His widow, daughter Kate (Romola Garai) and son Nicholas (Charlie Hunnam) must leave their country cottage for London, in pursuit of the beneficence of his brother, the wealthy, miserly Ralph Nickleby (Christopher Plummer). In the wake of his unwise speculations, Nicholas Nickleby’s untimely death leaves his young family impoverished. Viewers who have read the novel will recognize the omission and/or conflation of some characters, as well as the omission or expansion of some subplots, but will no doubt be fairly pleased with the result. Douglas McGrath wisely chose to focus on the novel’s central tension between Nicholas and his uncle, Ralph Nickleby. The biggest challenge for a screenwriter is that Dickens’ in-depth character descriptions are often lavish enough to be spun off into novels themselves, so serious editing is needed in order to tell the story in two hours. His third novel, NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, is a wonderful source for such an adaptation, skillfully done by Douglas McGrath, whose previous successes include a filmed version of Jane Austin’s EMMA.īecause Dickens’ novels were originally serialized in a weekly periodical, his style tended toward the melodramatic (a perfect candidate for today’s soap operas!). Dickens’ formula of combining social commentary with characters who clearly define good and evil could easily have been fashioned into a screenplay for young viewers and a G-rating, but questionable elements suggest caution for younger children in this PG-rated film Content:Ĭharles Dickens’ novels are a film producer’s dream, as they masterfully combine rich storytelling with mordant social commentary – executed through clearly drawn, almost caricatured characters, and vivid dialogue. He is carried along, however, by a stellar cast that includes Christopher Plummer, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, and Nathan Lane in a movie that, for the most part, is very entertaining. Newcomer Charlie Hunnam works mightily to flesh out a character who is written so one-dimensionally “good” as to come across as saccharine. Nicholas suffers through a job as assistant to the cruel Wackford Squeers at a wretched school for orphaned boys, but escapes with young Smike and sets off to reunite his family. The three move to London in search of their Uncle Ralph’s beneficence, only to learn that he is a mean and retributive man. Set in 19th Century England, it chronicles the life of young Nicholas, who must care for his mother and sister after his father’s untimely death.
NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, the latest film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, comes down to a classic study of good versus evil.
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