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We all are aware by now that Judy Garland was to star in the film and that she was replaced by Hutton after several days shooting. As great a musical star as Garland was, this may have been a good thing. Betty Hutton shines in the title role..brassy,emotional and full of life.

Howard Keel,fresh from his London success in "Oklahoma" is sheer perfection as Frank Butler, stealing scenes with such numbers as "My Defenses are Down" and "The Girl That I Marry".Benay Venuta also gets her share of scene stealing as Frank's flamboyant assistant Dolly Tate, and Keenan Wynn has just the right amount of huckster in him to make Charlie Davenort memorable.J. Carrol Nash as Sitting Bull has some of the films funniest moments, and Louis Calhern, stepping in for the late Frank Morgan, handles Buffalo Bill Cody with the skill of a great character actor.

other musical highlights are "Doing What Comes Naturally" belted with gusto by Hutton, "Col. Buffalo Bill" smartly sung by Wynn,Venuta & Keel, and the famous "No Business Like Show Business" featuring Wynn,Calhern & Keel.

This is truly one of the best stage to screen adaptations to come along.

As an aficionado of Oscar Wilde, I approach each new adaptation of his work openly but cynically. I encountered a pleasant surprise when watching this film. Although it strays from the novel,as most versions do, the changes worked.The less veiled relationship between Dorian and Basil played nicely, as did the shades of humanity given to Lord Henry in the final half hour of the film.

I wasn't sure at first of the addition of a daughter for lord Henry worked or not. (The addition of a niece for Basil in the MGM film didn't hurt the story any but also added nothing), but in Te end having Lord Henry's open-minded and rebellious daughter fall for Dorina creates an extra layer of moral dilemma.

The film is captured brilliantly in it design and cinematography. the shadows and color greatly enhance the mood.

The performances are mostly excellent.Colin Firth gives a well rounded portrayal of Lord Henry, equally cynical,charming and careless..as mentioned before..Firth is allowed to show a more human side of Henry as well, a jealousy and a realization of his own hypocrisy, something denied the other screen Henrys. Firth is in my opinion one of the greatest and most versatile actors working today.

Ben Barnes gives an electric performance as Dorian,with facial features resembling Hurd Hatfield, the Dorina of the MGM version, his young aesthete is more dangerous and even more selfish that other portrayers of the role. equally, Ben Chaplin is a real and tortured Basil Hallward. Fiona Shaw's AUnt Agatha adds class and charm to the piece as does Emilia Fox's all too brief portrayal of Lady Wooten.

This is an under rated film, that taken as a whole is a wonderful experience.

Personally I prefer this film to the original. "Conan The Barbarian' was slow moving and,while James Earl Jones was excellent, Schwarzenegger was blatantly atrocious. Surrounded by the talent in this film you don't notice how bad he is as often.

High marks are scored by Olivia D'Abo as the impudent Princess Jehnna, Sarah Douglas as the sexy,evil queen, and Mako in a comic turn as the Wizard and the stories narrator. Add Tracy Walters and you have a fine supporting cast.Grace Jones and WIolt Chamberlain add nothing to the film except a bit of visual diversity, Jones sneers a lot and Wilt just isn't much of an actor,although he comes off better than Schwarzenegger.

The plot is nothing to speak of. Its been done before, but its fun,colorful and its not a bad way to pass 2 hours of your time.