The Picture of Dorian Gray

During a portrait session, Dorian Gray meets Basil Hallward and his friend Lord Henry Wotton. Wotton's piercing philosophy about pleasure unsettles the young aristocrat. The encounter plants seeds of vanity and a life determined by sensation rather than time.

Dorian wishes that his portrait could age instead of him, voicing the wish in Basil's studio in front of an Egyptian cat statue believed to be magical. The wish foreshadows a pact where his sins will be mirrored on the painting rather than in his own aging body. The moment marks the beginning of a life where appearances may be preserved at any cost.

Gray ends his engagement with Sibyl Vane after she disappoints him with her acting. He promptly shuns her, and Sibyl descends into despair and later dies by suicide. This heartbreak demonstrates the lethal consequences of Gray's vanity and callousness.

The portrait begins to change as Gray's life continues without him aging. He hides the painting in an old schoolroom and even fires the servants who moved it, to keep its location secret. This marks the start of his double life, preserving youth while the portrait bears the burden of his sins.

Gray's life descends into luxurious vice, filled with shallow pleasures and manipulative friendships. He withdraws from genuine affection, letting his conscience fade as his reputation remains pristine in society. The portrait grows more demon-like as a mirror of his sins.

Years pass and Gray remains physically young, while the portrait becomes increasingly grotesque. London society remains awed by his unchanging appearance, unaware of the corruption within. Gray continues to guard the key and the locked painting, maintaining the illusion.

Hallward, upon confronting the altered portrait, is murdered by Gray. Gray seals Hallward's body in the schoolroom beside the painting and begins to manipulate others to conceal the crime. The act marks a violent tipping point in Gray's pursuit of eternal youth.

Gray coerces Allen Campbell to dispose of Hallward's body, threatening and blackmailing him. Campbell, wracked with guilt over his role, ultimately commits suicide. The cover-up exacts a heavy moral toll on those around Gray.

Gray enters a romantic relationship with Gladys Hallward, Basil's niece, seeking a respite from his own curse. The affair offers him a chance at genuine affection, though his vanity continues to influence his choices. The contrast between Gladys's innocence and Gray's corruption deepens the drama.

James Vane, Sibyl's brother, tracks Gray to avenge Sibyl's death and to protect Gladys from a similar fate. During a hunting party at Gray's country estate, Vane is shot by accident, cutting his pursuit short. The incident foreshadows the inevitable consequences of Gray's life of secrets.

With Gladys in danger, Gray writes a letter ending their engagement to spare her from misfortune. This decision underscores his lingering desire to protect someone from his own curse.

Gray confronts the portrait in the old schoolroom and sees a momentary, subtle improvement in his own appearance. He then stabs the painting in the heart, crying out as though he himself has been struck. The act signals that the bargain is breaking and the curse may finally claim him.

Gray dies beside the deformed, demon-like portrait, his friends breaking in to witness the body. The painting, however, reverts to a young, innocent likeness of Dorian Gray, as if the sins have vanished from the image. The film ends with a stark reversal, implying that vanity's cost is paid in full.