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The Pickwick Papers

  • 1952
  • Approved
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
683
YOUR RATING
The Pickwick Papers (1952)
Period DramaComedyDrama

Four wealthy Victorian gentlemen led by Samuel Pickwick set forth on an objective study of human behavior, thwarted by con artist Mr. Jingle and one of his schemes leading to Pickwick being ... Read allFour wealthy Victorian gentlemen led by Samuel Pickwick set forth on an objective study of human behavior, thwarted by con artist Mr. Jingle and one of his schemes leading to Pickwick being put on trial for breaking a promise to marry.Four wealthy Victorian gentlemen led by Samuel Pickwick set forth on an objective study of human behavior, thwarted by con artist Mr. Jingle and one of his schemes leading to Pickwick being put on trial for breaking a promise to marry.

  • Director
    • Noel Langley
  • Writers
    • Charles Dickens
    • Noel Langley
  • Stars
    • James Hayter
    • James Donald
    • Nigel Patrick
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    683
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Noel Langley
    • Writers
      • Charles Dickens
      • Noel Langley
    • Stars
      • James Hayter
      • James Donald
      • Nigel Patrick
    • 23User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos207

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    Top cast51

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    James Hayter
    James Hayter
    • Samuel Pickwick
    James Donald
    James Donald
    • Nathaniel Winkle
    Nigel Patrick
    Nigel Patrick
    • Mr. Jingle
    Joyce Grenfell
    Joyce Grenfell
    • Mrs. Leo Hunter
    Hermione Gingold
    Hermione Gingold
    • Miss Tompkins
    Hermione Baddeley
    Hermione Baddeley
    • Mrs. Bardell
    Donald Wolfit
    Donald Wolfit
    • Sergeant Buzfuz
    Harry Fowler
    Harry Fowler
    • Sam Weller
    Kathleen Harrison
    Kathleen Harrison
    • Rachel Wardle
    Alexander Gauge
    Alexander Gauge
    • Tracy Tupman
    Lionel Murton
    Lionel Murton
    • Augustus Snodgrass
    Diane Hart
    Diane Hart
    • Emily Wardle
    Joan Heal
    • Isabella Wardle
    William Hartnell
    William Hartnell
    • Irate Cabman
    Athene Seyler
    Athene Seyler
    • Miss Witherfield
    Sam Costa
    • Job Trotter
    George Robey
    George Robey
    • Tony Weller
    Gerald Campion
    • Joe, the Fat Boy
    • Director
      • Noel Langley
    • Writers
      • Charles Dickens
      • Noel Langley
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    6.9683
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    Featured reviews

    10clanciai

    Almost more Dickensian than Dickens in a highly inspired phantasmagoria of caricatures in a stew of Dickensian splendor

    Splendid adaptation of Dickens at his most hilarious, a kaleidoscopic odyssey around old England with a potpourri of intrigue and adventure squeezed into 100 minutes of virtuoso entertainment of English theatrical art at its best. Every single character is absolutely perfectly Dickensian and convincing as such, and it's a miracle to observe how such an extensive novel of so many characters and complicated intricacies of unexpected turns of events at every corner has been so successfully concentrated in Dickensian essence, which will certainly keep you busy through every minute of it, with even some human pathos to it - the prison scene with Mr. Jingle's change of fortune is perhaps the most impressive part. It's even impossible to say who is the best of all these acting paragons of excellence, but dominating are certainly James Hayter as Mr. Pickwick, Nigel Patrick as Mr. Jingle, James Donald as the besotted Mr. Winkle and Harry Fowler as Sam Weller, the most pleasurable character of them all, but Donald Wolfit crowns them all as Sergeant Buzfuz. It's as superb as a Dickensian entertainment as it was 65 years ago, it hasn't grown one day older but instantly established itself in the timeless zone of cinematic literary classics. It was about 50 years since I last saw it, and although I remembered it well, it was all perfectly fresh again as if it was an entirely new movie. These films cannot age.
    8tparis-2

    A superior movie version of the comic Dickens novel

    I remember this movie with great affection from the days of my childhood when it was broadcast several times on the CBC. When it became available on DVD I had to purchase it if only to mark Dickens bicentennial year of 2012. All the major comic episodes of the novel are covered with the exception of the Eatanswill election and the cricket match between Dingley Dell and All-Muggleston. As noted by another reviewer the movie by necessity omits the rather gloomy moral tales that Dickens chose to insert at intervals. The movie is further enlivened by the presence of a roster of great British character actors - Hattie Jacques, Hermione Gingold and James Hayter as Mr. Pickwick. Canadians will know him best as Mr. Tebbs, the senior salesman in the Mens Department, on the sitcom Are You Being Served. I notice that the actor who played Sam Weller died in January 2012 just a few days before I purchased the DVD - he was the last survivor among core cast.
    Snow Leopard

    Enjoyable Adaptation of the Story

    This enjoyable adaptation of the Dickens story "The Pickwick Papers" captures the atmosphere and characters of the book rather well. While it of necessity leaves out some large portions of the book, they did quite a good job of selecting some of the portions that would work well in a movie, and these are filmed faithfully. Even with the omissions, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but the cast of character actors, led by James Hayter as Pickwick, generally do a good job of making each one distinctive.

    The story of Pickwick and his friends traveling about England is a more light-hearted look at Dickens's society than are most of his later stories, but even so, the few scenes of serious social commentary, such as those in the debtors' prison, are pretty effective. This is true also of the movie version. The production is not anything especially fancy, but it seems quite efficient, and it keeps moving at a good pace. Anyone who enjoys Dickens should find this film version worth watching.
    8TheLittleSongbird

    Dickensian joy

    'The Pickwick Papers' is not one of my favourite Charles Dickens works, speaking as someone who appreciates him highly and completely understands his importance in literature. It is though a very colourful and entertaining read, one of Dickens' most accessible with a lighter tone than most of his work even if some of the story structure is sprawling in places, with some of the great man's most memorable characters.

    Dickens has been variably adapted on film and television, though will say that even the misfires/disappointments (and there are nearly as many of those as there are classics) deserve a little credit for even taking on the challenge of adapting the work of one of the (from personal perspective) most difficult to adapt authors. This 1952 film version of 'The Pickwick Papers' may not be one of the definitive adaptations of any of Dickens' work, and there is a slight preference for the 1985 mini-series with Clive Swift and Patrick Malahide. It is though very, very good, with many great qualities, and as good a film version of this particular story as one can make do with. As an adaptation it is a very solid and respectful one, with the spirit certainly intact and lots of recognisable elements. There are omissions/abridgements, but they were tasteful and didn't affect the coherence of the storytelling at all and it is completely understandable as to why there would be some condensation with literature as lengthy and complicated as that of Dickens.

    It, the film that is, may be on the slightly primitive side visually, though the production and particularly costume designs are handsome enough.

    Some parts are played a little too broadly, such as the romantic misadventures.

    However, as said, a nice job is done with the production design and the costumes. Antony Hopkins' music score has an appealing jauntiness that matches the atmosphere and spirit of the storytelling to a tee. 'The Pickwick Papers' is from start to finish directed with precision and class by Noel Langley, who allows the story to have plenty of momentum without rushing, letting parts breathe when necessary too without grinding things to a halt.

    On a writing and acting level, 'The Pickwick Papers' is pretty much a triumph. A great job is done with the adapting of the material, it is episodic (so is the book) but it doesn't read too much of a series of highlights which can be a danger with Dickens. Another danger is keeping sprawling and complicated storytelling coherent and not disjointed or choppy, 'The Pickwick Papers' to me suffered from neither of those two things and had no issues following what was going on (one could argue though that familiarity with the source material may be in order). The script is literate and thought-provoking, as well as wonderfully witty, Dickens' prose really shines here. The script and film have been criticised for being talky and wordy, don't consider them fair criticisms as Dickens is talky and wordy and am not saying that in a bad way despite how that sounds.

    James Hayter is the full embodiment of Pickwick, while Nigel Patrick is similarly on superb form as a deliciously rouguish Jingle. Harry Fowler is a memorable Weller, James Donald is appealing as Winkle and Kathleen Harrison is especially excellent of the female cast.

    All in all, very good film and adaptation. 8/10 Bethany Cox
    6Prismark10

    Tavern Tales

    I saw The Pickwick Papers on television some decades ago as a child and recently encountered a poor colourized version of the film. They should had kept the film in black and white.

    This film is adapted from the Dicken's source novel and restricts itself to some of the best sequences from the long tome.

    You have the caddish Mr Jingle getting others in all sorts of scrapes including getting Mr Winkle involved in a duel. There are scenes of elopements and nearly elopements again with Mr Jingle trying to get away with the loot.

    A misunderstanding leads to a court case involving a supposed broken promise of a marriage leading Dickens to have a swipe at lawyers and a sequence in a debtor's prison which suddenly switches the film from its comic mode to serious social issues of Victorian Britain.

    James Hayter is very good as Pickwick, Nigel Patrick is a hoot as Jingle, Harry Fowler is memorable as Weller.

    It is not the best adaptation of a Dickens novel from that era being rather low budget but amusing enough.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although the film was released in England in 1952 and opened in New York in 1954, it was not nominated for Oscars until 1956, due to its not having played in Los Angeles until then.
    • Goofs
      The pony trap shown outside the coach-house is not the same pony trap that Mr Pickwick and others are seen riding on in the next scene.
    • Quotes

      Nathaniel Winkle: Gentlemen, Mr. Jingle is the viper in our midst.

      Samuel Pickwick: Viper?

      Nathaniel Winkle: Viper, sir.

      Tracy Tupman: Nonsense, Winkle.

      Samuel Pickwick: Nonsense, Winkle.

      Augustus Snodgrass: N-nonsense, Winkle.

      Nathaniel Winkle: Very well, then... we shall see.

    • Crazy credits
      Closing credits finish with The End of The Pickwick Papers
    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in Arena: Dickens on Film (2012)

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 5, 1954 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die wunderlichen Erlebnisse des Mr. Pickwick
    • Filming locations
      • Nettlefold Studios, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK(studio: produced at)
    • Production company
      • George Minter Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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