|
Post by kimalysong on Oct 5, 2016 14:07:07 GMT
London, 1888. When Oscar Wilde befriends a young man by the name of Dorian Gray, he finds himself immersed in a world devoid of morals. But as a celebrated killer stalks the streets, and he struggles to come to terms with inhuman actions, can he find any humanity in Dorian...? ~ Written by Guy Adams
Note this is the discussion thread for the 1st story ONLY from Series 5 of Confessions of Dorian Gray. Each story will be released weekly until the final story at the end of October.
|
|
|
Post by Star Platinum on Oct 6, 2016 5:25:51 GMT
somewhat tangentially related to the topic, I heard that the download details would be in the BF newsletter, which seems to have missed me, can anyone fill me in?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2016 9:25:00 GMT
somewhat tangentially related to the topic, I heard that the download details would be in the BF newsletter, which seems to have missed me, can anyone fill me in? The free newsletter downloads are for This World Our Hell, Murder on 81st Street and The Prime of Deacon Brodie. Series five downloads will be released weekly from Monday (10th) exclusive to Big Finish customers, with the full boxset release culminating on Hallowe'en with episode four, when CDs will be dispatched.
|
|
|
Post by Star Platinum on Oct 7, 2016 17:13:56 GMT
somewhat tangentially related to the topic, I heard that the download details would be in the BF newsletter, which seems to have missed me, can anyone fill me in? The free newsletter downloads are for This World Our Hell, Murder on 81st Street and The Prime of Deacon Brodie. Series five downloads will be released weekly from Monday (10th) exclusive to Big Finish customers, with the full boxset release culminating on Hallowe'en with episode four, when CDs will be dispatched. Thanks Scott, that clears everything up! Looking forward to the tenth now!
|
|
|
Post by bohnny on Oct 10, 2016 6:26:09 GMT
First part now out for those that have purchased the box set
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2016 6:49:04 GMT
And it looks like it has its own outtakes and 9 minute music suite! Thanks Scott!
|
|
|
Post by pawntake on Oct 10, 2016 6:50:32 GMT
From BF apologise to users of the Big Finish app that this pre-release cannot be downloaded through it. Instead, to download this story on either MP3 or Audiobook format, go to your Big Finish log-in, and in the My Account section, find The Confessions of Dorian Gray Series 5 in the "Ordered But Not Released" section. You should then find a download link enabling you to listen and enjoy the beginning of the end. Just in case anyone is confused about the download,which I am sure you are not!
|
|
|
Post by gregm on Oct 10, 2016 20:56:12 GMT
Not in my account, but I'll check again later.
I approve of these staggered releases, which is how this series started out.
|
|
|
Post by kimalysong on Oct 10, 2016 21:27:03 GMT
Not in my account, but I'll check again later. I approve of these staggered releases, which is how this series started out. Look at the Not Released section of your account. That is where the episode lives.
|
|
|
Post by gregm on Oct 10, 2016 22:55:27 GMT
Not in my account, but I'll check again later. I approve of these staggered releases, which is how this series started out. Look at the Not Released section of your account. That is where the episode lives. Oh, I thought that was for app people. Downloading now, thanks!
|
|
|
Post by acousticwolf on Oct 11, 2016 7:37:15 GMT
... I approve of these staggered releases, which is how this series started out. Very true and it worked so very well . I think on this occasion, I'm going to wait until they are all released and then binge Cheers Tony
|
|
|
Post by omega on Oct 11, 2016 8:54:25 GMT
It feels a bit like Love and Monsters in that the focus is on a guest character and the title character only makes a few appearances through the lens of the guest character. Only less oral sex jokes. Loads of ambiguity, is there actually a supernatural threat in the late Dadd's artwork, or is it just Oscar's excuse for being a crappy family man? The possible sex scene between Dorian and Constance made me cringe and feels the dirtiest the series has gone. That scene was practically a porno.
Ultimately you're left wondering how much actually happened and whether it happened the way Oscar interpreted it. It's an hour exploring the unreliable narrator.
|
|
|
Post by acousticwolf on Oct 11, 2016 9:00:46 GMT
Must ... not ... read ... thread ...
|
|
|
Post by kimalysong on Oct 11, 2016 21:18:15 GMT
It wasn't at all what I expected. I thought it was going to be Oscar Wilde & Dorian figuring out who Jack the Ripper was but this was far more interesting. I loved the ambiguous nature of the story. Did Richard Dadd come back & influence all these horrible killings. Or was this just Oscar Wilde's way to deal with all the horrible things that were going on around him. Is it easier to imagine a supernatural monster then a human one?
Wilde is supposedly narrating this story after Dorian left him in This World Our Hell. At this point Oscar was still lucid but later on some of that lucidty might have left him as he came closer to death. After Dorian visited him it makes sense that he would come back to the beginning.
I liked how Oscar's introduction to Dorian was tied to all these horrible things. In many ways the Dorian in this story is closest to the corrupt Dorian of the novel. This is a Dorian we hear about in Confessions but never really meet. Well we may learn about callous things Dorian has done but we also hear Dorian's inner thoughts maybe softening these things because we learn of his regret & loneliness. But here there isn't that layer protecting us from Dorian's nastiness....as he said he would do anything. Is he capable of murder too?
In the end for me this story isn't about Dadd or the Ripper it isn't about the supernatural either...It's about Dorian. Dorian is supernatural but he is also very much human. What are humans & Dorian capable of?
My only regret is we couldn't hear the conversation between Oscar & Dorian when Dorian told the truth about himself. Not so much about the immortality but did Dorian tell Oscar about Basil here & what he did? But in my heart I'd like to think that through this discussion maybe Oscar discovered Dorian's humanity like we did through all his stories.
And yes James Dunlop's score was gorgeous but that almost goes without saying. I also loved that we got more singing Dorian.
|
|
|
Post by rosekitten on Oct 11, 2016 21:31:06 GMT
It wasn't what I expected at all, but it was so well done and I was intrigued in finding out what Oscar thought about Dorian, it was great to go back there, back even before the beginning.
|
|
|
Post by Trace on Oct 12, 2016 2:36:40 GMT
The possible sex scene between Dorian and Constance made me cringe and feels the dirtiest the series has gone. That scene was practically a porno. Well now I'm really EXCITED to give this a listen!!! I LOVE the sex scenes in the Dorian range. I'm still listening to the novel--a bit behind schedule on our group listen, and I want to give this one my full attention. I'm avoiding anything that appears too "spoiler-ish" in this thread, but when I skim through and see the sex scenes mentioned, you have my full attention.
|
|
|
Post by omega on Oct 12, 2016 4:58:44 GMT
The whole internal structure of the narrative kind of went south as Oscar's sanity did. It starts off with the theme of writing a story, setting up the background and introducing the characters (Dorian, Constance) along with the conflict (Oscar's negligence, the murders). But as Oscar's obsessions with the murders, Dadd and Dorian grow, there is less and less of a planned structure and more spur of the moment twisted memories that barely resemble a coherent narrative (we never get any resolution on the murders, Dorian's possible role in them or what happens with Oscar's marriage) until he's delirious at the end. We can't even be sure the murders played out the way Oscar says they did.
|
|
|
Post by omega on Oct 12, 2016 5:56:12 GMT
The whole internal structure of the narrative kind of went south as Oscar's sanity did. It starts off with the theme of writing a story, setting up the background and introducing the characters (Dorian, Constance) along with the conflict (Oscar's negligence, the murders). But as Oscar's obsessions with the murders, Dadd and Dorian grow, there is less and less of a planned structure and more spur of the moment twisted memories that barely resemble a coherent narrative (we never get any resolution on the murders, Dorian's possible role in them or what happens with Oscar's marriage) until he's delirious at the end. We can't even be sure the murders played out the way Oscar says they did. Criticism, observation or applause? I'm not cricitising here. It's rather clever how guyadams tied the structural integrity of the story to Oscar's state of mind in the framing sequence.
|
|
|
Post by kimalysong on Oct 12, 2016 9:57:15 GMT
Criticism, observation or applause? I'm not cricitising here. It's rather clever how guyadams tied the structural integrity of the story to Oscar's state of mind in the framing sequence. Nice observation about Oscar's State of mind. And you are right we never explicitly get an answer to the murders or the fact that Dorian isn't involved except the fact that after that night, Dorian confesses all to Oscar and Oscar comes to believes in him, but then in his state Oscar is absolutely an unreliable narrator. There is more ambiguity here. While I don't personally think Dorian was responsible for the murders in this particular story I would say he is definitely capable of murder. He killed Basil. It's been mentioned in other stories that Dorian has killed. So that night, in that confession what did Oscar see in Dorian? As I said in my previous post I like to believe he saw humanity in Dorian that Dorian is no monster but capable of both evil & good. In fact in Oscar's first story he even says Gray is an apt surname neither black or white & this inspired the novel he wrote.
|
|
guyadams
Big Finish Creative Team
Likes: 203
|
Post by guyadams on Oct 12, 2016 10:03:43 GMT
Hello! I always think it's a bit wrong to post in threads about a script I've written (you should all be free to give my work a kicking free in the knowledge I'm not in the room!) but... as jbmasta kindly tagged me it would seem equally rude to stay away.
Glad you all seem to like it though, very glad. It's a weird one and I was rather pleased with it. It's not every day you get to play with the lovely Dorian and chronicle the breakdown of a literary genius.
Sorry if the milk jug bit was a tad rude! As Toaau says, I was aiming for mad rather than sexy but, yes, I'm a bad man and shouldn't be allowed in polite tea rooms.
|
|