by all. The main object of criticism was the change in the characters' images. So, the image of the main character in the form of a rapper was not understood by all. In addition, leaves the questions the fact that the role of the portrait was made by a girl. There is an assumption that in such an unusual way the director wanted to show the sensitive string of the young man, his weak side. So, putting the play "Portrait of Dorian Gray", the theater of Ermolova, whose reviews are so ambiguous, managed to draw attention to the immortal creation of the English writer.

General conclusions

Despite the fact that more than a century has passed since the publication of the novel, user comments prove that the composition is still relevant. Many readers almost single-handedly argue that the ideas, thoughts, emotions and emotions of the protagonist are close and similar to the modern generation. Part of the audience is interested in the subtle and colorful image of London's high society, believing that the author managed to perfectly convey the spirit of his time. Almost all are unanimous in that the novel is extremely complicated. And therefore it is advised to read the book before going to see a play, a musical or a film.

The complex philosophical meaning of the work did not leave anyone indifferent. The writer's skill in depicting the psychology of the main character is admirable. At the same time, many people pay attention to the fact that the author, while describing the gradual moral fall of the character, did not specifically say what his vices are. Here you can recall the explanation on this very Wilde, who noted that in the image of Gray, everyone can see themselves and understand their own shortcomings. Thus, we can conclude that the creation of O. Wilde, despite all the complexity of perception and an ambiguous story, has become a well-known work of the classics, interest in which remains in our days.