The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1983)

Yes, it's nine hours long. Yes, it's Charles Dickens, he of the 900-page novels you had to read in high school. And, yes, it's a film of a play. But the Royal Shakespeare Company's Tony Award-winning 1981 production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby at London's Old Vic Theatre was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and those of us who missed its Emmy-winning PBS broadcast can be thankful for A&E's superb video boxed set. Dickens's story of greed, poverty, and cruelty in Victorian England is handled deftly by director Jim Goddard and set designer John Napier, who never deny their film's staginess but instead seek to exploit it, unafraid to show the viewer the skeletal nature of the theater and, in one instance, boldly using actors as props. The RSC makes excellent use of this mise en scène, bringing to life Dickens's characters with intensity, verve, and just the right notes of melodrama--this being a Dickens story, after all.

Roger Rees plays the young, earnest Nicholas, whose father's death prompts him; his sister, Kate (Emily Richard); and their mother (Jane Downs) to make their way to London to seek out the financial assistance of Nicholas's cold, calculating uncle, Ralph Nickleby (played to scowly perfection by John Woodvine). Ralph grudgingly provides his nephew with employment at a Yorkshire school for abandoned boys under the cartoonishly vile Wackford Squeers (Alun Armstrong), but Nicholas can't stomach the physical abuse Squeers heaps on his students. After lashing out at the sadistic schoolmaster during a particularly savage beating of a child, Nicholas escapes the school, taking with him the most wretched of the young creatures, a limping, crooked-backed boy named Smike (played heart-wrenchingly by David Threlfall). The story unfolds from there, with the now-itinerant Nicholas forced to make his way in the world while adhering to his principles and protecting Kate and their mother from his scheming uncle, who is eventually forced to come to terms with his emotions in the story's shocking conclusion. Typically Dickensian, the characters are neatly divided between good and evil, with little ambiguity. Still, each of the 39 actors in the ensemble does a wonderful job, making it a production that figures to linger in the memory long after you're done clapping. --Steve Landau Amazon.com

where's the buoyancy?

The novel celebrates the triumph of sweet lively spirits in dark times and places, while this DVD is a tribute to the power of a dismal tone to kill delightful dialogue, hilarious situations and charming characters. Look at that grim haunted face on the DVD case -- it isn't Ralph Nickleby, as I assumed when I bought the set, but this performance's version of sunny, irrepressible, boyishly earnest Nicholas. I like the script and production but the tone starting with Nicholas is just so pervasively wrong that I couldn't see it through. October 3, 2008

A Very Badly Mangled Version

It is incomprehensible why this DVD version of this glorious play is being sold at all. One scene has been entirely omitted from the original telecast and the entire DVD set is as badly recorded as it was edited. Save your money for the set sold through the National Theatre. Currently, it is available only as a Region 2 recording, but with a bit of lobbying, I'm sure a Region 1 or All Regions version will be made available. June 21, 2008

Mixed bag of reviews

I took a chance on this set in spite of the many reviews which did not like the production values of the product from a technical point of view. I expected the worst but was willing to put up with it to recapture my fond memory of having seen the production on TV. What I found was quite a surprise. The picture on my 32 inch LCD is brilliant and clear. I see no distortion and have no trouble with the sound quality. The acting company is attractive with many superlative actors taking different parts in the large cast of characters. My choice of only three stars is based on several considerations.

There are no subtitles which are often needed when the uneducated characters are speaking in unintelligible dialects. Since actors often play several parts the are often called upon to play minor roles of personages whose sex they do not inhabit. This would be fine in a stage production but a bit unsettling in the closeups. Too often the ruffian boys will turn up as maids in a following scene and vice versa. It is distracting and only adds to the confusion of an already confusing story line.

I will return to the BBC production with Nigel Havers as my video of choice for this story even though that series has more than it's share of uninspired bits. June 12, 2008

excellent series

this dvd set was a gift, the recipient loved it! good quality and nice looking box. May 15, 2008

The Best Thing I've Ever Seen

Nicholas Nickleby is not only my favorite Charles Dickens' book--indeed, my favorite book period--but this production is the ONLY adaptation of which I wholeheartedly approve. It is eminently true to the text and only a handful of adaptations (of any work) are. I've lost track of how many times I've watched this production. I used to check it out of the library at every available opportunity and finally, I decided to buy my own copy. I watched it twice within the first week I owned it and have happily loaned it out to two of my students, who appreciate such experiences.

If you're a fan of stage productions in general and enjoy analyzing directing styles, this will appeal to you on that level as well. Even the narration is breathtaking. The cast is unparalleled--characterizaztions are spot-on as Dickens would have intended. His wonderful characters "live" in this production as in no other I've seen. You'll love them, hate them, cheer for them and weep for them and feel as if you've lived among them for these hours.

This is a must-see for anyone who loves Dickens, England, literature, or the stage in general. June 1, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...