Doriana Gray Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Doriana Gray Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker January 24, 2026

Actress, director, and muse to the director, Lina Romay plays a dual role in Jess Franco's 'Doriana Gray' (aka 'Die Marquise von Sade') which makes its US Blu-ray debut courtesy of Delirium Home Video. Putting his own spin on the classic story, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, the rest of Franco's small cast includes Monica Swinn (Barbed Wire Dolls), Martine Stedil ('Women Behind Bars'), and Raymond Hardy ('Die Sklavinnen'). The release features an audio commentary, the "soft" cut of the film, and an archival interview with Jess Franco, producer Erwin C. Dietrich, and star Lina Romay. A limited slipcover is included with the first 2000 units.

Shortly after Rolls Royce Baby and Satanic Sisters were released back in July of 2025, enthusiastic Francophiles, fans of Lina Romay, and fans of this particular brand of cinema, were saddened when supplies of these titles quickly dried up. Soon, the label made an announcement, that they had entered into an agreement with an exclusive distributor. As a result, both of those releases were discontinued. And as such, both Rolls Royce Baby and Satanic Sisters quickly started commanding steep prices in the secondary market, vaulting to well over $100 USD, and leaving those who were not able to source them via reputable retailers in the lurch. Since those early, nervous days, it has been revealed that their distribution partner would be OCN/Vinegar Syndrome/Melusine, a reliable entity with a strong track record. While Delirium has stated that both Rolls Royce Baby and Satanic Sisters would be re-released as part of that new arrangement, it is Doriana Gray that marks the label's first real release.

Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray has been adapted multiple times either in whole or in part. 1945's The Picture of Dorian Gray, expertly directed by Alfred Lewin, is a favorite of mine. Not only is it one of the most enjoyable adaptations of the novel, the film is also noteworthy for featuring acting legend Angela Lansbury, then just 20-years-old, in her third outing on the big screen. Her rendition of "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird" would resonate with a generation of viewers. Some twenty-five years later (1970), Massimo Dallamore's (What Have You Done to Solange?) The Secret of Dorian Gray (aka Il Dio Chiamato Dorian) would bring Wilde's creation into then-contemporary London. Starring Helmut Berger and Franco collaborators Maria Rohm (Eugenie), and Herbert Lom (Appointment with Crime, Tomorrow We Live), the film is solidly crafted, and would usher Dorian and those he encounters into sleazier territory. Just five years later, Franco would switch the gender of the title character and provide a picture that would be not only emotionally powerful, but much more sexually graphic.

Director Jess Franco was something of a character. Throughout his varied career, he worked with well-known actors such as Christopher Lee and Mark Hamill, in addition to many known only to genre or Franco fans. He could turn in solid films across multiple categories; horror, comedies, dramas, thrillers, action, science fiction, softcore, and hardcore. Everything was fair game. But one of his most unique skills was working on a film for one producer, and secretly working on a second for himself or another producer at the same time. It's that cinematic double-dipping that is occurring here. As Franco worked on Doriana Gray his "day job" was Frauengefängnis (aka Barbed Wire Dolls) for Swiss Producer Erwin C. Dietrich. Romay, Swinn, Hardy, Stedil, and Peggy Markoff (who is seen in the following screenshot) are employed in this film for something wildly different from that infamous women in prison classic on which they worked simultaneously.

Franco has somewhere north of 200 directorial credits to his name. Due to his penchant for using pseudonyms, we may never know exactly how many films he directed, and even the man himself, who passed away in 2013, wasn't quite sure of the number due, in part, to his furious work schedule. Given the wide variety of films he's helmed, some wonder where the best entrance to his work can be found. Is it more traditional works like Death Packs a Suitcase (aka "Der Todesrächer von Soho")? Or, what of the Klaus Kinski starring Jack the Ripper, or his 1970 version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", entitled Count Dracula, which star Christopher Lee considers his favorite of the films in which he played the titular character? My notion is that with a director like Franco, there isn't really a "safe" starting point. For even in his more traditional and, by conventional measures, accomplished films, things can still feel a bit different. At some point with some film, the viewer must simply choose to take the plunge. My own entrance into Franco's work was 1973's Female Vampire (aka "La Comtesse Noire"). As I was working through Hammer's Karnstein films, I was looking into other horror films that had characters with that name. As Lina Romay, in an impressive performance, plays Countess Irina Karlstein, that was close enough to the mark for me. I'd heard a small bit about the film, but I was not entirely prepared for what greeted me after I pressed play on the old DVD. It had a dreamlike quality consistent with my favorite output from Jean Rollin. There was a proper narrative structure, albeit loose, and the pacing was languid. And it was utterly engrossing.

Coincidentally, Doriana Gray has a bit in common with Female Vampire, a film that Franco directed just a few years prior. Both focus on a woman, Romay, who is, we learn, potentially much older than we think in each case, and in each film is sexually irresistible to those she encounters. Both are reclusive. Both are visited by journalists. And both receive what they need to live from sexual encounters that their partners typically do not survive. There are even some moments where Doriana is wont to bite her amorous partners. Where Doriana Gray differs is in the fact that Romay plays twin sisters. Doriana lives in the massive lonely house, pursuing sexual encounters but never being able to feel the ultimate satisfaction from them. Her twin, we find, is institutionalized, suffering from nymphomania, or some sort of perpetual hypersexual state, and her endless thirst for carnal pleasure has driven her mad. Romay also has a considerable amount of dialogue here, and she embodies her split roles well despite being so young in her career.

Through Doriana's endless wanderings and murderous dalliances, many of Franco's trademark flourishes are on display. There is inventive, artful, and playful shot composition, and there is extensive, and occasionally aggressive use of zooms. In one instance, focus can be razor sharp, in others, the shot's subject is just slightly out of focus. In some scenes, characters fall in and out of focus over its duration. Mirrors are used to dramatic effect, and while there isn't a small stage performance in the film, Romay lies atop a table in much the same manner as she would when she performs stage shows in other Franco films, and she sings to herself in the film's early goings. There's also an atmosphere of inherent sadness to Romay's Doriana and her world that is consistent with some of Franco's other works. The film seems to ask what good is her potential immortality if she never able to experience pleasure, try as she may? Without it, she's as incapable of living a fulfilling life as her institutionalized twin.

Doriana Gray Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While I do not have specific information about the source of the transfer for this release, to my eye it is very much in line with the Ascot Elite Home Entertainment release of the film from 2013. That release went by the title of Die Marquise Von Sade (or The 1000 Shades of Doriana Gray). I did many side by side comparisons and they certainly seem very similar. The same holds true for the softer German cut of the film that is included here as an extra. The finished result here again bears striking similarities to to Ascot's 2015 release of Das Bildness der Doriana Gray . Whereas that release only had a German audio track and was absent English subtitles, non-German speakers were ill served by it. Colors are a tad washed out, but it's nothing egregious. Skin colors are typically quite healthy, with only a few instances where they tend to veer toward a ruddier end of the spectrum. Bold primaries are in short supply in Dorianana's world but the pink garment that she wears for much of the film presents with a rich, sugary bubble-gum hue. The same is true with her 1970s era orange dress which possesses an authentic rustier look than oranges which are popular today. Depending on what Franco has in mind for the particular moment in the specific shot, fine detail levels can be impressive, with every fine line, wrinkle, and hair visible and well-defined on Romay's face and body. The extreme close-up of Peggy Markoff reveals her dark eyeliner in exacting detail. Clothing, too, can have a precise tactile quality. But as is the case with Franco's films, there is a certain amount of softness on display, not to mention moments that he chooses to be completely out of focus. Grain is present, but never poses a problem and provides the film with a pleasant filmic appearance. Print damage is present, but is relatively minor, usually consisting of white specks that pop up on occasion, though there is the odd cue mark to spot as well. On the whole, though, it's a good looking transfer of a great Franco film.

Doriana Gray Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio options for this film include an Original English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, and an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The German audio track that was found on the Ascot disc is not ported over to this release. After watching the film through with both tracks, I found the 5.1 track to be more to my liking. Neither are overly ambitious tracks, mind you, but the 5.1 track was absent the echoey quality that was sometimes detectable on the 2.0 track. Even when the 5.1 track is selected, viewers will notice that the presentation is still very front-centric, but there are moments where the surrounds spring to life a bit. The dialogue from the English dub is consistently clear here and understandable in all circumstances. Music is handled well also, as are the various screams and moans. Though not asked to do much, it does what it needs to well enough.

Doriana Gray Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with Historian Troy Howarth - Howarth begins by sharing with the viewer that he holds Franco and his work in high regard. His commentary is very conversational, though I would guess he is working with some amount of prepared notes. He covers Franco's style and choices, Franco working as his own cinematographer here, the films he made for Erwin C. Dietrich, and the various elements at play here. Howarth shares a great deal of data about the films he made in the same period, shooting locations, the cast, and a host of other subjects. It's an enjoyable commentary.

• 'Soft' Cut In German With English Subtitles (1:12.21) - Much of the adult content is removed and other material is substituted. Given the change to Romay's hairstyle, the new material is relative easy to spot. This appears to very similar if not identical to the transfer from the 2015 Ascot release Das Bildness der Doriana Gray. As such, it looks very similar to the "hard" version. In German with English subtitles.

• Interviews with Director Jess Franco, Producer Erwin C. Dietrich, and star Lina Romay (11.46) - Running about 30 seconds longer than the interview found on the Ascot release, Dietrich covers his impressions of working with Franco, and his penchant for crafting two films at once. After initially being a bit perturbed, Dietrich says he eventually realized the second film, Doriana Gray, was a gem, citing its atmosphere as one of its biggest assets. Jess provides his perspective, not seeming to think doing such things was an issue of any real significance. He also speaks a bit about working with Lina Romay. Dietrich shares his thoughts on her and Rolls Royce Baby as well. Romay talks about Jess, saying he is an actor's director.

• English Trailer (1.07)

• German Trailer (1.53)

Doriana Gray Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As with Female Vampire before it, Doriana Gray is a delirious mix of melancholy, horror, and eroticism. Lina Romay's performance in this film is as bold and uninhibited as it was in Female Vampire, perhaps even more so, and I believe it primarily benefits from Romay being more comfortable in front of the camera and more confident in her abilities. The relationship between and disposition of the twins Romay portrays provides the impetus of the more adult material that the film exhaustively showcases, and she is nothing if not unabashed here. Yet through each encounter, regardless of the partner, the joie de vivre is absent from both of the twins. Neither is ever satisfied in any real or lasting way. Franco was adept at crafting a haunting atmosphere, and that is certainly the case with this film, which is equal parts beauty and sadness. For fans of Jess Franco and Lina Romay, or for those who feel the time is right start their exploration of the pair's works, Doriana Gray comes strongly recommended.