User reviews

Personally, there are only two that are better, the 1982 production with Alun Armstrong as Squeers and the 2002 James D'Arcy version, with the weakest being the 2002 feature film with Jim Broadbent and Christopher Plummer, the 2002 film was quite good in my view. But from personal perspective, none of them are bad. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby(1947) has problems; an intrusive music score, Derek Bond's wooden Nicholas, Sally Ann Howes' over-simpering Kate and Mary Merrall playing Mrs Nickleby as too much of a silly caricature. The film is beautifully and expressively photographed and has an evocatively atmospheric setting. Alberto Cavalcanti does direct gracefully for one who is more of a surrealist director, while the dialogue is crisp and intelligent and the story draws you right in with little filler and delivers the narrative right to the point. Three performances may not have worked, but the others do. Coming off best is Cedric Hardwicke, by far and large the most evil of the Ralph Nicklebys of all the adaptations, truly diabolical. Alfred Drayton is loathsome and funny as Squeers, while Bernard Miles' Newman is appealing, Stanley Holloway is a sharp Crummles and the Smike of Aubrey Woods is very affecting. In conclusion, one of the better adaptations of the book and does a very good job on its own. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I'm afraid I find myself agreeing with the contemporary post-war reviewers: compared to the two recent David Lean adaptations of Dickens ("Oliver Twist" and "Great Expectations"), this version of "Nicholas Nickleby" is definitely lacklustre, despite a promising cast (Cedric Hardwicke; Sybil Thorndike; Bernard Miles; Stanley Holloway).

I did feel that the musical score for this production really doesn't help. There's nothing much wrong with it as such, but it is distinctly unsubtle. I found it actively intrusive in a number of scenes, interrupting any atmosphere that was being built up with its blatant attempts to steer audience emotions in the direction it thought they ought to go: pathos, tension, romance all came clumping in and clumping out again, to negative effect.

And matters were not improved by the failure of the two young female leads, Sally Anne Howes or Jill Balcon, to display any dramatic ability in this picture. Miss Howes in particular seemed to spend much of the film with a completely blank expression, even in scenes where she was supposed to be in considerable distress, and the entire storyline involving Nicholas's sister Kate was less compelling than it ought to have been as a result.

It is Cedric Hardwicke as Ralph Nickleby, top-billed above young Derek Bond as his eponymous nephew, who makes the most impression in this version of "Nicholas Nickleby". His is one of the few characters to be given depths beyond a surface caricature, and he makes the most of it in a compelling performance. Bernard Miles as his grotesque clerk Newman Noggs (I was reminded of Jerry Cruncher in "A Tale of Two Cities") is also memorable, and Stanley Holloway makes a typically resonant but all too brief appearance as the theatrical Vincent Crummles, incidentally reminding us of the close links between Dickens' novels and the popular Victorian melodrama, with their blend of pathos and broad comedy.

The opening scenes up until young Nicholas leaves Dotheboys Hall show promise; but after that the film declines into a rather thin series of events. I was interested ahead of time to see what Ealing Studios would make of this uncharacteristic attempt to produce a literary adaptation, but I'm afraid the result probably explains why the studio didn't make a habit of it! Worth watching for Hardwicke's talent, as ever; but not a great screen version of Dickens.

A better adaptation was broadcast by the BBC in 2002, featuring Charles Dance as an excellent Ralph Nickleby.

An impoverished family formed by a widow and his two children , a compassionate Nicholas Nickleby : Derek Bond and his sister Kate : Sally Ann Howes are dependent on their wealthy but villianous uncle : Sir Cedric Hardwicke . But the malicious uncle proves to be difficult and cold towards his relatives. Then Nicholas is forced to grow up quickly after his father died and he takes over as head of the family . He is jobless and ultimately gets an employment as an apprentice at an school for boys where they are really mistreated . He soon escapes and in the company of his new friend student Smike run away to a series of exciting adventures and misfortunes , finally joining a theater company .

A decent and nice production based on Charles Dickens classic , the film condenses the exciting plot for mass consumption . Dealing with the hard life during the unjust world of early Victorian England. Well played and competently directed with the unknown Derek Bond able but no outstanding in his agreeable role . The ensemble cast works hard to bring to life this famous novel , giving appropriate performances in an overall light-hearted and lively flick . As Derek Bond provides an acceptable acting as the young who struggles to save his family and friends from the exploitation of his cold-hearted , grasping uncle . He is well accompanied by a good cast , such as : Cedric Hardwicke , Stanley Holloway , Sally Anne Howes , Mary Merral, Cathleen Nesbitt , among others . The picture was well directed by Alberto Cavalcanti who reliably takes on this period piece, delivering an adequate retelling .

There are other renditions as Cinema as Television based on this notorious novel Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby , these are the following ones : Nichola Nickleby 1977 by Christopher Barry with Níger Havers , Freddie Jones , Pauline Moran .The life and adventures of Nicholas Nickleby 1982 by Jim Goddard with Roger Rees , Alun Armstrong , Lucáy Gutteridge , Ian McNiece .The Life and adventures of Nicholas Nickleby 2002 by Stepher Whittaker with James D'Arcy, Charles Dance , Pam Ferris , Tom Hollander , Donald Sumpter , Dominic West. Nicholas Nickleby 2002 by Douglas McGrath with Charlie Hunnam , Christopher Plummer , Jim Broadbent , Juliet Stevenson , Alan Cumming , Timothy Spall , Edward Fox

In post World War II Great Britain there seemed to be a great revival in the work of Charles Dickens. Three of his classic novels were filmed in that period, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and Nicholas Nickleby.

Nicholas Nickleby is less known than the other two because Alec Guinness and John Mills got great roles and reached the top of the British cinema firmament as stars. Derek Bond in the title tole of Nicholas Nickleby never got to the heights that Mills and Guinness did. Still he was good in what was probably his career role.

Like the other two Dickens works Nicholas Nickleby involves the progress of a young man who has to overcome a lot of odds to attain prosperity and happiness. In this case his father dies and Bond with his mother Mary Merrall who is from the Billie Burke school of fluttery female and sister Sally Ann Howes look to his father's brother Cedric Hardwicke for charity.

But Hardwicke's not the charitable sort, in fact he's a scoundrel who has systematically lied and cheated others to build his fortune. He's not above using Howes as bait for his business and he sends Bond off to some 'school' that is little more than the work house we saw in Oliver Twist. Bond is a teacher there and leaves enraged at the treatment after giving the headmaster Alfred Drayton a thrashing the kind he relishes giving out to the kids.

Bond leaves with one of the kids played by Aubrey Woods who has been particularly abused and who in fact as it turns out was the victim of the most monstrous evil performed by Hardwicke. But we find out what that is toward the end of the film. Woods who has very few lines by facial expressions gives one of the most touching performances I've seen on film, he will live you longer than any of the other characters.

Dickens works abound in colorful characters and villains completely despicable. Cedric Hardwicke as Uncle Ralph Nickleby is a black hearted soul. Also standing out is Stanley Holloway head of a group of strolling players who gives help to Bond and Woods when they are at their lowest.

Nicholas Nickleby though it has been done on the big and small screen several times has this version to set a very high standard.

It's not so often that Sir Cedric Hardwicke takes centre stage in a film, but he does it quite menacingly in this adaptation of Charles Dickens's story of greed and belonging. We first meet his "Ralph" when his recently widowed sister-in-law (Mary Merrill) arrives on his doorstep with her children "Nicholas" (Derek Bond) and "Kate" (Sally Ann Howes). In need of his patronage, he agrees providing the children find gainful employment - a task he readily undertakes himself. She is to become an apprentice seamstress, he a teacher in a remote boy's school run by "Wackford Squeers" (Alfred Drayton) who rules his school with fear, starvation and a cane. Young "Nicholas" is repulsed by their methods, especially as both he and his wife (Sybil Thorndike) use their lackey "Smike" (Aubrey Woods) as a glorified slave. Abhorred, he takes direct action which promptly sets him on a series of escapades that eventually pitch him against his uncle and his powerful, and sleazy, friends. There are loads of engaging characters to help him along the way: "Crummies" (Stanley Holloway) runs a touring vaudeville troupe whom he and "Smike" do some popular writing for; Bernard Miles's "Newman Noggs" proves ever useful as his eyes and ears in his uncle's office and the always reliable James Hayter is on good form as the aptly named and generous "Ned Cheeryble". They all help this tale of the epitome of venality and wickedness come to it's head. It's never simple with this author, he always takes with one hand what he gives with the other - and the conclusion here is tinged with sadness. It's one of my favourite of this man's stories and Cavalcanti makes sure this superior cast pack plenty of characterful performances into this darkly photographed and gritty looking drama that sticks fairly faithfully to the original text.

It is difficult to dramatize this extensive novel involving so many characters and intrigues, but this has been a successful one, actually succeeding in condensing an unsurveyable human panorama into a fairly perspicuous form, but much of its high quality depends on the general excellent acting. This was both Derek Bond's and Aubrey Woods' greatest roles, but Aubrey Woods is the one who grips and stays in your heart. The film is much inferior to the great Shakespeare company production of 1982, where Roger Rees made the perfect Nicholas Nickleby, but here Smike is more human and natural without unnecessary exaggerations. Cedric Hardwicke is the perfect Ralph Nickleby, almost shockingly convincing in his cold cruelty, while Bernard Miles as Noggs also is a prize winner. Both versions deserve 10 points, but in its realism this film actually beats the 1982 theatre performance, maybe especially for its expert concentration of a vast human universe into just one film. The cinematography is also outstanding, and above all, in all its concise concentration, it has succeeded to remain very faithful to Dickens.

A young man must find his way in the World whilst protecting his mother and sister from their wicked, scheming uncle.

Pretty good Dickens adaptation which certainly looks the part, but partly out of necessity leaps rather too quickly from one terrible disaster to miracle resolution and back again. It has been compared, poorly, to the contemporary competition it faced from Lean's adaptations of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations and it's difficult to argue with that. It is though a solid if unremarkable effort played out rather flatly in the first hour but picking up in the second. There are some fun performances but the film is won out by evil Cedric Hardwicke, who just seems to be missing a moustache to twiddle to make his character complete and Bernard Miles as his cunning servant. Worth catching then, but not the classic it could have been.

This is an excellent version. I find it much superior to the 2002 offering, which I have just seen. Derek Bond, Cedric Hardwicke - virtually every actor and portrayal is fuller and fitter. The view and flow are entirely more pleasing. It is much better tied together. I needed this previously seen version to help tie the 2002 one together - it is so chopped. I eagerly sought out the book after seeing this some time ago. It is one I had not read, and very much desired to after viewing. Thankfully, it is still being shown by TCM. One needs a good version of any classic, and this one settles it for me with Nickleby. I agree that it sets the standard. Unfortunately, it was not followed in the most recent version to date. Someone mentions the problems with Dickens - If the makers of this film had a problem with Dickens in general or Nickleby in particular, they certainly solved it nicely. Indeed, they should be consulted by those who do.

Alberto Cavalcanti's has made a concise version of the story of Nicholas Nickleby for Ealing Studios.

Although Charles Dickens epic novel is judiciously pruned, the flavour and atmosphere remains.

This episodic film has greedy moneylender Ralph Nickleby (Cedric Hardwicke) reluctantly taking on his brother's family after his death in 1830.

Ralph quickly gets a job for nephew Nicholas Nickleby (Derek Bond) as a teacher working for Wackford Squeers. The school is a wretched place and Nicholas soon leaves when a young man Smike is being flogged.

Nicholas and Smike soon get in with theatrical producer Vincent Crummles (Stanley Holloway) and become actors.

Meanwhile Ralph also gets his niece working as a seamstress for low wages. Ralph also uses her to attract the attention of Lord Verisopht so he will borrow money from him.

Soon Nicholas gets wind of what Ralph has been up to. How some wealthy men plan to use and abuse his sister. So he comes to rescue his sister and mother.

Ralph also has a lusty eye for a pretty young woman Madeleine Bray (Jill Balcon) to be his bride. Her father is in debt to Ralph Nickleby. However Nicholas is also in love with her.

The film allows some of the actors to shine even in smaller roles. Stanley Holloway stands out as Crummles as well as Bernard Miles as the nice Newman Noggs. Cyril Fletcher more famous from the BBC television program That's Life is almost debauched as Mantalini.

Of course Cedric Hardwicke steals the film as the dastardly avaricious uncle Ralph. He does his duty to take care of his brother's family, he makes sure they all get to work.

Although the complexities of the novel and the various characters had to be reduced. This is an enjoyably brisk film which is not full of cloying sentimentality. It also shows the harshness and cruelty of life in that era.

Surprisingly this is the only British film version of Nicholas Nickleby made in the 20th century.

As much as I enjoyed the James D'Arcy/ Charles Dance version of the wonderful Nicholas Nickleby THIS is much closer to Charles Dickens story and it has an exceptional cast which includes (Uncle Ralph) Sir Cedric Hardwicke who starred in The Winslow Boy, Hunchback of Notre Dame-best ever version and The Lodger. Derek Bond, a greatly under rated actor, Athene Syler, Bernard Miles and (Smike) Aubrey Woods who steals the honours. Nicholas, his Mother and Sister have to seek out Uncle Ralph, a scheming miser who has helped people by lending money and also helped himself in the process but HE has a big secret which does not come to light until near the films end when his Secretary challenges him about his behaviour and conduct with people.

To a certain extent the Ealing Studios version of "Nicholas Nickleby" was a victim of bad timing. How could it possibly compare with David Lean's superb adaptations of "Great Expectations" and "Oliver Twist" made around the same period. It was a fate that was later to befall Milos Forman's "Valmont" that unfortunately appeared at the same time as the Stephen Frears version of "Dangerous Liaisons". And yet Cavalcanti's foray into Dickens has partly itself to blame for its very unevenness. One can hardly blame the quality of the book, as some have done, when David Lean did such inspired things with a similarly lesser Dickens work such as "Oliver Twist". Admittedly "Nickleby" through its considerably greater length does pose problems of adaptation to the under two-hour format, but one can only admire just how much of the original narrative has been crammed in. As will by now be evident, this review is something of a mass of contradictions. On the one hand there are some scenes that work remarkably well, the early sequence at Dotheboys Hall for instance with the terrible Squeers menage all hamming it most entertainingly - Alfred Drayton and Sybil Thorndike could hardly be bettered. And there are others that quite frankly are something of a bore, many of the Nickleby family scenes where the acting ranging for Derek Bond's colourless Nicholas, Sally Ann Howes's simpering Kate and Mary Merrall's embarrassingly silly mother are the stuff of village hall rep. This is one of those films that both excite and annoy. However with so much that is forgettable there is one performance that remains quite unforgettable. Sir Cedric Hardwiche's Uncle Ralph is a beautifully controlled study of wickedness. His comeuppance at the end, when he is pursued by police to the upper floor of his house, brought out the very best in Cavalcanti. In a film where so much of the direction is flat and uninspired, this sequence with its camera virtuosity and expressionistic shadows is extraordinarily exciting. Although overall this version of "Nicholas Nickleby" ranks rather low in the Dickensian cinematic canon, it is not one to be overlooked entirely.

Gosh, what a disaster.

Here's the problem with Dickens. He makes a lot of story, just chocks things full of characters, motives, events. Its not that he is describing a world so much as creating one. That's the central notion here that in entering a Dickens project, you enter a world that is especially suited for the narrative arcs he will give us.

Those are arcs concerned with the ridiculous state of man, a particular kind of London-oriented man. There are only two balls he juggles, this writer. One is the notion of justice (though not always precisely what we would like) and the other is the ridiculousness. We'll see that as humor when we consider certain characters or events, but its really rooted in the nature of the world.

Its a great formula, this notion of the world, a sort of battle between the firm laws of fate that always spin correctly and the contrasting notion that there is a wobble in some of those wheels, perhaps coming from our weaknesses, perhaps God just having a bad day.

If you want to translate one of his projects to film, you need to capture this first. And you need to do it at the most basic level, quite literally in the creation of the world we see. The cinematic vocabulary IS up to it. The version of this story by McGrath understood this intuitively, though he would probably describe it superficially as the balance of gravitas and humor.

This version... Well, they got all the bits of the story in there. And they have a remarkably pretty girl as the sister-at-risk. And, alas, the world they have created is quite competent and coherent visually. In fact if this weren't Dickens, it would almost make sense to watch it without sound. If you know the story, you can do that with some of these old films that have disastrous management of sound, speech and score — as this does.

But that coherent world we'd see has nothing to do with the world of Dickens.

Stay away from this one. Its dreadful. Everything that makes it a movie gets in the way of everything that makes it a good book.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

The mood is dark, just like the movie itself. I can't imagine that the new one will be able to set the mood as this one does: the trailer looks like it's a musical. Let's laugh through our betrayals. The villain's son as a twisted abused boy is a perfect portrayal, as he falls in love with the heroine. Naturally, all inconvenient characters must die, as they most conveniently do. But the Dickens of old seems to be cognizant of our own DDS, our own Welfare services that split families and allow abuse of all types......not because of the incompetence of the social workers but because of the understaffing. While of course the chief state beaurocrats on patronage receive absolutely MAHVELOUS salaries!!! Dicken's heart would be warmed to see how we in America ape everything English, even their abuse of the poor.

Well, it's off to see the new MUSICAL technicolor Nathan lane treatment of this jolly tale.