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The Charles Dickens Collection (Oliver Twist / Martin Chuzzlewit / Bleak House / Hard Times / Great Expectations / Our Mutual Friend) | 
 enlarge | Directors: Gareth Davies, Julian Farino, Lawrence Gordon Clark, Pedr James, Peter Barnes
Actors: Paul Mcgann, Keeley Hawes, David Morrissey, Peter Vaughan, Pam Ferris
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $59.98
Buy New: $32.99
You Save: $26.99 (45%)
New (27) Used (10) from $32.99
Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 3778
Format: Box Set, Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 6
Running Time: 1920
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.6 x 3.6
MPN: WARDE2344D
ISBN: 1419814664
UPC: 794051234421
EAN: 9781419814662
ASIN: B0009PVZMS
Theatrical Release Date: January 3, 1999
Release Date: September 6, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
As can be clearly seen from the care lavished on these six BBC adaptions of Charles Dickens' novels, the British love their Dickens! And why not--Dickens is ideally suited to television, with his elaborate but vigorous plots, each a compendium of comically odious personalities (and one or two nice folk, just to keep things from getting too awful). Actors dig into these meaty roles with zeal, delighting in the hairpin turns from macabre horror to sweet sentiment. The more popular (and most frequently adapted) of the books at hand--Great Expectations and Oliver Twist--are the most conventional. The 1981 mini-series Expectations (in which young Pip learns the pitfalls of wealth through his relationship with the rich and bitter Mrs. Havishamand and her warped ward, Estella) is dutiful to its source but not adapted with much inspiration. Twist, from 1985, fares better; it's a zippy treatment of this tale of childhood deprivation and juvenile delinquency, and the horrors of Victorian orphanages will raise your hackles. The adaptation is capable but a little flat--still, any story where an undertaker observes, "Every tear is another shilling in the till," is clearly not lacking in wicked wit. Fortunately, the others are considerably juicier: Martin Chuzzlewit, a lesser-known but richly satirical book, has a star-studded production from 1994, featuring Paul Scofield, Tom Wilkinson, Pete Postlethwaite, and Julia Sawalha, among others. The wealthy Martin Chuzzlewit, deeply suspicious of all mankind due to being hounded by greedy, grasping relatives, threatens the happiness of his ward Mary and his namesake grandson. In addition to the sterling and energetic cast, Chuzzlewit has outstanding production values, as does the 1998 version of Our Mutual Friend, which goes to great lengths to evoke the textures of life in Dickens' London. The mysterious death of a man about to inherit a great fortune sets in motion a complex plot that intertwines two love stories (it's one of Dickens' most romantic works), social scheming, and murderous obsession. The names aren't quite as famous (such as Paul McGann, Timothy Spall, Anna Friel, and Keeley Hawes), but the performances are top-notch and the script is particularly dynamic. Bleak House, a Kafka-esque story of young innocents caught in an all-consuming, multi-generational lawsuit, cultivates a rich and potent Gothic horror; the 19th century seems like an unnerving alien world, through which lawyers and policemen stride like cruel predators. Diana Rigg is the most famous face in this 1985 production, but strong performances abound. The final component of this box set is the most curious: A 1994 version of Hard Times starring Alan Bates and Richard E. Grant, which turns this dark story--about a schoolmaster/politician who raises his children on reason at the expense of all feeling and finally reaps the bitter rewards--into a compact, theatrical feature film that's so swift it's almost jaunty. Adapted and directed by Peter Barnes (writer of The Ruling Class), it's the most stylized production of the bunch, and while lacking the depth and narrative detail of the others, it effectively cuts to the essence of Dickens. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/27/2005 Rating: Nr
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 serious problems October 7, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
There is a reason that so many after market retailers here on amazon have these at a steep discount. In my case, three of the six DVDs refused to play on my high end, very expensive Onkio DVD player. Of those three, one refused to play on my Dell computer. The remaining reminded me of a joke told to me by a Stanford Ph.D. mathematician-philosopher. The tools of a mathematician are pencil, paper, and waste paper basket. The tools of a philosopher are paper and pencil.
These programs are very long winded. They could have been easily edited down to 1/2 of their length without losing any of their content.
 Dickens, Dickens and More Dickens March 17, 2008
Anyone who likes the novels of Charles Dickens would, I believe, like this series. Anyone familiar with the BBC productions of the Dickens' novels would like this series. Anyone curious about 19th century English society would like this series. And lastly, anyone who just likes to see a good story well acted would like this series.
Dickens: Our Mutual Friends January 1, 2008
Our Mutual Friend is worth the price of admission alone. It was only out on VHS tape before, but can be had on DVD here. All DVDs have great acting and great stories.
The Charles Dickens Collection August 31, 2007
Great condition. brand new! Wonderful product and great stories.
A must see and definitely "family friendly".
Dickens Package 1 June 27, 2007
This collection is an embarassment of riches. Each story is divided into several episodes which take time to view and absorb. So far we have only viewed "Bleak House" and "Our Mutual Friend". Both are excellent and capture the steamy world of Dicken's London. I think I am constantly amazed at the attention to detail that the Brits recreate in historical drama. And of course there is the wealth of character playing for which Britain has always been famous. A really excellent series.
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