Martin Chuzzlewit

What an ensemble cast, every one committed and enthusiastic, every one knowing their Dickens, too! Tom Wilkinson is superb --- an actor of many roles, but in this he is fantastic as Pecksniff. Young Martin is perfect (I once saw Ben Walden in Julius Caesar at the Globe)--- a rather spoiled and righteous young man whose tantrums reminded me of Daniel Day Lewis's tantrums in THE NAME OF THE FATHER! Hardest to accept right off are the two Pecksniff sisters, but that's because they are so Dickensian and we are simply no longer accustomed to women being portrayed this way. In the 'small roles', Joan Sims as Betsy Prigg, Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs Gamp, and Graham Stark as Nadgett -- all hugely-experienced veterans of British broadcasting --- are pure gold. This production did the best it could with such a long book, in dealing with the American episodes -- mostly via letters being read. Nothing more could be done to resolve this difficulty. The late Pete Postlethwaite is a juicy Montague Tigg, as villainous as Keith Allen is terrifying in his Jonas role. There is not a bad casting in it, so let's finish by praising Philip Frank as Tom Pinch -- a role he does so well, so honestly, so unembarrassed, that his many other later appearances on TV are a shock (eg police inspector in "Heartbeat".

I read that someone called it a dark and gloomy adaptation. I have to disagree with that ! I thought it

a very funny TV-series.

Of course there's a lot of scheming and some people get treated very badly. But all the characters are

played in such a manner that you can't help but see them as ridiculous. Tom Wilkinson is marvelous as the pompous Seth Pecksniff and i would like to mention Elizabeth Spriggs who makes her part as Mrs. Gamp unforgettable. If you like a period drama with a good deal of humor this one is for you ! The series lasts 337 minutes. It's a shame that it's still not released on DVD.

Let's hope we don't have to wait too long ! If you like the wit of Jane Austen you will like this series

too ( yes there is a love story in it as well).

Tremendous adaptation of the Dickens novel the author himself considered his best work.

Perfectly cast in every role its difficult to single out any one as best. Scofield of course is brilliant but perhaps the real standout is Phillip Franks as Tom Pinch, outwardly an odd looking man who possesses a soul of great compassion and kindness he gives an emotional heart to the entire enterprise. Set in beautifully realized surroundings with impressive attention to detail and directed so that the story never bogs down and focuses too long on any one plot thread this is perfect for any fan of the BBC or classic literature.

Although this BBC production of "Martin Chuzzlewit" from 1994 is not widely known, it is definitely a very good one. The characters are true to Dickens' novel, some of them being rather multi-layered, such as the bitter and twisted Jonas Chuzzlewit, very well portrayed by Keith Allen, or the desperate young Martin Chuzzlewit (Ben Walden), who from his very first scene casts a spell with his eyes and voice.

For those BBC drama collectors who consider buying the video: This is not as light as the fine Jane Austen film versions, but rather dark and gloomy. In my view this contributes to the film's attraction, and I can recommend "Martin Chuzzlewit" without hesitation.

A piece of advice concerning the videotape: Watch it as soon as you purchased it because there are some tapes on which visual noise appears every now and then. You might perhaps have to exchange it.

I was absolutely stunned by this BBC-miniseries: it's almost perfect in every way. It succeeded in producing the exact atmosphere of Dickens' novel as I recall it, with all the fine irony, the dark and the good sides of human nature, the description of the beautiful countryside as well as the ugly corners of the big city, the sumptuous costumes, I could go on and on, everything seemed to be in perfect place and exactly right.

Due credit should go to the director and of course to the writer, who did a great job in translating some 700 pages of Charles Dickens into a manageable script. The fact that the whole American section of the novel is left out, didn't bother me that much. In the book it's almost a novel within a novel, and since with the adaptation of novels of this scale one always has to make some concessions, it seemed a sensible choice to comprise the American adventure to one or two short scenes.

As to the actors, they really deserve the highest credit, it's unbelievable how a whole cast can be of such high standards. Tom Wilkinson as the hypocritical, greedy en pompous Pecksniff is absolutely great; equally good and entertaining is Pete Postlethwaite, and I also should mention Elizabeth Spriggs as the scruffy, boozing and ad-libbing Mrs. Gamp, the "nurse" who you wouldn't trust with your worst enemy let alone with a patient! Julia Sawalha (Absolutely Fabulous) and Emma Chambers (Notting Hill) as the Pecksniff-offspring are not only hilarious, but also develop their part in a very convincing and in the end touching way. On the other, more dark side of the spectrum of Dickens-characters, Keith Allen as the ominous Jonas Chuzzlewit is blood-chilling in his portrayal of a cruel and relentless son and husband. And so I could go on, until even such small parts as the spicy young Bailey (Paul Francis - how DO they get such a young kid to play so natural and easy?!).

If any, to me there's only one minor flaw in this production: the role of young Martin Chuzzlewit by Ben Walden. I don't know what to make of it. Here's a young actor with a handsome yet rather uncommon face, an awkward way of acting, and a curious, almost mumbling diction! He seemed a strange choice to play one of the major protagonists in the story. But another reviewer on this site mentioned of him, that he "casts a spell with his eyes and voice", so maybe that's another way of looking at him.

I give this production a heartfelt 10 out of 10.