NICHOLAS NICKLEBY
UK, 2002, 132 minutes, Colour.
Charlie Hunnam, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson, Tom Courtenay, Timothy Spall, Romola Garai, Edward Fox, Nathan Lane, Edna Everage.
Directed by Douglas Mc Grath.
There are two traditions of translating Charles Dickens' well-loved and mammoth novels to the screen. There is the David Lean tradition of making quite dark interpretations, very serious and revealing the evils of what has become known as Dickensian London. Lean's Great Expectations and Oliver Twist are outstanding examples of this kind of film-making. The other tradition is to go for colour, for light and to offer an outline of the plot, a touch like the Readers' Digest condensed book, and have an array of character actors to bring the characters to life. It can be done as a musical like Oliver or like a television movie. There have been several Christmas Carols and Great Expectations.
This version of Nicholas Nickleby seems intended as a more serious adaptation but comes across more like the condensed book. It is attractively photographed, sometimes prettily like a postcard. It has more than enough actors to satisfy an appetite for celebrities. But, some of the dialogue and the righteous and indignant behaviour sound so rhetorically 19th century that it makes the film seem a touch antiquated.
The best thing in the film is Christopher Plummer's performance as Nicholas' greedy and manipulative uncle. (Very akin to Scrooge, but without finding his redemption.) He illustrates just how much there is in Dickens that reveals the dark side of human nature. Other distinguished actors don't have so much screen time and come across as caricatures, for instance, Jim Broadbent and Juliet Stevenson as Mr and Mrs Squeers, although Nathan Lane does well as the travelling theatre manager. (And that is Barry Humphries as Edna Everage playing his wife.) Charlie Hunnam and Romola Garai are nice and proper as Nicholas and his sister, but not more and Jamie Bell tags along as Smike.
This is not to say that the film will not give a great deal of pleasure to audiences who enjoy a comfortable version of the classic.
1.The popularity of Dickens for the screen? The variety of versions? The 21st century version? The 19th century for the 21st century audience?
2.The status of Nicholas Nickleby as a novel, the cinema tradition, television series, theatre? A popular work of Dickens?
3.The 19th century atmosphere, country life, peace and beauty? London and business, clubs, streets and homes? Yorkshire, the squalid school, the countryside? The travelling theatre people? The Dickensian visuals? The musical score?
4.The narrative, the focus on the family, Nicholas Nickleby identifying himself, reflections on life and meaning, Nicholas as a baby, as a young boy, the bond with his father? His mother’s urging to speculation? The sadness of his death, impoverishment? The funeral? His mother and sister, having to go to London, having to thrown themselves on the mercy of Ralph Nickleby?
5.Christopher Plummer as Ralph Nickleby, older, stern, his home, sardonic, summing things up, his relationship with his brother? The family’s reaction, their needs? Noggs as his assistant, his background of drinking, in debt to Nickleby, serving him, commenting and disagreeing with him? His helping Nicholas and the family?
6.The mother, her being supported by Ralph? His sister and her being sent to sew, the invitation to the dinner, the advances of Hawk, the young lord and his being polite? Her reaction, weeping, upbraiding her uncle? His going to her place of work, inviting her to the theatre, her joy, Hawk and his further advances, her leaving? Ralph Nickleby’s reaction, thinking her oversensitive?
7.Sending Nicholas to Yorkshire with Squeers? Travelling, squalid, the arrival? Squeers and his appearance, his eye, his manner, miserly? Greeting his wife and relying on her? The harshness of the school, the lodgings, the dormitory with the boys? Smyke and his place in the institution? Mrs Squeers and administering the medicine, wanting the children to be grateful? Nicholas and his trying to settle in, be a schoolmaster, befriending Smyke? Shared interests? Smyke and his running away, Nicholas supporting him? The search, his return, the beating? Nicholas and his anger, beating Squeers? Squeers’ reaction, reporting him to Ralph Nickleby? The decision to leave? Going with Smyke? Meeting the local man on horseback, their being congratulated?
8.Meeting the theatre troupe, the head and his style, rhetoric? Having Edna Everage play the wife? The credibility of this performance? The Edna Everage manner distracting from the Dickensian character? Their daughter, their treatment of her, the focus on her being a baby? The performance of Romeo and Juliet, Nicholas as being suave, Smyke and his nervousness, the audience? The message to come to London, Nicholas wanting to leave, the owner and his talking about bookings for finales? An amusing glimpse of the theatre world of the time?
9.Nicholas confronting his uncle, going to find work? Noticing Madeline during his first visit, seeing her in the shop? His meeting the undertaker and his brother, attractive characters, friendly, offering him work, the discussion about his salary? His gratitude towards them and working for them? The story of Madeline and her mother and father? The father and his illness, his dominating of Madeline? Ralph Nickleby and his arranging for Hawk to marry Madeline and the father to be let off his debt? Nicholas’s disgust? Nicholas and his confronting Hawk, Hawk cowering? The other lord and his apology? Nicholas and his love for Madeline, her father’s death, her freedom, the change – and Nicholas offering to marry her?
10.Madeline in herself, her honour and pride, care for her father, her life story?
11.Noggs, his background, serving Ralph Nickleby, criticising him? Listening in, giving Nicholas information, getting him to come to London? The information about Ralph Nickleby’s overreaching himself with his investments? That he would lose his investments? (And Hawk and his wanting to withdraw his money?)
12.The mysterious man visiting Ralph Nickleby, his story, in prison? Going to the country and Smyke seeing him? His knowing the truth about Smyke, Ralph Nickleby’s marriage, treatment of his wife, the birth of the child, his keeping him in the attic, sending him to Squeers’s school, Nickleby not knowing the fate of his son? The revelation to Nickleby, his going up to the attic, the memories, his grief and hanging himself?
13.Smyke, his suffering under Squeers, running away, being beaten? His being happy with Nicholas, infatuated with his sister? His illness, going to the country, dying, being buried in the family plot?
14.The sister, her meeting the undertaker’s nephew, his helping Nicholas, being together, the proposal?
15.Squeers, his comeuppance in London, the gentleman from Yorkshire helping them in the hotel, the abduction of Smyke, Nicholas rescuing him? The reaction of Nickleby? His wanting Nicholas destroyed?
16.The happy ending, the double marriage, the dancing, the epilogue by the theatre manager? Madeline and Nicholas going to the graves? Their future?
17.The film and its use of Dickens’s way of plotting, developing characters, eccentrics, themes of justice and retribution, coincidences? Happiness?
