The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1961)

A painter (Louis Hayward) is infatuated with the beauty of a young man called Dorian Gray (John Fraser) whose portrait he is painting. It is through the painter that Dorian meets the hedonistic aristocrat Sir Henry Wotton (George C. Scott) whose narcissistic pleasure seeking ways influences his future. Supernaturally, he remains eternally youthful while his portrait ages and displays his debauchery. Based on the novel by Oscar Wilde and directed by Paul Bogart (EVENING PRIMROSE). Wilde's novel has been adapted multiple times for film and television, the most famous version being the 1945 film directed by Albert Lewin. This version is unexceptional and seems rushed, sort of a Readers Digest version of the novel. The most interesting aspect is George C. Scott's atypical performance as Sir Henry played by George Sanders in the 1945 movie. One doesn't think of the gruff Scott in such an effete role but he does surprisingly well. With Susan Oliver, Carrie Nye, Margaret Phillips and Robert Walker Jr.