Dickensblog

“Little” Nell is taller and less delicate-looking than one would expect. She’s even a redhead! Well, that’s not such a bad thing—given her reputation, a little shaking-up of expectations can’t hurt.

Toby Jones has just the right face for Quilp. And just the right manner. Poor Mrs. Quilp!

Eww! “How’d you like to be my wife?” Someone pass me the brain bleach, quick.

Wow, this debtor's prison makes Little Dorrit's look like paradise!

I don’t know what I think of Geoff Breton as Swiveller yet, except that he has way too much hair. But I suppose it’s not fair to hold that against the actor.

Oh, dear. Derek Jacobi’s going to break my heart in this, I can already tell.

My word. Poor Mrs. Quilp. I wish her mother would take her and get the heck out of there.

Sophie Vavasseur doesn’t change expression much, although she’s had a good moment or two so far—most notably when Quilp started slurping up Grandfather’s dinner. I guess it’s the nature of the role—and the streamlining of the role. The book at least let her laugh once in a while.

Heh. Quilp just went all Groucho Marx on us.

I almost thought Sally was going to stand up to him for a minute. I wish someone would.

I must say they’re doing some nice work with camera angles and mysterious hidden faces and so on.

Nell, for heaven’s sake, stop him! Just watching him gamble isn’t going to do you any good. Aargh, no wonder you drive people nuts.

Oh, I just remembered where we know Zoë Wanamker from—Miss Murdstone in David Copperfield! I’m not nearly as good at playing Spot the British Actor as some of my Internet buddies are. And once again, she’s very good.

They’re using Quilp’s eating habits as much as anything else to build his characterization. Yuck.

Poor Marchioness. She always makes me think of Sara Crewe. (A Little Princess was one of my favorite childhood books.)

Grandfather may not break my heart after all—I’m too busy right now being mad at him! I don’t know where he gets his confidence—he hasn’t won a game yet.

Oh gosh, Quilp made me start with that “AQUILINE”! That was pretty funny.

Aw, poor Nell. That’s a very effective scene. I can see why she moved some people even while driving others nuts. Was Grandfather really this selfish in the book? That’s one of the things I’ll have to check—I can’t remember.

Kit’s a sweet kid, but he’s forced to be pretty one-note here too.

Breton’s Swiveller is starting to grow on me. He does the disheveled look pretty well, too. (A possible candidate for our Sydney Carton contest, perhaps? Rather young, but they could age him a little.)

Grandfather is really aggravating me now. Nicky Arnstein didn’t gamble this much in Funny Girl.

Well, this “Repent!” scene works a LOT better than that travesty of a courtroom scene in Oliver Twist, thank goodness.

Who writes all his bad deeds down? Is he planning to enter a Best Villains in England contest?

Spare me the tearful wife trying to get through to Quilp. She should be dancing a jig.

Ack! That’s one of my least favorite ways to watch someone die, even someone like Quilp. I cannot stand the trapped-under-the-ice bit. I wish they’d stuck with the original. At least there was no ice involved.

“Your SON”? Good night, that’s a new one! Did they really need a “Luke, I am your father” moment enough to do that much violence to the book?

Darn it, Nell, don’t you make me cry. I won’t have the ghost of Oscar Wilde making fun of me.

Nell’s FATHER—I still can’t get used to that idea—is taking the whole thing rather casually, I must say.

That was a cute little wedding scene with Dick and the Marchioness, even though they’ve made it the most rushed courtship in history. But what a horrid way to end, with a shot of Grandfather playing cards cheerfully! Even if it’s only with his son, way to spit on Nell’s grave!!

Well, for a heavily condensed version, most of that wasn’t too bad. But that ending was a stinker.