Nicholas Nickleby [DVD]

Charles Dickens- love him or hate him, you must admit that there was never anyone like him. His books are full of social critiques, melodramatic romances, characters so eccentric that they border on crazy and of course jaw dropping coincidences. The books are also wildly entertaining.There has been a revival of Dickens lately in the form of TV mini-series and Nicholas Nickleby is the latest. The title character has just lost his father in death and now, in his late teens, he must find a way to support and protect his sweet sister Kate and somewhat silly mother. Their only relative is their uncle, the greedy and cold Ralph Nickleby.Ralph gets Nicholas a job as a teacher in Yorkshire and Kate a job assisting a dressmaker. Here is where the main problems of the story come into play. Both Kate and Nicholas have the same problems, they are too good looking and talented. That may seem like no problem but they have no money and their equals in station are jealous of them. Also, they have to fend off unwelcome advances at every turn. The young actors playing Kate and Nicholas manage to make their characters good without being saccarine, a challenge to say the least.The Yorkshire school where Nicholas is sent is a horror, the boys are abused particularly the silent waif Smike. Nicholas befriends Smike and then protects him from a beating. Forced to escape with Smike, Nicholas is disowned by his uncle for being ungrateful. He is told that if he sees his sister and mother again, Ralph will throw them into the street. Nicholas agrees to leave but swears vengeance if Kate or his mother suffer in any way at Ralph's hands.This is pretty much how the movie goes, more and more problems come up and the characters escape by the skin of their teeth. The rivalry between Nicholas and Ralph is very well acted and one of the highlights of this miniseries.Dickens purists will doubtlessly complain about the many cuts that had to be made due to time constraints but they were needed for the film to run smoothly. All in all, this is a very good adaptation that does not modernize the tale too much. (This has been a problem in far too many adaptions of the classics, over-modernization)There are abductions, rescues, duels, chases, forced marriages, and one BIG suprise ending. (no Dickens novel is complete without a murder/attempted murder, a suicide and a suprise ending)If you are looking for an old fashioned soaper, this is it. I could not reccommend it for children since some of the abuses at the school are rather disturbing. However, this is how things were in the worse schools in Dickens's time and it is rather an eye-opener. I would say in American ratings, this movie ranges from a PG to a PG-13 so parents will have to make their decisions accordingly.

James D'arcy is perfectly cast in the title role as Nicholas Nickleby, a young, well-meaning but penniless gentleman who tries to earn an honest living to support his loving mother and sister who are dependent on him. First, he accepts a position as a teacher at a Yorkshire boarding school, not realising the horror that awaits him at the school run by the cruel Mr Squeers. When he could no longer endure the cruelty and atrocity inflicted by Squeers on the young children, he runs away from the school, followed by a boy (Smike) who has long suffered abuse and gross mistreatment at the hands of Squeers. Both Nicholas and Smike quickly become inseparable, loyal friends. By a strange chance, they go on to become actors at a small theatre run by the Crummles family. After being long separated from his mother and sister, Nicholas later leaves the theatre and makes a hasty return home to save his sister from a sinister plot cooked up by his evil uncle, Ralph Nickleby (played by Charles Dance). Ralph is a rich, old miser with a heart of stone who hates Nicholas intensely (mainly because he is jealous of Nicholas's youth and goodness of heart).James D'arcy's "Nicholas" is endearing and wonderful to watch. If you are a female viewer, you will be most pleasantly surprised (and awed) by his uncommon good looks. He is so strikingly handsome and will make you swoon! He reminds me of a young Ralph Fiennes (the eyes and upper part of the face) and Ethan Hawke (the lower part of the face).The beautiful Sophia Myles is also well cast as Nicholas's sister, Kate, a sweet and wholesome-looking girl who has to fend off unwanted male attentions wherever she goes.The many supporting characters (queer, eccentric folks, all) help spice up the plot and inject much humour into the story. Most notably, the Squeers family (an incredibly obnoxious and hateful family), the Mantalinis (a lovey-dovey couple who runs a fashion house; but they fight a lot too), the Crummles family (who owns the theatre), the generous Cheeryble twin brothers, Newman Noggs (Ralph Nickleby's reluctant assistant) and Arthur Gride (a hideous-looking and repulsive old man who plots to marry the beautiful Madeline Bray who also happens to be the object of Nicholas's affection). My only complaint is that the actress who plays Madeline Bray has too much make-up on (her face is too thickly powdered and it shows because you see that her neck is tan). Also, the scarlet red lipstick is unsuitable for her character who is supposed to be a simple, poor girl who would not have the time, money nor inclination to buy or use make-up!I feel this adaptation does good to leave out some of the minor characters from Dicken's novel because they do not serve the plot much, such as the large Kenwigs family and the madman who lives next door to Mrs Nickleby (Nicholas's mother). Otherwise, this production would be another hour long, at least.I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation and would recommend it to all fans of high quality period drama.

I bought this version because of Charles Dance, and he was great; HOWEVER, I really preferred the Christopher Plummer version.It has been many years since I read the novel Nicholas Nickleby, so I can't judge which is more true to the book, but for pure entertainment purposes, I prefer the Plummer version.Usually, with a Dickens DVD, I consider the longer, the better. I can't get too much Dickens. However, the portions added in this version to extend the length seemed to me only to confuse the story or make it less enjoyable. I cite three: The scene with Mrs. Nickleby and the dressmakers, the dining scene with the two couples, and the (to me) unnecessarily long segment dealing with the acting troupe.In the Plummer version, I loved the scene where the horseman rushes up to Nicholas and Smike and surprises them. In this version, it is so very tame (and also diluted by the aforesaid dining scene).The two brothers in the Plummer version were absolutely delightful. Here they were just more characters.I thought Smike was better in the Plummer version. Because he was a charity case, he was used as a servant; here, he was part of the classroom.These are just a few of my thoughts as I compare the two. Both were enjoyable, but my preference (sorry, dear Charles Dance) is the Plummer version.

Excellently produced with a great cast in a classic Dickens story. Enjoyed it immensely.

Love the series and glad I purchased. Only 4 star because the case was broken so dvd is a bit scratched from sliding around. Still works. You'll need a multi zone device if in Australia. Worth the $$.

The product range is vast ! My order was dealt with efficiently and promptly. The goods were received very quickly and I am well-pleased with Amazon and its associates.

Excellent

ダーシーさんがプリングズ副長の時よりずっと男前なのは、ほほにキズがないせいばかりではありません。長身にシルクハットの紳士がよく似合い、こんなにステキな人だったとは・・。英語が得意でない人でも話の筋はだいたいわかるのではないでしょうか。思いっきりきたない子供達も、実際あんなだったんだろうなあと当時の英国の雰囲気がよくわかります。ホロム士官候補生のイングルビーさんも頭の弱いかわいそうな役柄を上手に演じています。それにしてもなんで日本語版出ないの？売れると思うけどなあ。