The Old Curiosity Shop

Obviously cinema was an entirely new concept to most of these theatrical actors, and it shows. The Quilp character, played by Hay Petrie was a prime example of this. It was all about stage "projection" and came across as very hammy. Also, I got the feeling that the film had under run, and bits that were quite unnecessary and repetitive for expositional purposes, were put back in. There were several external shots of the coach house that were superfluous, having already established the location of the action. However, interesting to watch from an historical aspect. I have tried to track down more information on Elaine Benson but there is very little out there, regarding her later work.

This was my first viewing of this Dickens classic.It was made into a rather long 2 hour (counting commercials) film in 1934 which I saw today on "London Live" which is a U.K. t.v. channel which transmits classic films daily (Mon-Fri) from 2pm GMT.Bearing in mind talkies had only been created in the cinema since 1927, sound and "talkies" were still very in their infancy.Melodramatic stage acting was still much in force then so one must make allowances, especially in the manner of the grandfather's and Quilp's acting style.

Being a fan of classical music I determined to ascertain the music the producers dubbed onto the soundtrack when little Nell is lying dead in the church ante room, as I considered Chopin's musical melancholic style rather suited this scene.After looking through my piano stool where I keep my sheet music, I retrieved his "Prelude op.28 no.20 in C minor" which is full of minor chords.

"The Old Curiosity Shop" is a mostly straightforward adaptation of one of Charles Dickens' most melodramatic stories. The novel was extremely popular in its day, but now comes across as completely old-fashioned. This film version does try faithfully to reproduce the atmosphere and main characters of the original story, so that anyone who enjoyed the book will also like this movie.

The story concerns an elderly shopkeeper and his grand-daughter Nell, who are menaced by the rich, cruel Quilp. They decide to run away and abandon their shop, and are pursued by Quilp, even as the shopkeeper's long-estranged brother is also looking for them, for an entirely different purpose. There are quite a few characters, some of them very interesting, that get involved as the pair move from one place to another. Events lead up to a finale that, while eventful, is rather exaggerated and dated.

The movie does a decent job of creating a Dickens/Victorian feel. But there are quite a few other Dickens novels that seem much less quaint today, and his "The Old Curiosity Shop" is today mostly itself a curiosity. This film version is still worth watching for those who do enjoy very old-fashioned melodramas.

Thank you for all your reviews, I haven't yet seen the film. My Great Aunt was Lily Long (Ada Lillian Gorman) and I'm so excited to see that I can buy this film i believe on Amazon? Could anyone advise me as to the best place to purchase the film from comments have been very help full and its wonderful to see so many folk have watched this old movie, especially as it is quite along film. There are some good actors in it and although Lily Long possibly has a small part as Sally, its going to be amazing to see her 'in the flesh', so to speak. So understand this is the first Charles Dickens story to be put on screen, would I be correct in thinking this? Kind Regards, Sherry

Firstly in response to a query by one reviewer the first extant film of Dickens work dates back to 1901.I have never read the book,so I would guess that Hay Petrie's performance was not inspired by the book.So it may well be down to the director.B 1934 he was already an experienced screen performer and appeared in 89films.None of them as unrestrained as this most of the rest of the cast were very exerenced,going back 20years such as BenWebster.Wally Patch appeared in around 200 films.Compare this film with David Copperfield at MGM a year later and this film feels like it was made by a bunch of amateurs.