Separated by a century but bound by censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray and 54—a novel and a film—offer strikingly parallel narratives of art, desire, and repression, each silenced in its time for their homoerotic undertones.
‘It is quite true I have worshiped you with far more romance of feeling than a man should ever give to a friend. Somehow I have never loved a woman.’ In April 1891, Oscar Wilde’s Magnus opus, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was published as a full-length novel; yet it omitted this all-too-revealing quote from one of its main protagonists, Basil Hallward. More than one-hundred years later, Miramax released Mark Christopher’s first feature film Studio 54, after a long process of undermining the director’s vision by excluding every portrayal of fluid sexuality from the final cut.
After its first publication as a shorter-novella on an issue of the American periodical Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, a number of the edits were made to the original manuscript of The Picture of Dorian Gray before its wider publication. These essentially involved obscuring homoerotic references, in response to overall criticism, that would later resurface during Wilde’s 1895 trials. The novel’s homoerotic undertones, however subtle, remained present in this widely-known version of this beloved tale, though only skimming the surface through complex interactions between male characters in ways that challenge the strict social norms of Victorian England.
Basil’s feelings towards Dorian were, however, meticulously shifted from love and adoration to artistic inspiration and influence. In fact, in the magazine edition, the painter expresses to Lord Henry how he ‘worships’ Dorian while begging him not to ‘take away the one person that makes (his) life absolutely lovely.’ In Wilde’s original words, Basil focuses upon love — his unrequited love for the young and glorious Dorian — whereas, in the 1891 edition, he focuses upon his art, presenting him as ‘the one person who gives my art whatever charm it may possess.’ This example is tremendously relevant, while at first sight, it might seem like a trivial syntax arrangement, the replacement of Basil’s first statement by the later one completely shifts the character’s relationship with Dorian, as well as his main motivation for having created the painting in the first place. The very origin of this beloved tale’s core element — Dorian’s portrait — was disfigured by this camouflage.
One of the more beautifully subtle lines that only saw the light of day when the Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 2011, comes up in a discussion between Basil and Lord Henry, while the first says to the latter speaking of Dorian, ‘I know he likes me. Of course, I flatter him dreadfully. I find a strange pleasure in saying things to him, I know I shall be sorry for having said. I give myself away.’ The last sentence, which suggests there’s something to hide, was omitted in the 1891 version. Another censored excerpt was ‘Rugged and straightforward as he was, there was something in his nature that was purely feminine in its tenderness,’ certainly cut to avoid any mention of femininity while describing the title character.
One century later, in early 1998, the original cut of Mark Christopher’s feature debut 54 — a movie focusing on the rise and fall of Studio 54, a famous nightclub in New York City during the late seventies and early eighties — was screened-tested on Long Island. After a negative response from the audience to the lead character’s bisexuality, Miramax requested the film remove any suggestions of queer sexuality. After a troubled post-production process, during which Christopher’s vision was severely undermined, while new scenes were shot in order to turn the main character straight, the movie’s theatrical cut was released to a mixed to negative response from audiences all over the world.
In the years that followed, a bootleg VHS of the initial rough cut began circulating and gaining popularity, for its boldness in portraying fluid sexuality as well as a more complex version of its main characters. This niche success ultimately led to this version being screened to a sold-out crowd at the New York LGBTQ film festival Outfest, in 2008, twenty years after the original theatrical release. The audience’s positive reaction enabled Christopher to get permission from Miramax to remaster the director’s cut for DVD, finally putting out 54: Director’s Cut in 2015. This 105 minute-long cut included more than 40 minutes of restored footage, and was able to get rid of the re-shoots the studio had arranged for, back in 1998.
Among the restored scenes, one stands out as the most relevant. In a moment of confusion, an openly bisexual Shane — portrayed by Ryan Phillippe — kisses Greg in the VIP room of the nightclub, on Christmas Eve, before then having sex with Anita, Greg’s girlfriend, after the pair have an altercation. We should keep in mind that, according to the movie’s director, 54’s main storyline was always the interaction between these three characters, all trying to make a living working at Studio 54, while on their respective journeys of self-discovery. In the 1998 release, only Shane and Anita’s intimacy moment was kept, erasing any trace of interest Shane could have had for Greg, as well as flattening the character while making him rather unlikeable. In 54: Director’s Cut, Shane and Greg’s kissing scene is at the core of the complexity of this trio’s relationship, that goes beyond a simple fling between Shane and his friend’s girlfriend, and helps us understand that Shane is in a journey of discovering his own sexuality, through exploring this new world he’s been pulled into. Furthermore, having restored this sequence — as well as an earlier encounter Shane has with another man — the later version of the film uncovers its only two kissing scenes between male characters.
The 54: Director’s Cut has received a much more positive critical response, quickly becoming a new gay cult classic, full of glorious queer imagery that transport us to an underground utopia of the seventies’ New York clubbing scene. The film’s dark beauty — previously stolen by the studio’s attempts to create a mainstream, family-friendly product — had been restored, as well as Shane’s full coming-of-age narrative — less polished and, at times, perfectly mirroring the one of Dorian Gray in Wilde’s novel.
These two works of art, both censored due to their gay subtext, have become relevant pieces in queer modern and contemporary culture. While it’s clear that, in both cases, censorship heavily erased essential parts of the artwork’s concepts, it still was not able to wipe out every trace of homoeroticism, and thankfully so. There’s a fascinating beauty in how, both in The Picture of Dorian Gray and 54, gay erotica seems to find a way to remain intact between the lines of the remastered content. As a force of nature, homoeroticism seems to overgrow and discreetly but firmly regain the heavily built up walls of censorship.
João Delfim, Rearrange All The Cosmos, is an independent publication exploring the parallels between The Picture of Dorian Gray and 54. It features an exclusive interview with 54: Director’s Cut filmmaker Mark Christopher, where they discuss producer interference, the power of homoerotic imagery, and the inspiration behind Ryan Phillippe’s character. Available in a limited edition of 30 copies, €28, joaodelfim.bigcartel.com
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