Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press

Delphine Seyrig stars opposite model Veruschka (in drag) in this acerbic Oscar Wilde adaptation, an avant-garde take on fake news.

As Dr. Mabuse, Delphine Seyrig is the high-femme head of an international media empire. Seeking to boost circulation figures, she has a cunning plan: create a character for her readers to fall in love with, and then ruin him before their very eyes. Dorian Gray (Veruschka von Lehndorff) is just the dandy: young, rich and handsome. Pliable and immaculately dressed, he takes courses in art history and literature; attends philanthropic meetings; and journeys out on memorable trips to the opera, the Press Ball and much further to the underworld. As Dr. Mabuse’s creation begins to take hold in society, a battle of wills emerges.

In the third and final film in her ‘Berlin Trilogy’ (following 1979’s Ticket of No Return and 1981’s Freak Orlando), Ulrike Ottinger borrows loosely from both Oscar Wilde’s 1890 Gothic horror The Picture of Dorian Gray and Norbert Jacques’s infamous Dr. Mabuse character – by way of Fritz Lang’s film series – with a great sense of queer irony to create a delicious satire of ego and capitalism. Ottinger’s own striking production design is complemented by Gisela Storch’s gender-crossing costuming and memorable performances from the two leads, along with frequent collaborator Tabea Blumenschein as Dorian Gray’s love interest.

“During the 1980s heyday of the New German Cinema, Ulrike Ottinger constituted a one-woman avant-garde opposition to the sulky male melodramas of Wenders, Fassbinder and Herzog.” – The New York Times

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Content: Melbourne International Film Festival