The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947)

Director:

Alberto Cavalcanti

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel)
John Dighton (writer)

Release Date:

3 December 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Nineteenth century England. When Nicholas Nickleby's father dies and leaves his family destitute, his uncle...

Plot Keywords:

Debtor's Prison | Actor | Debtor | Boy | Poverty

Cast

Cedric Hardwicke	...	Ralph Nickleby
Stanley Holloway	...	Vincent Crummles
Alfred Drayton	...	Wackford Squeers
Cyril Fletcher	...	Alfred Mantalini
Bernard Miles	...	Newman Noggs
Derek Bond	...	Nicholas Nickleby
Sally Ann Howes	...	Kate Nickleby
Mary Merrall	...	Mrs. Nickleby
Sybil Thorndike	...	Mrs. Squeers
Vera Pearce	...	Mrs. Crummles
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Miss Knag
Athene Seyler	...	Miss La Creevy
Cecil Ramage	...	Sir Mulberry Hawk
George Relph	...	Mr. Bray
Emrys Jones	...	Frank Cheeryble

Also Known As:

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-11 | UK:A | Australia:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #12157)

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Ealing Studios

Movie Connections:

Version of "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" (1982)

Worth a look

Ealing's adaptation of Dickens's NICHOLAS NICKLEBY had the misfortune to come out at the same time as the two splendid David Lean versions of OLIVER TWIST and GREAT EXPECTATIONS; everyone remembers these two film, while NICKLEBY has been largely forgotten. That's a great shame, because in spite of director Cavalcanti's obvious discomfort with the material, this remains a fine version of the novel, with all the great set-pieces (Dotheboys Hall, the Mantalinis, The Crummles theatre troupe) present and accounted for, and even such minor characters as the Kenwigs family getting their share of screen time. Of the performers, Stanley Holloway has a grand old time as Vincent Crummles, with Cedric Hardwicke a splendid Ralph Nickleby and Bernard Miles an equally good Newman Noggs. The inevitable streamlining of the plot towards the end has resulted in a felicitous idea, of which Dickens himself would have been proud: instead of Madeline Bray being married off to old Gride, it's Ralph himself who decides to marry her, which makes sense: if he can't have Kate to act as hostess, he'll have Madeline; and what better way to spite Nicholas than by marrying the woman he loves? The chase scene through the dark house at the end is masterfully done. Well worth a look.