onstage john osborne adaptation of picture of dorian gray be a fine tribute to oscar wilde talent a both novelist and playwright . on screen with some edit it become a bit sloppy due to the cutting of 3 crucial scene from the play ( one be an important scene between basil and henry show that time have pass . ) the act however be brilliant . sir john gielgud return to his wilde root a lord henry and and although about a decade too old for the role and he totally become the enigmatic and life love cad and cynic that wilde bring to life so meticulously in his novella . jeremy brett be also strong and offer a touching portrait of the anguished artist basil hallward . peter firth and while not originally my vision of dorian and handle the role with style and grace . and later with a convince strain of cruelty . the support cast be equally fine and gielgud former importance of be earnest co star gwen francon davy play his philanthropic aunt agatha with dignity and judi bowker make a touching sybil vane . the wit and pathos and tension of wilde work have be remarkably transfer to the screen . my only other qualm be with the hair style . many of them seem out of place and look more like 1970 version of victorian hairdo rather than the actual style . overall however and the acting and write elevates this production to a high level of small screen excellence .