While it necessarily streamlines the Charles Dickens classic, this delightful adaptation of Nicholas Nickelby captures the essence of Dickens in all of its Victorian splendor and squalor. With Charlie Hunnam (the U.K. Queer as Folk) doing noble work in the title role, this quintessentially Dickensian tale begins with the death of Nicholas's father, and the subsequent scheme by his cruel uncle (Christopher Plummer, perfectly cast) to separate Nicholas from his now penniless sister and mother. Stuck in a squalid school run by the evil Mr. and Mrs. Squeers (Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson), Nicholas escapes with his loyal friend Smike (Billy Elliott's Jamie Bell), whose lineage will determine the greedy uncle's fate. As he did with Jane Austen's Emma, writer-director Douglas McGrath has crafted a prestigious production that shifts effortlessly between comedy and tragedy without compromising its warm, inviting tone. His dialogue rings true throughout, inspiring a stellar cast including Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, Edward Fox, and Timothy Spall. Dickens himself would almost certainly have approved. --Jeff Shannon
DVD features The Nicholas Nickleby DVD offers a choice of superb anamorphically enhanced widescreen or full-screen format. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is involving and atmospheric and makes the most of Rachel Portman's score. Also included is a very thoughtful and engaging commentary by director Douglas McGrath, which adds a whole new level of appreciation to the film. Another substantial extra is a solid 29-minute "making of" documentary featuring all the main cast and production personnel. The Life of Charles Dickens: "A Mirror to his Work" relates the book to Dickens's life with comments from the cast in an all-too-brief 12 minutes. The Cast on the Cast (16 minutes) features them chatting amiably on the afternoon of the New York premiere. Views on the Set simply produces five key shots from two different angles. The set is completed by a gimmicky trailer and a three-part photo gallery. --Gary S. Dalkin
2.
Writer-director Douglas McGrath indulges his taste for the classics again, having made his feature film debut with Jane Austen's EMMA (1996), then changing pace with an underrated original comedy COMPANY MAN (2000), and back again with Dickens's classic NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. Common Dickensian themes of poverty, social class, and honor come across clearly in this tale of a 19-year-old country gentlemen (Charlie Hunnam) who is suddenly impoverished when his beloved father dies after losing his fortune. Nicholas, with his mother (Stella Gonet) and sister Kate (Romola Garai), find themselves at the mercy of their rich, loutish uncle Ralph Nickleby (Christopher Plummer) who delights only in their misery. He sends Nicholas away to work as a teacher at Dotheboys Hall, a decrepit boarding school attended by sad, soiled, abused urchins. Meanwhile, Kate's reputation is at stake with uncle Ralph trying to marry her off to a foulmouthed client to whom he owes a debt. With the help of his faithful sidekick Smike (Jamie Bell), Nicholas avenges Kate's honor and conspires with some new friends to bring down horrid uncle Ralph.
Other filmmakers have attempted to show Dickens' timelessness with modern versions of novels, such as Alfonso Cuaron's GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1998) or even Richard Donner's SCROOGED (1988). McGrath provides a period portrait of which Dickens would no doubt approve. The principle strength here is a large ensemble of fine character actors such Jim Broadbent as the delightfully amoral headmaster Wackford Squeers, the deliciously terrifying Juliet Stevenson as Mrs. Squeers and Nathan Lane as the benevolent dreamer Vincent Crummles.
3.
Sparkling with adventure, intrigue and fun, this is the tale of a young man on his amazing journey to avenge his family.
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