The Sins of Dorian Gray

published in Fatal Visions No.2, Melbourne, 1988

Poor Norman Bates? What about some pity for poor Anthony Perkins? Ever since Psycho the guy hasn't just been typecast - it's more like every role he tackles smacks of Norman Bates still on the lam trying to cover his tracks by being an actor. Always the same frailty, nervousness and stiffness; always uncomfortable in any surroundings yet somehow I'm resigned to the fact that things will never change. And indeed, they haven't.

The Sins of Dorian Gray (1983) is a telemovie (directed by Tony Maylam, who directed The Burning before this) which is as good an example as any of the sensitive but screwy roles Perkins was destined to play after the success of Psycho. An upmarket/updated version of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the plot is centred on a - wow - reversal of gender roles as Dorian is this time a young starlet who wants the fame and glory of being the world's most glamorous international model. The painting, in this case, is a screen test which depicts her getting older and more pasty each year. Actually she ages neatly in the film footage compared to Perkins' make up job which tries to make him look old. He ends up looking like a bad case of chemotherapy gone wrong.

The whole movie is pretty pedestrian, and the theme song (sung endlessly by Lisa Bello - you'll forget the name but the voice will haunt you!) is more breathy then Abigail's "Je t'aime". The visual style of the film goes for that Vaseline Penthouse approach of 'Manhattan in winter'. Yeuch! At least Perkins realised with this film that if he were stuck with Norman he'd do it right and go over the top: his next roles were Psycho II and Crimes of Passion. As for this film, stick with the 1945 film version with Hurd Hatfield. If you're into gender reversals check out Rory Ward Baker/Brian Clemens' properly outrageous Dr. Jekyll/Sister Hyde.

Text © Philip Brophy 1988. Images © respective copyright holders