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Amazon.co.uk Review
This fast-paced film is never less than entertaining and is certainly by far the most handsome screen version of the story, sharing a life-enhancing energy with director Doug McGrath's previous Brit-lit adaptation, Jane Austen's Emma (1996). Inevitably much of the complexity and detail of the very long source novel has been sacrificed, and in this regard the 2000 TV version starring James D'Arcy has the advantage. Purists might be happier still with the acclaimed nine-hour 1982 RSC stage adaptation.
On the DVD: Nicholas Nickleby's first disc offers a superb anamorphically enhanced, 2.35:1 transfer. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is involving and atmospheric and makes the most of Rachel Portman's score. Also included is a very thoughtful and engaging commentary by McGrath, which adds a whole new level of appreciation to the film. Disc 2's most substantial extra is a solid 29-minute "making of" documentary featuring all the main cast and production personnel. The Life of Charles Dickens: "A Mirror to his Work" relates the book to Dickens' life with comments from the cast in an all-too-brief 12 minutes. The Cast on the Cast (16 minutes) features them chatting amiably on the afternoon of the New York premiere. Views on the Set simply produces five key shots from two different angles. The set is completed by a gimmicky trailer and a three-part photo gallery--a fair set of extras but not enough to call this edition truly special. --Gary S Dalkin
Special Features
- Audio commentary with Douglas McGrath
- The Life of Charles Dickens – A Mirror to His Work documentary
- Creating a Classic - "Making of" documentary
- The cast on the cast
- A View on the Set - multi-angled feature on 5 key scenes
- Behind the Scenes photo gallery
- Trailers
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Customer Reviews
It's even good enough to overcome the void at its center that is Charlie Hunnam, clearly cast for his looks since acting isn't a strong point. Indeed, it's bizarre that in a film with so many Americans, Canadians and Australians in its cast, the most unconvincing accent comes from a Brit, but Geordie Hunnam's curiously Scouse accent sticks out like a sore thumb, not only at odds with the rest of his family but also making him sound like a bored Beatle throughout - a kind of benign George Harrison without the `tache or the personality. As another poster has pointed out, it's a long way from Master Nickleby's Devonshire whatever it's meant to be.
Thankfully his blandness is more than compensated for by some excellent work by Christopher Plummer's villainous uncle, avoiding the usual caricature the role inspires, and Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson and Heather Goldenhersch (boasting such a perfect English accent I was surprised to find she was American) as the hideous Squeers family, embracing it and pulling it off magnificently, while Nathan Lane and Dame Edna Everidge are truly inspired casting as the open-hearted but financially challenged theatricals Mr and Mrs Crummles. There's fine work from Timothy Spall, Tom Courtenay, Phil Davis and, most surprising of all, even Edward Fox as well. It doesn't avoid the sentimentality but manages to turn it into genuine emotion, not least because no-one falls into the trap of wildly overplaying - even Dame Edna.
All in all an unexpectedly delightful, genuinely likeable, sincerely heartwarming film that deserved more success than it found - but as Mrs Crummles notes, in the great struggle between "those aged combatants art and commerce... art, it would appear from the receipts, is in its usual position of jeopardy."
Director McGrath has made a number of tough, but altogether valid choices concerning what to skip and what to keep in his film of Dickens' marathon novel in order to keep the running time just barely within two hours. I can just see Dickens nodding benignly from up above. Charlie Hunnam is angelic, but also unsentimental as the gentle Nicholas, separated from his mother and sister, as after the death of his father they surrender themselves to the mercy of his cynical brother. The heart of the plot is Nicholas' friendship with the cripple Smike (Jamie Bell is brilliant, simply brilliant), a boy that he saves from the archetypal sadistic Dickensian orphanage.
McGrath's film is positively brimming with eloquent supporting actors, and in the late autumn of his career Christopher Plummer proves himself to be quite the actor in what may amount to his best part ever as the cruel uncle.
I can even recommend the extras on the extra DVD, they are to the point and for once not a complete waste of time.
Despite this, there were a few stars, notably the Squeers family (with the exception of the son). Evil, yet hysterical. Also Jamie Bell as Smike was fabulous, as was Nathan Lane as Mr Crumbles. I just loved Jim Broadbent as Mr Squeers, great to see Jim stepping out of the 'nice guy' role, yet still retained the affections of the audience.
See this film if only for Jim and Jamie, just be prepared to overlook the duds.
The DVD extras are almost worth the cost on their own. The 'cast on the cast' section is well worth a look.
I'm into Charles Dickens and had not seen this, wanted it, ordered it, it came within days, beautilfully wrapped and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
They just don't get it with this one - the characters are two-dimensional and the... Read more
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