3. Wilde: Book or film?

Objetivos

Answer the following questions:

  • How many Wilde's books can you name?
  • Have you read any of them? Briefly, what was the story about?
  • Have you seen any film based on Wild's stories? Which one?
  • What do you think is better to read the book first or to see the film first? Why?
  • Can you think of good films which have been adapted from Irish novels?
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Getting to know Oscar Wilde -

Listen to Oscar Wilde's biography and fill in the gaps with just one word according to what you hear.

 

 


 

 

Oscar Wilde's spectacular fall from grace is one of the best-known and most tragic stories in the history of 1. . Born in Dublin in 1854, the son of an eye 2. and a well-known poet, Wilde graduated from Oxford in 1878 and moved to London where he rapidly became a celebrity and the most 3. figure in the Aesthetic movement.

A lecture tour to the United States and Gilbert and Sullivan's 4. of him in their comic operetta Patience only increased his fame. He published poetry,  5. tales and a scandalously successful novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, about a golden 6.  who retained his beauty while the marks of his sins showed only on his painted 7. 

In 1884 Wilde married Constance Lloyd and moved into the house in Tite Street, Chelsea which is now marked by a blue plaque. By the mid-1890s he was the feted author of epigrammatic 8.  like Lady Windermere's Fan and The 9.  of Being Earnest.

But in 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry, disapproving of Wilde's 10.  with his son Lord Alfred Douglas, sent a note addressed to Wilde, "posing as a Sodomite." Unwisely, Wilde decided to 11.  for libel and set in motion a sequence of events that ended with him 12.  and imprisoned for homosexuality. After his 13.  from prison Wilde was a broken man and he died in 14.  in Paris in 1900.

Stories of his last words emphasise that he retained his 15.  to the end. Seriously ill in a cheap Paris hotel room he is reputed to have said, "This wall-paper will be the death of me - one of us will have to go".

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1758_blue_plaque/page3.shtml

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Read the review below which establishes the differences between the book The Picture of Dorian Gray and the film Dorian Gray released in September 2009. Fill in the gaps using the following words:

 

portrait out mediums
lengthy plot hesitant
sinful soundtrack corruption
scene family ornate
last shivers Despite
definitely wish acting

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I'm quite sure many are familiar with Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. The book has been made into several film adaptions, the most recent being the one made in Britain in September 2009, featuring Ben Barnes. The 1.  follows the life of a young gentleman named Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes). He soon becomes the source of inspiration for the painter Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin), and Basil manages to paint his best picture yet: a 2.  of Dorian. However, due to the philosophical teachings of Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), Dorian soon falls into a state of 3.  . He trades his soul so that he will never age and all his sins and aging will be transferred onto the painting.
In general the plot follows the book. However, there are several differences between the film and the book. For example, in the novel, Lord Henry has no daughter, but, in the film, he has a daughter named Emily Wotton (Rebecca Hall), who Dorian later falls in love with. Also, in the novel, Dorian loses faith in Sibyl Vane because of her failure in acting. In the film, Dorian throws away Sibyl because he loves whoring too much. The film also mystifies Dorian's portrait by making it come alive and gasp continuously. I read the book along with the movie so it was rather interesting to see words become pictures and the various differences between the two 4.  . The novel can be bland at times due to Wilde's 5.  paragraphs and narration that span for several pages, but the descriptions are rather 6.  .
I give the movie three 7.  of five stars. Barnes makes a very handsome Dorian. His 8.  is rather spectacular; his expressions reflect the transition from an innocent and 9.  Dorian to a cruel and 10.  Dorian. 11.  his being black rather than blond as described in the book, Barnes makes a successful  Dorian full of emotion. However, the acting of the other actors is rather simple, as they appear more like bystanders in the movie. Also, I 12.  the movie spent more time on the love relationship between Dorian and Emily. The 13.  went by so fast that their love almost seems meaningless. The plot itself also moves somewhat slow, but that is typical of a plot line similar to this.  Meanwhile, the 14.  is epic and the lighting exemplifies the dark mood of the film. There are several scenes of erotic sex, but few 15.  for more than a couple of seconds. There are also several gruesome murders, but no profanity due to the time era.
Other than that, if you want to watch a dark movie, Dorian Grayis a rather splendid movie to watch. It's disturbing at times, but it only better reflects Dorian's descent into a sinful world. It may not be a 16.  film, but those who can should 17.  watch, especially if you like movies like Donnie Darko. Dorian Gray is a dark and enchanting movie that will leave 18.  down one's spine.

Adapted from: http://silverbells-dreamsonata.blogspot.com.es/2010/05/picture-of-dorian-gray.html

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Caso práctico

Watch the video below where you will see some scenes of the film Dorian Gray and you will listen to the actor Ben Barnes talking about his part in the film. Which of the characteristics described in the review can you recognise in the video?

  

You are going to work in pairs to complete the plot of the novel  The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ask your partner for the missing information in your part of the plot. The underlined sentences in your card are those missing from your partner's card.

 

 

STUDENT A


Dorian Gray is a handsome, wealthy young man living in 19th century London. While generally intelligent, he is naive and easily manipulated. These faults lead to his spiral into sin and, ultimately, misery.

While posing for a painting by his friend Basil Hallward, Dorian meets Basil's friend Lord Henry Wotton. Wotton is cynical and witty, and tells Dorian 1. ___________________. After Wotton convinces Dorian that youth and beauty will bring him everything he desires, Dorian openly wishes that his portrait could age instead of him. He makes this statement in the presence of a certain Egyptian statue, which supposedly has the power to grant wishes.

Dorian visits a tavern, where 2. ___________________. He eventually enters a romance with her, and within weeks they are engaged. Though initially overjoyed, Dorian is again persuaded by Lord Henry to pursue a more hedonistic lifestyle. Dorian sends Sibyl a hurtful letter to break off their relationship, "compensating" her with a large sum of money.

The next morning, Lord Henry informs Dorian 3. ___________________ . Dorian is at first shocked and guilt-ridden, but then adopts Lord Henry's indifferent manner. He surprises Basil by going to the opera immediately after hearing of Sibyl's death. Returning home that night, Dorian notices a change in the portrait Basil had painted, which now hangs in his living room. The portrait now looks harsher, and a shaken Dorian has it locked away in his old school room. He becomes even more dedicated to living a sinful and heartless life.

Years later, Dorian is nearing his fortieth birthday, but he looks the same as he did when he was twenty two. The townspeople are awestruck at his unchanging appearance. Over eighteen years of pointless debauchery, the portrait remained locked away, with Dorian holding the only key. Dorian had grown more and more paranoid about the picture being seen by others, and would even fire the servants that he thought might suspect something. Over the years, the painting of the young Dorian had warped into that of a hideous, demon-like creature, to reflect Dorian's sins. Basil eventually catches a glimpse of the portrait and attempts to talk Dorian into reforming his life. As a consequence, 4. ___________________ , leaving the body locked in the school room with the painting.

Dorian blackmails an old friend into disposing of Basil's body secretly. He then enters into a romance with Basil's niece, Gladys, who was a young child when the portrait was painted. Though Gladys had always loved Dorian (and is overjoyed when he proposes marriage), those who were once close to him begin to find him suspicious.

Dorian begins to realize the harm his life is doing to himself and to others. He is assaulted by James Vane, Sibyl's brother, who had sworn revenge for his sister's death. Dorian calmly tells James that he is too young to be the same man from eighteen years before. However, James soon learns the truth, but is shot by accident during a hunting party at Dorian's estate while hiding in the bushes. Dorian knows he is guilty for yet another death, and realizes that he can still spare Gladys from the misfortune he would certainly cause her. After leaving her a letter explaining himself, he returns to his old school room to face the painting. After stabbing his portrait in the heart to be free of its evil spell, Dorian 5. ___________________ .

After his death, the body which is found is the monstrous creature from the painting. The portrait once again depicts Dorian as 6. ___________________.

Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray_(1945_film)#Differences_from_the_novel

 

 

 

 

STUDENT B

Dorian Gray is a handsome, wealthy young man living in 19th century London. While generally intelligent, he is naive and easily manipulated. These faults lead to his spiral into sin and, ultimately, misery.

While posing for a painting by his friend Basil Hallward, Dorian meets 1. ____________________. Wotton is cynical and witty, and tells Dorian that the only life worth living is one dedicated entirely to pleasure. After Wotton convinces Dorian that youth and beauty will bring him everything he desires, Dorian openly wishes 2. ____________________. He makes this statement in the presence of a certain Egyptian statue, which supposedly has the power to grant wishes.

Dorian visits a tavern, where he falls in love with a beautiful singer named Sibyl Vane. He eventually enters a romance with her, and within weeks they are engaged. Though initially overjoyed, Dorian is again persuaded by Lord Henry to pursue a more hedonistic lifestyle. Dorian sends Sibyl 3. ___________________

The next morning, Lord Henry informs Dorian that a heartbroken Sibyl Vane had killed herself the night before. Dorian is at first shocked and guilt-ridden, but then adopts Lord Henry's indifferent manner. He surprises Basil by going to the opera immediately after hearing of Sibyl's death. Returning home that night, Dorian notices 4. ___________________ , which now hangs in his living room. The portrait now looks harsher, and a shaken Dorian has it locked away in his old school room. He becomes even more dedicated to living a sinful and heartless life.

Years later, Dorian is nearing his fortieth birthday, but he looks the same as he did when he was twenty two. The townspeople are awestruck at his unchanging appearance. Over eighteen years of pointless debauchery, the portrait remained locked away, with Dorian holding the only key. Dorian had grown more and more paranoid about the picture being seen by others, and would even fire the servants that he thought might suspect something. Over the years, the painting of the young Dorian had warped into that of a hideous, demon-like creature, to reflect Dorian's sins. Basil eventually catches a glimpse of the portrait and attempts to talk Dorian into reforming his life. As a consequence, Dorian panics and murders his friend, leaving the body locked in the school room with the painting.

Dorian blackmails an old friend into disposing of Basil's body secretly. He then enters into a romance with Basil's niece, Gladys, who was a young child when the portrait was painted. Though Gladys had always loved Dorian (and is overjoyed when he proposes marriage), those who were once close to him begin to find him suspicious.

Dorian begins to realize 5. __________________ . He is assaulted by James Vane, Sibyl's brother, who had sworn revenge for his sister's death. Dorian calmly tells James that he is too young to be the same man from eighteen years before. However, James soon learns the truth, but is shot by accident during a hunting party at Dorian's estate while hiding in the bushes. Dorian knows he is guilty for yet another death, and realizes that he can still spare Gladys from the misfortune he would certainly cause her. After leaving her a letter explaining himself, he returns to his old school room to face the painting. After stabbing his portrait in the heart to be free of its evil spell, Dorian collapses and dies.

After his death, the body which is found is 6. __________________ . The portrait once again depicts Dorian as a young, innocent man.

Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray_(1945_film)#Differences_from_the_novel