a little Dickens
With my ratings & comments.
Dickens's stories have vivid characters and great dialogue--perfect for translation to film. Here are some of the best adaptations (plus a few misfires).
Please note that I am stingy with stars, and try to rate based on criteria more objective than simply "I loved it/hated it"--a movie has to be really outstanding to earn an 8 or higher from me.
Dickens's stories have vivid characters and great dialogue--perfect for translation to film. Here are some of the best adaptations (plus a few misfires).
Please note that I am stingy with stars, and try to rate based on criteria more objective than simply "I loved it/hated it"--a movie has to be really outstanding to earn an 8 or higher from me.
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- DirectorDavid LeanStarsJohn MillsValerie HobsonTony WagerA humble orphan boy in 1810s Kent is given the opportunity to go to London and become a gentleman, with the help of an unknown benefactor.10/10
This is the gold standard for Dickens on film. A wonderful concoction distilled from memorable characters and personal growth, gorgeous cinematography, strong pacing; vivid, funny, and heart-breaking in turn. If you love Dickens, you must see this. - DirectorJulian JarroldStarsIoan GruffuddJustine WaddellCharlotte RamplingA humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.8/10
An intelligent modern version. Gruffudd delivers a strong, believable performance. Beautifully filmed too. - DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsEthan HawkeGwyneth PaltrowHank AzariaModernization of Charles Dickens' classic story finds the hapless Finn as a painter in New York City pursuing his unrequited and haughty childhood love.The dreamlike quality of Dickens's fairy tale for adults dissipates quickly in the Florida sun. I'm still trying to figure out the reasoning behind this dreary modernized adaptation.
- DirectorMike NewellStarsToby IrvineRalph FiennesJason FlemyngA series of events change the orphaned Pip's life forever as he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman.Haven't yet had a chance to see it. From the reviews, this sounds like it's rental material rather than add-to-your-Dickens-home-video-collection.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsRobert NewtonAlec GuinnessKay WalshIn Charles Dickens' classic tale, an orphan wends his way from cruel apprenticeship to den of thieves in search of a true home.4/10
The plot is intelligently pared down and magically told, with the focus on Oliver's personal journey. Great performances, great cinematography, great great film. One of the Dickens essentials. - StarsBen RodskaEric PorterMichael AttwellAn orphan named Oliver Twist meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.8/10
Follows Dickens's coincidence-filled plot closely. Good performances all around; Oliver is spunkier here than in other versions. The direction is a bit loose, but this mini-series is satisfying in a way that leaner versions are not. Recommended.
(The DVD has a bonus feature of Simon Callow recreating Dickens's own public reading version of Sikes & Nancy. It's terrific!) - DirectorFrank LloydStarsJackie CooganJames A. MarcusAggie HerringAn orphan named Oliver Twist meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.7/10
Not stunningly brilliant like the Lean 1946 version, but silent film fans will enjoy this. Coogan is an appealing Oliver, and Chaney is vivid, less of a caricature than Guinness in the later film; Gladys Brockwell broke my heart as the doomed Nancy. There are some imaginative flourishes in the direction. - DirectorCarol ReedStarsMark LesterRon MoodyShani WallisAfter being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.8/10
Snooty Dickens fans don't always like this. I do. It captures Boz's own exuberance, sentimentality, and empathy for the poor. Memorable score and fine performances, especially Wallis and Reed. - DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsBarney ClarkBen KingsleyJeremy SwiftAn adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.5/10
Attractively if emotionlessly shot in golden light. Polanski has stripped the story down to the bare bones, and along the way he lost its heart, as well as most of the dramatic tension. - StarsSam SmithDavid RossJulie WaltersAn orphan named Oliver Twist (Sam Smith) meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.4/10
Great cast, costuming, sets--what went wrong here? For starters, flabby direction, plus a script that adds weird things to Dickens's text (like the endless prologue explaining Monks). Worse still, it utterly lacks atmosphere. Catch the David Lean version or the 1985 mini-series instead. - DirectorWilliam J. CowenStarsDickie MooreIrving PichelWilliam 'Stage' BoydAn orphan boy in 1830s London is abused in a workhouse, then falls into the clutches of a gang of thieves.3/10
I can't imagine why anybody would choose to watch this instead of the 1948 David Lean adaptation. - StarsDaniel RadcliffeTrevor EvePauline QuirkeA gentle orphan discovers life and love in an indifferent adult world.9/10
My personal favorite among the different versions of this tale. The Steerforth-Rosa dynamic works especially well. This really feels like Dickens's novel. Highly recommended. - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsFreddie BartholomewFrank LawtonEdna May OliverA gentle orphan discovers life and love in an indifferent adult world.8/10
Assured direction that carefully shapes the mood, humour and pathos. I hate Freddie Bartholomew as the child David, but everyone and everything else works well. Breakneck pace. - DirectorJack ConwayRobert Z. LeonardStarsRonald ColmanElizabeth AllanEdna May OliverA pair of lookalikes, one a former French aristocrat and the other an alcoholic English lawyer, fall in love with the same woman amidst the turmoil of the French Revolution.8/10
Made with energy, taste, and tremendous flair, this is relentlessly exciting; not ashamed of sentimentality, nor of Dickens's gleeful humour. Colman is perfect as the cynical lush at the center of it all. - StarsDenholm ElliottSuzanne BurdenJonathan MooreThe great case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce drags on, an obsession to all involved. Then a question of inheritance becomes a question of murder.7/10
Deep Dickensian atmosphere, well-cast and scripted. Unfortunately, the Jelliby family was omitted, and there's not much humour (admittedly, this is an exceedingly dark novel)--although Guppy's proposal is hysterically funny. - StarsDavid ThrelfallAlun ArmstrongRoger ReesA young, compassionate man struggles to save his family and friends from the abusive exploitation of his cold-hearted, grasping uncle.8/10
Exhaustive, exhausting, and very very good. Moving at breakneck pace, 39 actors perform all of the essential (and much of the lesser) parts of the novel in 505 minutes. Rees is a dynamic hero. The only failure here is the weird over-the-top unDickensian characterization of Smike, which leads to some seriously sappy scenes. (This was shot in England at the same time as An American Werewolf In London, which employs many of the same character actors.) - DirectorAlberto CavalcantiStarsDerek BondCedric HardwickeMary MerrallA young, compassionate man struggles to save his family and friends from the abusive exploitation of his cold-hearted, grasping uncle.7/10
Very enjoyable, with strong pacing and exuberant performances. - DirectorDouglas McGrathStarsCharlie HunnamJamie BellChristopher PlummerA young, compassionate man struggles to save his family and friends from the abusive exploitation of his cold-heartedly grasping uncle.6/10
The first half was great--the second didn't hold up for me; maybe the meta-theatrics were overdone. It's worth seeing for Plummer's terrific performance as Ralph. - DirectorClive DonnerStarsGeorge C. ScottFrank FinlayAngela PleasenceA bitter old miser who rationalizes his uncaring nature learns real compassion when three spirits visit him on Christmas Eve.9/10
There are dozens of film, television, and audio Carols available. This is my absolute favorite. (See my "A Christmas Carol" list for a comparison of more than 20 adaptations.) - DirectorBrian Desmond HurstStarsAlastair SimJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonEbenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.8/10
Sim is exceptional in this outstanding b&w film version; his scene with his nephew at the end has never been outdone. My only quibble is with what the script adds to Dickens's plot, which unbalances the story. - DirectorRichard WilliamsStarsAlastair SimMichael RedgraveMelvyn HayesAn old bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when spirits visit him on Christmas Eve.8/10
The perfect short version, which uses John Leech's original 1843 illustrations as the basis for great animation. - StarsNigel StockClive SwiftAlan ParnabyThe story follows Samuel Pickwick and three other members of The Pickwick Club as they travel throughout the English countryside by coach observing the phenomena of life and human nature, and recording their experiences for the other members of The Pickwick Club. Their memoirs of these experiences are the Pickwick Papers of the novel's title. During their travels Pickwick and Friends manage to land themselves in many humorous and sometimes hair-raising misadventures.6/10
Well-cast, but with undistinguished direction; the pacing feels off (to be fair, this is one of Dickens's weaker plots). Still full of fun, period charm, and beloved characters.
(DVD bonus feature: Simon Callow recreates Dickens's own public reading version of the trial scene, which I enjoyed immensely.) - DirectorNoel LangleyStarsJames HayterJames DonaldNigel PatrickThe Pickwick Club sends Mr. Pickwick and a group of friends to travel across England and to report back on the interesting things they find. In the course of their travels, they repeatedly encounter the friendly but disreputable Mr. Jingle, who becomes a continual source of trouble for all who know him. Pickwick himself is the victim of a number of misunderstandings that bring him both embarrassment and problems with the law.I haven't yet seen this well-regarded adaptation.