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Starring |
Hay Petrie
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Ben Webster
,
Elaine Benson
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Directed By |
Thomas Bentley
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Audio
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Dolby Digital 2.0
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Visuals
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4:3 Fullscreen
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Running Time |
96 mins
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UK Release Date |
May 14, 2012
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Genre |
Period Drama
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Our Rating |
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User Rating |
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The Old Curiosity Shop has a slightly unfortunate reputation compared to other Charles Dickens novels. It was certainly popular at the time, but has always been notorious for one particular scene. It's been 171 years since the book came out, so hopefully I can be excused this spoiler: the notorious scene features the death of the character, Little Nell. Like the actor Robin Williams, Dickens had a fatal weakness for sentimentality. Even Oscar Wilde, only a few years later mocked the book. "One would have to have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell, " he said. "without dissolving into tears...of laughter.'
In fact, the most memorable thing in this 1934 film is not Little Nell (Benson, not actually especially little and whose death scene is handled reasonably subtly) but Hay Petrie's film-stealing turn as Mr. Quilp, the villainous landlord whose activities overshadow the lives of Trent (Webster) and his granddaughter. Petrie later returned to Dickens to play Mr. Pumblechook in David Lean's Great Expectations.
The truth is though, the book doesn't lend itself too well to screen adaptations, partly as because like this week's other vintage Dickens DVD release, Nicholas Nickleby, the book is too long while the film is quite short. But it is interesting that none of the other versions of The Old Curiosity Shop screened since have been particularly acclaimed either.
There are some engaging bonus feature interviews with Dickens experts Adrian Wootton and Michael Eaton (the latter looking very like Dickens' own Mr. Pickwick himself) and a silent film on Dickens directed by Frank Miller (not that one).
However, it is strange to think that this film was made at a time when the end of Dickens' life (in 1870) was only sixty four years before. Sixty eight years have now passed since this was made. And frankly, it shows.
Overall Verdict: Never a classic on the screen, this 1930s Dickens is far from a little shop of horrors but certainly isn't the best of Dickens on screen either.
Special Features:
Interview with BFI Dickens Season Curators Adrian Wootton and Michael Eaton
Interview with Dickens biographer Michael Slater
Wonderful Dickens: Dickens' London: 1924 Silent Film directed by Frank Miller
Stills Gallery
Reviewer: Chris Hallam
