robtromp Could not believe what was done with the only Dickens novel significantly set in the USA, and encapsulating his astute impressions of our country. The business in America was reduced to a simple land swindle, sans mention of the political corruption, boundless greed, and sanctimonious moralizing that plagues us to this day. A perfect example of corporate media censorship.The acting was first rate, but overemphasized characters that emphasized the completely different novel that was crafted out of Dickens' masterful storytelling. I'm sure they will explain that necessary cuts were made to make the story more cinematic and approachable. A pleasant fiction for the American TV market, who don't like to hear the truth about their beloved oligarchy.

spratton What an ensemble cast, every one committed and enthusiastic, every one knowing their Dickens, too! Tom Wilkinson is superb --- an actor of many roles, but in this he is fantastic as Pecksniff. Young Martin is perfect (I once saw Ben Walden in Julius Caesar at the Globe)--- a rather spoiled and righteous young man whose tantrums reminded me of Daniel Day Lewis's tantrums in THE NAME OF THE FATHER! Hardest to accept right off are the two Pecksniff sisters, but that's because they are so Dickensian and we are simply no longer accustomed to women being portrayed this way. In the 'small roles', Joan Sims as Betsy Prigg, Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs Gamp, and Graham Stark as Nadgett -- all hugely-experienced veterans of British broadcasting --- are pure gold. This production did the best it could with such a long book, in dealing with the American episodes -- mostly via letters being read. Nothing more could be done to resolve this difficulty. The late Pete Postlethwaite is a juicy Montague Tigg, as villainous as Keith Allen is terrifying in his Jonas role. There is not a bad casting in it, so let's finish by praising Philip Frank as Tom Pinch -- a role he does so well, so honestly, so unembarrassed, that his many other later appearances on TV are a shock (eg police inspector in "Heartbeat".

Robert J. Maxwell I'm not familiar with the novel, so I can't say how closely the characters as they are portrayed match any cognitive template, and I've only seen about half the episodes but that's enough to instigate a comment. Paul Scofield is old Anthony Chuzzlewit, supposedly rich beyond measure, but hoarding his wealth, living in a dreary inn in London with his grandchildren and some others in attendance. Most of his friends and relatives can't wait for him to kick it so they can get their hands on his money.Of his friends, Mr. Pecksmith is the most appalling phony. Tom Pinch, weird looking and a little dumb, may be the nicest person in the story. He provides the church with music, gratis, or, as he puts it, "I touch the organ for my own amusement." John Mills is Mr. Chuffey, the addled and devoted servant who is dotty but genuine. Keith Allen is Jason Chuzzlewit, Martin's direct descendant who hovers over the wrinkled old fellow waiting for the last breath to be drawn. Allen is a fine actor. He was a outstanding supercilious serial murderer in the BBC's "The Life and Crimes of William Palmer." Here he's openly vicious and his manners are repugnant. He always seems be sneering and eating with his mouth open, both at the same time.Anthony Chuzzlewit himself is no prize. "Aggravation flows through his veins, not blood." He loathes the fawners and the greedy and does no more than put up with the few decent people he meets. Mercifully he passes on. Shortly after, his brother Martin shows up for a visit, also Paul Scofield but a more mellow sort of Chuzzlewit, concerned not just about himself and his body sheath but about the happiness of others. That's about as far as I've gotten so far.Here, as in so many other BBC series, no one can help being impressed by the direction, the acting, and the production values on display. It's a magnificent effort. London never looked quite so crummy and oily, nor its citizens so ragged. The older attempts to put Dickens on celluloid, the ones from Hollywood, were all filmed in sunny California and the cheery settings shed a different light on the proceedings. Lean's two shots at Dickens were more realistic but not as muddy and dark as this series. (Insert favorite vulgar imprecation here), it's depressing!No wonder one of the younger characters takes off to make his fortune in America -- all that Hollywood sunshine. Actually Dickens himself made a trip to the States and had a chat with Edgar Allan Poe. One can only imagine what they had to talk about. One's demons were psychological, the other's social.I'm happy when a classic English novel is given a proper miniseries treatment instead of being pruned down to two hours or so. But it generates problems too. There are half a dozen narrative threads that need to be followed. I had a hell of a time with Jason Chuzzlewit's courtship of one or another of the two sinister sisters, for instance. (He switches his pursuit at the last minute.) And at six or so hours of screen time, divided into many episodes, it's sometimes a little hard to keep the threads and the characters straight, to separate the warp from the woof. It must have been even more difficult when the episodes were originally presented on different nights. These multi-charactered plots represent one of the few instances in which recognizable faces, faces of popular actors, help us follow the goings on.

johannes2000-1 I was absolutely stunned by this BBC-miniseries: it's almost perfect in every way. It succeeded in producing the exact atmosphere of Dickens' novel as I recall it, with all the fine irony, the dark and the good sides of human nature, the description of the beautiful countryside as well as the ugly corners of the big city, the sumptuous costumes, I could go on and on, everything seemed to be in perfect place and exactly right. Like in most of Dickens' novels there are so many characters that you'll sometimes get a little confused, but in this mini-series there's ample time (some 6 hours!!) to let all the stories and side-stories roll by in their own pace and develop and intertwine, there's never any feeling of haste or too much density. On the contrary, I even had the feeling that some of the characters got more room than even the (overcrowded) novel itself provided.For all the aforesaid due credit should go to the director (and to the writer, who did a great job in translating some 700 pages of Charles Dickens into a manageable script). The fact, already mentioned by another comment, that the whole American section of the novel is left out, didn't bother me that much. Of course that story is important for the novel and particularly for the personal growth as a man of young Martin, but it's almost a novel within a novel, and since with the adaptation of novels of this scale one always has to make some concessions, it seemed a very sensible choice to comprise the American adventure to some reading of letters and one or two short scenes. To me at least it worked adequately.But now about the actors, they really deserve the highest credit, it's unbelievable how a whole cast can be of such high standards, it really was a treat to watch and it almost makes me ashamed to pick some of them out! But I have to mention Tom Wilkinson as the hypocritical, greedy en pompous Pecksniff, Wilkinson plays him SO good and convincing, if there's an Oscar for best actor in a miniseries HE should have won that with this one!! Equally good and entertaining was Pete Postlethwaite and I also should mention Elizabeth Spriggs as the scruffy, boozing and ad-libbing Mrs. Gamp, the "nurse" who you wouldn't trust with your worst enemy let alone with a patient! And Julia Sawalha (Absolutely Fabulous) and Emma Chambers (Notting Hill) as the Pecksniff-offspring are not only hilarious but also develop their part in a very convincing and in the end touching way. And, on the other, more dark side of the spectrum of Dickens-characters: Keith Allen as the ominous Jonas Chuzzlewit, who's actually blood-chilling in his portrayal of a cruel and relentless son and husband.And so I could go on, until even such small parts as the spicy young Bailey (Paul Francis - how DO they get such a young kid to play so natural and easy?!). If any, to me there's only one minor flaw in this production: the role of young Martin Chuzzlewit by Ben Walden. I don't know what to make of it. Here's a young actor with a handsome yet rather uncommon face, an awkward way of acting and a curious almost mumbling kind of diction! He seemed a strange choice to play one of the major protagonists in the story. But another comment on this site mentioned of him, that he "casts a spell with his eyes and voice", so maybe that's another way of looking at him.I give this production a heartfelt 10 out of 10.