Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Harmonia (A) on April 10, 2008 at 20:04:41

In Reply to: RE: BBC productions of Charles Dickens. ? posted by Michael V8 on April 09, 2008 at 14:05:33

The previous '88 BBC version had an excellent cast, including Derek Jacobi and Alec Guinness. Rising Brit star Matthew Macfadyen (Pride & Prejudice, In My Father's Den, Death At A Funeral) will be taking on the role of Arthur Clenham, played by Jacobi in '88. Respected scribe Andrew Davies (of P&P '95 and Middlemarch fame) will adapt.

I quite liked the most recent BBC adaptation of Bleak House, also adapted by Davies. No one beats the Brits at this sort of thing IMO.

I wish I could've seen the stage version of Nicholas Nickleby way back in the day, but the recorded version of this production is a great favorite of mine.

One of my favorite Dickens adpatations of all is David Lean's version of Great Expectations, with a radiant Alec Guiness and a wonderful John Mills as Pip and Pocket. They were both actually a bit too old for their parts, but they are so memorable and lively in their roles that I never fail to be captured by this film - in fact, it's my favorite Lean picture of all. The opening is as atmospheric in B&W as anything can be, as is the cinematography throughout the film. And I love the early scenes with a very young Jean Simmons as Estella. Martita Hunt is a remarkable Miss Haversham. With a fine script that makes the most of Dicken's characters and a strong visual style, Lean's GE is one of the greatest literary adaptations ever made.