The Old Curiosity Shop (2007) Reviews

• A Worthy Adaptation

  telegonus2012-02-29

  I like this recent, surprisingly short (given the length of the novel) adaptation of Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop. There are a fair number of negative reviews and comments here and I really can't argue with them. Film is so much a matter of taste. I caught this one at the right time. It drew me in. What impressed me most perhaps was less the story itself than the film's evocation of early 19th century London. Director Brian Percival and his associates deserve a lot of praise for the ambiance; and the actors and their costumes were well matched. This is (for me) a rare occasion as one of the reasons I seldom watch recent adaptations of classic fiction is that everything looks too modern; the actors don't look at ease in the setting; and there's always something contemporary feeling threatening to take the movie over entirely. I didn't get this here. In terms of style and content this version of The Old Curiosity Shop evoked memories of the series of low budget horror films Val Lewton produced in Hollywood back some seventy years ago. It's not a horror picture, but what happens to the children in the story is often horrifying; and the tone is nearly seductively dark, with hints of all manner of perversion lurking on the sidelines. At its best the film plays like a first rate B movie. I mean that as a compliment. It's very good, not great, but then I don't sense that it was aiming that high. Oops! The story. It's awfully complicated and would take nine more paragraphs to properly summarize. It's basically about how greed and poverty destroyed the innocence of children in the London of Dickens' era; and how good men doing bad things can do as much harm as bad men doing same. In other words, to paraphrase a famous thinker, all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing about it. Worse yet, if good men aren't pro-active in their virtue, vigilant about it, as the grandfather in this story is not, the terms of their lives shall be dictated by men up to no good. This is a lesson worth learning.

• Fantastic adaptation of a Dickens' classic -Toby Jones is superb !

  AJP19682007-12-27

  I was fortunate enough to catch this on ITV last night, and I must say it was one of the finest dramas I have seen on television in a very long time, certainly the best this year ! I don't normally watch much Dickens and have read only Great Expectations, so thought it might be hard-going ! However, how wrong could I be ! Toby Jones was absolutely brilliant as Daniel Quilp and, in my opinion, stole every scene he appeared in. His accent and mannerisms all gave his character so much depth you forgot you were watching the same actor who recently played Truman Capote with so much depth in the belatedly released Infamous. This excellent production only reinforces what an incredibly versatile and talented actor Toby is, and I sincerely hope that his powerful and convincing performance here will help him gain the worldwide recognition he truly deserves.

• Superior Dickens adaptation...

  Lejink2008-01-02

  Much better than the BBC's recent episodic "Oliver Twist" starring Edward Fox, this filmic, abridged version of "The Old Curiosity Shop" satisfies on many levels. The cinematography is excellent, particularly the depictions of the rain and snow in Dickensian England and while the narrative has to be cropped to be fitted into a two hour programme, I recognised enough elements in the story from the original book to satisfy. The casting and playing by the leads are what really take the production to a different level, particularly a barnstorming performance by Toby Jones as the villainous Quilp. Derek Jacobi is also convincing as the grandfather whose weakness for gambling leads to a rare bitter-sweet ending for Dickens with the famous (or as Oscar Wilde would have it, infamous) death of Nell. There's also a pleasing sprinkling of major UK acting talent in minor parts such as Gina McKee as Brass's sister, Zoe Wanamaker as Mrs Jarley and Martin Freeman as a side-show con-man - they're all excellent whilst young Sophie Vavasseur plays another of Dickens' impossibly demure and saintly teenage female leads with aplomb. I absolutely loved it and commend all for purveying excellent Christmas entertainment.

• Disappointing

  elspeth-112009-05-06

  I was very disappointed. Mind you, I didn't like the book very much either - the ending is so pointless. But the book did have a lot of charming elements. The best of these was the relationship that developed between Dick Swiveller (excellently portrayed by Geoff Breton in the tiny remnant of his role) and the "Marchioness" (played by Charlene McKenna). In the book, (if I recall correctly after 35+ years) Dick Swiveller falls ill and the Marchioness finds him in his lodging and nurses him back to health. They are able to save young Kit Nubbles from transportation to penal servitude in Australia at the last possible moment. None of that here. Also charming was the interlude with Mrs. Jarley (here played excellently by Zoë Wanamaker), again cut to the bone. I found it impossible to care about Nell and her grandfather in either medium - the grandfather is too irresponsible and self-absorbed and Nell is too insipid. *******SPOILERS FOLLOW******** Hard to imagine all those respectable Victorians grieving for her. I'm (almost) with Oscar Wilde on this one - "One must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing." (OK, I shed a tear.) I find the malice of Quilp and the whole chase almost entirely unmotivated, although I agree that Toby Jones did a great job with him. I don't get all the stuff about spoilers - I mean the book has been out for nearly 170 years - there's no secret here!!

• The DVD runs only 93 minutes & that is the best thing.

  jaybob2009-05-16

  I have seen many Movie & & Television versions of Charles Dickens many novels & stories. In nearly every one that I saw, I at least liked them & saw merit. In this version, the only merit I found is that it was only 93 minutes long. I found nothing likable in any part of it. The production was competent, except for the phony snow in the concluding scenes. The acting helped me not liking this to a great degree, The actress who played Nell looked far older than the 14 yrs old girl she was supposed to be & she was not convincing at all. Derek Jacoby as the grandfather was surprisingly not good. Toby Jones as the villain Quilp was more laughable than menacing. The young lad who played Kit was OK but he was not in it enough. This is a a big miss by any standards. Ratings: ** (out of 4) 52 points (out of 100) IMDb 4 (out of 10)