Doriana Grey should please Franco's admirers, leaving others alternately bored, confused, and aroused in spite of themselves. As with others of the director's films, there's a dreamlike quality to the proceedings, with wealthy and ennui-afflicted recluse Doriana strolling leisurely through her home or staring at the sky between sexual encounters played out to tranquil sitar music.
Some of the actors seem to be playing their parts in a trance, as if hypnotized before shooting, like the cast of Herzog's Heart of Glass. The English dubbing, too, is mostly monotone, which only enhances, rather than hurts, the timeless, otherworldly atmosphere, with dialogue ranging from the seemingly lofty ("It is the destiny of all beauty to be destroyed") to the simply lewd ("Go down on me").
The DVD, as of writing, has long gone out of print, but Franco enthusiasts are encouraged to look for this one. The staring, frightening lust expressed in Lina Romay's eyes alone is worth at least one visit to her château.
Some of the actors seem to be playing their parts in a trance, as if hypnotized before shooting, like the cast of Herzog's Heart of Glass. The English dubbing, too, is mostly monotone, which only enhances, rather than hurts, the timeless, otherworldly atmosphere, with dialogue ranging from the seemingly lofty ("It is the destiny of all beauty to be destroyed") to the simply lewd ("Go down on me").
The DVD, as of writing, has long gone out of print, but Franco enthusiasts are encouraged to look for this one. The staring, frightening lust expressed in Lina Romay's eyes alone is worth at least one visit to her château.