The Old Curiosity Shop

This is one of three main versions of Old Curiosity Shop available today, and this is by far the most thorough and true to the novel of the 3. It does of course suffer from low budget British 70s TV production, and is very slow in pace compared to modern adaptations. But it is this that allows it to be so thorough. Some of the acting is so so but some is really good (Trevor Peacock as Quilp is a Dickensian villain for the history books). Not available online so you will need to buy the DVD, but it is worth it. The 1995 is a very good but family friendly version. The 2007 version is skippable.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The BBC productions of the 70s and 80s seem to be either loved or hated by viewers. If you are a modern viewer who can only watch one-dimensional, trendy shows with simple plots and fast editing, then any BBC movie from the 70s and 80s will bore you to death. If, however, you enjoy watching fine acting and more intricate plotting that is more in line with watching a stage play, then the old BBC movies are just for you.

This production of Charles Dickens' classic is a fine production that sticks to the classic very well. As usual with the old BBC, there is a lot of dialogue and very long scenes (again, more like watching a show in the theater than on the television screen). But the investment of time is always worth the effort, as you are able to absorb yourself fully in the adventures of Nell and her grandfather, as they try to escape the grasp of the vicious and villainous Quilp.

Trevor Peacock (in spite of his obvious wig) is deliciously wicked as Quilp. Anyone who believes these characters to be overacted should re-read Dickens; you will find that the characters in his classics are just as extreme, written in that unmistakably moralistic style that has become one of the hallmarks of Dickens' work.

Natalie Ogle portrays the sweetness and innocence of Nell in a way similar to Mark Lester's performance in 1968's Oliver, embodying a kind of angelic innocence surrounded by evil. The rest of the cast is colorful and amusing to watch, including Granville Saxton's humorous but eventually sympathetic portrayal of Mr. Swiveller, Colin Jeavons' very amusing Mr. Brass, and a terrific youthful performance from Annabelle Lanyon as the Marchioness.

A terrific production for those who enjoy these older BBC movies, which do not have the "snap, crackle, and pop" of (often less interesting) modern movies, but they do have something that many productions today are sorely lacking- great acting and scripting that you can really sink your teeth into.

I know for a fact that Sebastian Shaw and Trevor Peacock are capable of fine acting. However you won't find it here, from either of them or anyone else. William Trevor, who wrote the screen adaptation, is a fine novelist, poet and critic. But this is cringe-inducing.

It is about as awful a Dickens adaptation as one could imagine. The pace is slow, the acting obvious and one-dimensional. It's like watching Dickens for Marionettes.

I hope that's not because it comes from BBC Birmingham rather than London. I'm more inclined to think that the format, 9 30-minute episodes, suggests that this mini-series is meant for school use only. The show might be useful for scaring kids away from literature for the rest of their lives, if anyone had such a purpose.

Otherwise, stay away.

Despite the poor reviews here, I find this series holds up very well on a repeat viewing, I first saw it aged 12 on it's original broadcast. Now, as then, Trevor Peacock's Quilp was what kept me watching. Evil yet gleeful, drinking and smoking and quiping nastily at all within range.

The production's weakness are the story's really, which cannot be helped. It is hard to work up much sympathy for the weak-willed grandfather, but Nell is easy to root for, as is Dick Swiveller, whose scatterbrained asides and meanderings are very good fun.

It feels dark and dirty and oppressive, yet there is good in the world, and Dickens keeps you wondering which will emerge victorious. (Dis)honourable mention to Sampson Brass too, his snivelling obedience and toadying is very well done.

I have no wish to be unkind, but the music seems to be the only decent thing about this production. The entire cast of this TV series act as if they were part of a slide show, with one expression each, and overact as though they were performing at the Yankee Stadium to a hearing-impaired crowd with glaucoma. The film's attempts at being funny are lamentable, whereas its attempts at being touching are truly risible. I bought it due to my renewed interest in Dickens after seeing the unmissable 2005 TV version of "Bleak House", and I must say that this version of "The Old Curiosity Shop" is nowhere near it. However can Dickens go so wrong? I should have bought the Peter Ustinov version.