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| Released: |
1982 |
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| Genre: |
DRAMA
RITES-OF-PASSAGE
COSTUME
FAMILY
COMEDY
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| Origin: |
GB |
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| Colour: |
C |
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| Length: |
540 |
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PRO Reviews
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| PRO | | The greatness of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is breathtakingly simple. The play flies. And it flies backwards. It takes you to a world of sentiment and passion glimpsed before, but never known. | | | | (Clive Barnes, New York Times) | | As far as Dickens film adaptations, this does rank among the best - right next to the two classic David Lean adaptations - Great Expectations and Oliver Twist - as well as the acclaimed two-parter of Little Dorrit which was made five years later. | | | | (Wade Major, Box Office) | | The RSC cast brilliantly captures the wickedness and wonder of Dickens' timeless epic. | | | | (mentura.com) | | As with any of Dickens novels, you know that you are in for a treat from the very first page, or in this case, from the very first scene... David Threlfall as Smike is worthy of particular mention; his portrayal of the mentally and physically handicapped young man is simply astounding. Rees as Nicholas Nickleby and Woodvine as Ralph Nickleby are also amazing, but everyone in the cast is dead on and brings additional nuances and life to their roles, allowing people who might never read the original novel to still feel as if they knew these Victorians... Viewers who do not think that films can be interesting without fancy special effects or camera tricks will be amazed, and stage buffs will be gratified, to see how wonderfully engrossing this performance is. The sets are minimal, but the costuming is picture perfect, and the actors and perfect prose make the production the rousing success that it is. I cannot say enough about how very good this film is, even to those who might normally find period pieces or literary classics to be tedious... Yes, the film set is nine hours long, but I promise you that the last scenes with their power, wonder, and emotional impact make it all worthwhile. Dickens is not reckoned a genius by accident, and these actors of the Royal Shakespeare Company are likewise lauded for their very real and very comprehensive talent. If you have never treated yourself to a staged version of Dickens or anything by the RSC, then you must see this for yourself. It is more entertaining, and certainly more intelligent, than anything else you could buy or rent, and you will find a whole new world opened to you as you are moved to chase down the other works of these fine actors and the RSC. | | | | (NeedCoffee.com) |
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(pictured left),
Kate Nickleby: Emily Richard 
, based on the stage production by Trevor Nunn and John Caird
