The Pickwick Papers (1985) – 8.5
"If I have done but little good, I trust I have done less harm". Mr. Pickwick's farewell speech in this marvelously humane adaption of the Dickens's novel. They are words to live by. I personally hated saying goodbye to these characters, their small foibles, their smaller victories, their obscure lives played out on the screen. This was a 12-part mini-series with each episode at 30-minutes being a perfect lunch companion. I almost feel like starting again. Over the series our affection for the rotund Mr. Pickwick (Nigel Stock), his three young companions and of course his servant Sam (Phil Daniels) has grown exponentially through their insignificant adventures and romances. As Pickwick's kindness and love for the world and people around him comes to the surface, it is a revelation of the heart.
Martin Chuzzlewit (1994) – 7.5
I find myself in my reclining years unable to stay focused enough to read through a Charles Dicken's novel. Though I will try from time to time depending on mood and the season. I did finish Great Expectations earlier in the year but I expect it took me longer to read it than Dickens to write it. And he did it in serial form. But everyone should have some knowledge of Dickens so I began watching the films and TV adaptations of his works. Much easier on my eyes and certainly a lot faster. Easier to snack as well. So far I have watched The Mystery of Edwin Drood, David Copperfield, The Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers in film and The Pickwick Papers in a lovely multi-episode TV show. Now I am done with Martin Chuzzlewit, a six episode series. Bleak House next I think.
Chuzzlewit was not one of Dicken's best received books and I would imagine rarely read these days. It is a gloomy story of avarice, selfishness, murder, abuse with a few loyal friendships being the only light in the tale. Martin Chuzzlewit Sr. is a wealthy elderly man suspicious that all those around him want his money - and for the most part he is right. He has disinherited his grandson of the same name for falling in love with his ward that he has brought up since she was orphaned. There are two wonderful villains - one ruthlessly vile and the other with the great name of Pecksniff so devious and unctuous that he feels like an oil slick on the road. Pecksniff has working for him Tom Pinch who is the moral center of this small world. Much of the series is of the machinations of these two villains to get into Chuzzlewit's will but as there always is with Dickens there are many narrative side trips as well. The series has little humor other than poking fun at a few silly characters - mainly the man hungry daughters of Pecksniff. There are lots of characters to keep track of. It took me a few episodes to figure out who was who and the relationships but I think I got there by the end.
The acting is superb with a few classic veterans taking part - Paul Scofield as Chuzzlewit, John Mills as the doddering Chuffey, Pete Postlethwaite as a con man and Tom Wilkinson as the odious Pecksniff in a great performance. The younger actors are all unfamiliar to me but were excellent as well. It's BBC, so what do you expect. The period décor and sets are just right - BBC must have that down to a science - and I love the way they make the wretched poor faces look like they were rotting pudding left in the sun. It is hard to watch these period films and not think that people didn't bathe often in those days.
Oliver Twist (2007) – 6.0
Another Charles Dickens novel finished. In mini-series form. Five episodes totaling four hours. I figure that is about forty hours less than reading the novel. I did read a summary of the novel and even at four hours this leaves out a lot of plot and character. Somehow I expect more from BBC. Put in another couple hours and make it more complete. Still I think we have the gist of the book.
Born in an orphanage and workhouse to a mysterious woman who dies soon after childbirth but not before she leaves a letter and a chain with one of the women working there. She holds on to it for years in which Oliver Twist - the name they gave him - grows up and has the audacity one day to say "Sir, may I have some more". Not well-received by the authorities, he is then sold to an undertaker for two pounds. From there Oliver runs away to London where he meets up with the Artful Dodger who introduces him to Fagin, the Jew. I don't know if in other versions his being a Jew is so emphasized but it is hard to tell if Dickins is being anti-Semitic or vice-versa. In one of the final scenes Fagin is told that if he gets on his knees and converts he will be forgiven. "Sir, I can not do that".
Oliver gets arrested for a theft by the Artful Dodger but a kindly wealthy man saves him and takes him in. Turns out Mr. Brownlow was the guardian to two young women, but one of them was thrown out when she got pregnant and ten years later they have never been able to find her. Take a wild guess who that baby turned out to be. And someone wants him dead. Lots of complications - this is one of Dicken's roughest books. Forget the musical. It was one of his powerful social works condemning poverty, workhouses, orphanages, justice and domestic abuse. This series no doubt tempers it down but it is still brutal at times. Some big names in the cast - Edward Fox as Mr. Brownlow, Tom Hardy as the brute Bill Sikes, Sophie Okonedo as Nancy the girl friend of Sikes and Timothy Spall as Fagin. Oliver is played by William Miller, perhaps a bit too angelic for this role. This is good and I liked that four of the episodes were 30 minutes. Perfect for lunch but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the mini-series for The Pickwick Papers and Martin Chuzzlewit. Still this is a great way to get to know Dickens. Oh, and oddly the final scene takes place on Christmas Day! So Merry Christmas to one and all!
Bleak House (2005) – 8.0
Well another Charles Dickens novel down! In TV form. Truly my only chance to do so. This is the fourth mini-series that I have seen of his work along with a few feature films over the past few months. I feel so literate. Put me on Jeopardy and hope that Dickens is one of the categories! This consists of fifteen episodes with a duration of 8.5 hours. It is brilliant. Absolutely compelling watching. BBC can do these period adaptations so well. And after reading a lengthy summary of the novel's plot, it is clear that the mini-series stayed loyally on track to the book. The book is full of characters and sub-plots and to the credit of the writers here I was able to keep up with them. Wonderful Dickensian characters from the high in society to the low. From the kindest of people to the nastiest of humans. And all portrayed so well by the actors. Stand-outs are Charles Dance as a shrewd immoral lawyer who will do anything for his client; Phil Davies as a horrid moneylender with rotting teeth and a rotten soul; Anna Maxwell Martin as the heroine of the novel who catches smallpox; Carey Mulligan as a ward; Denis Lawson as the generous guardian and Gillian Armstrong as the haughty Lady Dedlock of the curved upper lip. And lots of other characters, all well played.
Very simplistically the novel centers around a case in the courts that has been going on for years and years with no resolution in sight. It involves the inheritance of the wealthy Jarndyce estate but there were several wills and much litigation about which is the final one. Most of the main characters have some connection to this in one form or the other. But there are other plots around it - a young woman brought up not knowing who her parents were, various romances, poverty, multiple deaths, scandals, intrigue and a murder case. This might have been better named Bleak World because there is misery everywhere except at Bleak House. Not one of Dicken’s better known novels – though this is the third mini-series adaptation of it – but a few critics consider it his best. That still won’t get me to read it unfortunately. Dickens wrote it in 1852 in 20 instalments. At 30-minutes each after the first episode they fly by very quickly. I will have to see if I can find another.
Great Expectations (2011) – 6.5
I wonder if there have been more film versions of this Charles Dicken's novel than any other work of fiction. There have been loads of them going back as far as I can tell to 1917. Perhaps the best known is the classic 1946 version with John Mills as Pip and directed by David Lean. They give it a modern setting in the 1998 version with Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert De Niro as Magwitch. Ralph Fiennes played Magwitch in a 2012 version. There have been multiple mini-series of the book, as is this one. Three parts, an hour each. It is actually one of the few Dicken's novels that I started and finished. It is quite wonderful though it took me ages to get through it. I don't know why this has struck such a popular vein with the public.
It is about class, status, ambition, revenge, cruelty and obsession and overall it is downbeat and tragic. The great expectations are never met. Most of the characters come to a bad end. It is also very funny. Dickens was a master of creating eccentric characters whose words and situations could easily bring laughter. Some of it is pure brilliance. But generally in the adaptations such as this one the humor is left out. Even at the three hours running time, this barely gets beyond the basic plot points that most people know. No time for laughs.
It is produced by BBC so there is the usual BBC period quality and a great set of actors. Gillian Anderson plays Miss Havisham in true crazy creepy almost scary mode with her white hair more disheveled with each passing minute and the dead eyes like embers going out - slowly disintegrating before our eyes like her wedding cake. She was great in Bleak House as well and has taken on some very interesting roles since X-Files as Margaret Thatcher and Eleanor Roosevelt. Ray Winstone is Magwitch, one of the roughest and most sympathetic characters put to page. David Suchet is the undefinable unflappable lawyer Jaggers.
The only weaknesses are perhaps the two at the center of the novel, Pip and Estella. Douglas Boothe (Bingley in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - a film I love - and Shelley in Mary Shelley) is fine but much too handsome for the role in sort of a Boy Band idol manner. There is no way Estella could have resisted him. And Estella is Vanessa Kirby and she just lacked the necessary burning light that attracted Pip over decades. In both the book and the film Pip and Estella end up holding hands - perhaps a happy ending in the future but perhaps not. In the book this unexpected meeting takes place eleven years after the conclusion of Pip's relationship with Magwitch. He went off to work with his friend in Cairo and just returned to visit Joe, the soul of the book. He is broke, Estella is broke. Some happy ending. Not in the film. They are kinder to these two. My favorite moment was clearly not in the book since it was told first person by Pip - is when her wretched husband is killed by the kick of a horse and she goes over to the horse and whispers thank you.
"If I have done but little good, I trust I have done less harm". Mr. Pickwick's farewell speech in this marvelously humane adaption of the Dickens's novel. They are words to live by. I personally hated saying goodbye to these characters, their small foibles, their smaller victories, their obscure lives played out on the screen. This was a 12-part mini-series with each episode at 30-minutes being a perfect lunch companion. I almost feel like starting again. Over the series our affection for the rotund Mr. Pickwick (Nigel Stock), his three young companions and of course his servant Sam (Phil Daniels) has grown exponentially through their insignificant adventures and romances. As Pickwick's kindness and love for the world and people around him comes to the surface, it is a revelation of the heart.
Martin Chuzzlewit (1994) – 7.5
I find myself in my reclining years unable to stay focused enough to read through a Charles Dicken's novel. Though I will try from time to time depending on mood and the season. I did finish Great Expectations earlier in the year but I expect it took me longer to read it than Dickens to write it. And he did it in serial form. But everyone should have some knowledge of Dickens so I began watching the films and TV adaptations of his works. Much easier on my eyes and certainly a lot faster. Easier to snack as well. So far I have watched The Mystery of Edwin Drood, David Copperfield, The Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers in film and The Pickwick Papers in a lovely multi-episode TV show. Now I am done with Martin Chuzzlewit, a six episode series. Bleak House next I think.
Chuzzlewit was not one of Dicken's best received books and I would imagine rarely read these days. It is a gloomy story of avarice, selfishness, murder, abuse with a few loyal friendships being the only light in the tale. Martin Chuzzlewit Sr. is a wealthy elderly man suspicious that all those around him want his money - and for the most part he is right. He has disinherited his grandson of the same name for falling in love with his ward that he has brought up since she was orphaned. There are two wonderful villains - one ruthlessly vile and the other with the great name of Pecksniff so devious and unctuous that he feels like an oil slick on the road. Pecksniff has working for him Tom Pinch who is the moral center of this small world. Much of the series is of the machinations of these two villains to get into Chuzzlewit's will but as there always is with Dickens there are many narrative side trips as well. The series has little humor other than poking fun at a few silly characters - mainly the man hungry daughters of Pecksniff. There are lots of characters to keep track of. It took me a few episodes to figure out who was who and the relationships but I think I got there by the end.
The acting is superb with a few classic veterans taking part - Paul Scofield as Chuzzlewit, John Mills as the doddering Chuffey, Pete Postlethwaite as a con man and Tom Wilkinson as the odious Pecksniff in a great performance. The younger actors are all unfamiliar to me but were excellent as well. It's BBC, so what do you expect. The period décor and sets are just right - BBC must have that down to a science - and I love the way they make the wretched poor faces look like they were rotting pudding left in the sun. It is hard to watch these period films and not think that people didn't bathe often in those days.
Oliver Twist (2007) – 6.0
Another Charles Dickens novel finished. In mini-series form. Five episodes totaling four hours. I figure that is about forty hours less than reading the novel. I did read a summary of the novel and even at four hours this leaves out a lot of plot and character. Somehow I expect more from BBC. Put in another couple hours and make it more complete. Still I think we have the gist of the book.
Born in an orphanage and workhouse to a mysterious woman who dies soon after childbirth but not before she leaves a letter and a chain with one of the women working there. She holds on to it for years in which Oliver Twist - the name they gave him - grows up and has the audacity one day to say "Sir, may I have some more". Not well-received by the authorities, he is then sold to an undertaker for two pounds. From there Oliver runs away to London where he meets up with the Artful Dodger who introduces him to Fagin, the Jew. I don't know if in other versions his being a Jew is so emphasized but it is hard to tell if Dickins is being anti-Semitic or vice-versa. In one of the final scenes Fagin is told that if he gets on his knees and converts he will be forgiven. "Sir, I can not do that".
Oliver gets arrested for a theft by the Artful Dodger but a kindly wealthy man saves him and takes him in. Turns out Mr. Brownlow was the guardian to two young women, but one of them was thrown out when she got pregnant and ten years later they have never been able to find her. Take a wild guess who that baby turned out to be. And someone wants him dead. Lots of complications - this is one of Dicken's roughest books. Forget the musical. It was one of his powerful social works condemning poverty, workhouses, orphanages, justice and domestic abuse. This series no doubt tempers it down but it is still brutal at times. Some big names in the cast - Edward Fox as Mr. Brownlow, Tom Hardy as the brute Bill Sikes, Sophie Okonedo as Nancy the girl friend of Sikes and Timothy Spall as Fagin. Oliver is played by William Miller, perhaps a bit too angelic for this role. This is good and I liked that four of the episodes were 30 minutes. Perfect for lunch but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the mini-series for The Pickwick Papers and Martin Chuzzlewit. Still this is a great way to get to know Dickens. Oh, and oddly the final scene takes place on Christmas Day! So Merry Christmas to one and all!
Bleak House (2005) – 8.0
Well another Charles Dickens novel down! In TV form. Truly my only chance to do so. This is the fourth mini-series that I have seen of his work along with a few feature films over the past few months. I feel so literate. Put me on Jeopardy and hope that Dickens is one of the categories! This consists of fifteen episodes with a duration of 8.5 hours. It is brilliant. Absolutely compelling watching. BBC can do these period adaptations so well. And after reading a lengthy summary of the novel's plot, it is clear that the mini-series stayed loyally on track to the book. The book is full of characters and sub-plots and to the credit of the writers here I was able to keep up with them. Wonderful Dickensian characters from the high in society to the low. From the kindest of people to the nastiest of humans. And all portrayed so well by the actors. Stand-outs are Charles Dance as a shrewd immoral lawyer who will do anything for his client; Phil Davies as a horrid moneylender with rotting teeth and a rotten soul; Anna Maxwell Martin as the heroine of the novel who catches smallpox; Carey Mulligan as a ward; Denis Lawson as the generous guardian and Gillian Armstrong as the haughty Lady Dedlock of the curved upper lip. And lots of other characters, all well played.
Very simplistically the novel centers around a case in the courts that has been going on for years and years with no resolution in sight. It involves the inheritance of the wealthy Jarndyce estate but there were several wills and much litigation about which is the final one. Most of the main characters have some connection to this in one form or the other. But there are other plots around it - a young woman brought up not knowing who her parents were, various romances, poverty, multiple deaths, scandals, intrigue and a murder case. This might have been better named Bleak World because there is misery everywhere except at Bleak House. Not one of Dicken’s better known novels – though this is the third mini-series adaptation of it – but a few critics consider it his best. That still won’t get me to read it unfortunately. Dickens wrote it in 1852 in 20 instalments. At 30-minutes each after the first episode they fly by very quickly. I will have to see if I can find another.
Great Expectations (2011) – 6.5
I wonder if there have been more film versions of this Charles Dicken's novel than any other work of fiction. There have been loads of them going back as far as I can tell to 1917. Perhaps the best known is the classic 1946 version with John Mills as Pip and directed by David Lean. They give it a modern setting in the 1998 version with Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert De Niro as Magwitch. Ralph Fiennes played Magwitch in a 2012 version. There have been multiple mini-series of the book, as is this one. Three parts, an hour each. It is actually one of the few Dicken's novels that I started and finished. It is quite wonderful though it took me ages to get through it. I don't know why this has struck such a popular vein with the public.
It is about class, status, ambition, revenge, cruelty and obsession and overall it is downbeat and tragic. The great expectations are never met. Most of the characters come to a bad end. It is also very funny. Dickens was a master of creating eccentric characters whose words and situations could easily bring laughter. Some of it is pure brilliance. But generally in the adaptations such as this one the humor is left out. Even at the three hours running time, this barely gets beyond the basic plot points that most people know. No time for laughs.
It is produced by BBC so there is the usual BBC period quality and a great set of actors. Gillian Anderson plays Miss Havisham in true crazy creepy almost scary mode with her white hair more disheveled with each passing minute and the dead eyes like embers going out - slowly disintegrating before our eyes like her wedding cake. She was great in Bleak House as well and has taken on some very interesting roles since X-Files as Margaret Thatcher and Eleanor Roosevelt. Ray Winstone is Magwitch, one of the roughest and most sympathetic characters put to page. David Suchet is the undefinable unflappable lawyer Jaggers.
The only weaknesses are perhaps the two at the center of the novel, Pip and Estella. Douglas Boothe (Bingley in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - a film I love - and Shelley in Mary Shelley) is fine but much too handsome for the role in sort of a Boy Band idol manner. There is no way Estella could have resisted him. And Estella is Vanessa Kirby and she just lacked the necessary burning light that attracted Pip over decades. In both the book and the film Pip and Estella end up holding hands - perhaps a happy ending in the future but perhaps not. In the book this unexpected meeting takes place eleven years after the conclusion of Pip's relationship with Magwitch. He went off to work with his friend in Cairo and just returned to visit Joe, the soul of the book. He is broke, Estella is broke. Some happy ending. Not in the film. They are kinder to these two. My favorite moment was clearly not in the book since it was told first person by Pip - is when her wretched husband is killed by the kick of a horse and she goes over to the horse and whispers thank you.