Little Dorrit

Having spent the evening catching up with Little Dorrit, I have to say its a masterpiece of tv. Brilliantly acted, and showcasing the foibles of human nature, I'm loving every minute of it.

Nancy Banks Smith once described the Granada Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series as a vision of pure Victorian Hell, and Little Dorrit is similar, with Claire Foys' Amy Dorrit being the still point around which everything revolves and, as the story unravels, everyone seems to reveal their true nature. Nobody is who they seem- the rent collector who really regrets how he must bully the tenants; the buildings owner, full of piety, yet turning a blind eye to the suffering he causes; and many others, not least Arthur Clennan, a hero who doesn't realise the effect he has on others.

Really enjoying this series at the moment, and feel it only fitting that we have a thread to celebrate it over the next five or six weeks.

After all, it's not as if it isn't bursting with acting talent that has graced Dr Who over the years!

i love it!!

completely and utterly fantastic. maybe not quite as gripping as bleak house but still 10/10 awesome.

tonight was great-amanda redman and anton lesser!

okay....

martha jones
midshipman frame
gwen cooper
mr magpie

anyone else?

Ruth Jones was in Torchwood!!!

Lee Carey wrote:Ruth Jones was in Torchwood!!!

d'oh!

Yes, count me in as a great fan of this adaptation. My favourite Dickens novels are Little Dorrit, Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend, so this superb version really completes the set for me, along with the recent Bleak House and the McGann Our Mutual Friend. As a confirmed McGannophile I had hoped that he would be playing Arthur Clennam in Dorrit, as I think he'd be ideal for the part (perhaps even more so than for Eugene Wrayburn in Our Mutual Friend), but full credit to Matthew Macfadyen for his excellent performance.

Amazing to think that Dorrit has never, to my knowledge, been adapted for TV before. I must try the 1988 (?) film version, which is I believe now available on DVD ...


John

Kate and I are absolutely loving this adaptation. Absolutely loving it. These new Dickens adaptations in the lead-up to Christmas are fast becoming as much a signature of the BBC as the Christmas Ghost Story used to be.

When Little Dorrit started I had just got round to watching the Bleak House adaptation. Rather than watching both at the same time (not literally - you know what I mean) I decided to record Little Dorrit and not start watching until I had finished watching Bleak House. I so enjoyed watching an episode a day with Bleak House that I decided to do the same with Little Dorrit and will not start watching it until I have recorded the lot.

What surprised me with Bleak House was that the half hour episode length worked so well. I thought it would seem too short and feel unsatisfactory but found it fine. I also found it a good length as one often has half an hour to spare before bed or something but an hour requires planning for! I was quite converted...

Sid Seadevil wrote:Kate and I are absolutely loving this adaptation. Absolutely loving it. These new Dickens adaptations in the lead-up to Christmas are fast becoming as much a signature of the BBC as the Christmas Ghost Story used to be.

I have to echo all the comments here and just say what a marvelous series it is. And I'm lucky to watch in HD too so believe me, if you think it looks good on 'council' telly, it looks utterly ravishing in Hi-Def. I was in tears last night watching poor old Amy throw that little button into the river.

Another excellent instalment tonight - Eddie Marsan on top form as Mr Pancks (my favourite character in the book).

When Mr Dorrit had the effrontery to lecture Amy on selfishness, one wanted to defenestrate him from the Marshalsea - though the scene where he had a peer through the prison gate, but felt unable to step outside even for a moment, was quite touching ...

Changes in store next week!


John

Yes, superb. That cliffhanger with Haw-he-haw-he-haw goosing Barbara Royle was to die for.

It's been excellent so far. All the cast are great, and I love the cameos - particularly Annette Crosbie .

Doc Filth wrote:It's been excellent so far. All the cast are great, and I love the cameos - particularly Annette Crosbie .

Wonderful again tonight. The whole sequence with Rigaud and Mrs. Clennam was finest high-camp Gothic. Fab-u-lous.

Thought last nights episode caught the supernatural feel that underlies much of Dickens work superbly. The direction was incredibly good when Rigaud met Flintwick. He's still the weakest part of the production for me (no offense to Andy Sirkis, but I wish they'd have cast an actual French actor in the part), but then again, early to mid period Dickens did contain slightly one dimensional villains compared to his later work.

To anyone who has read the book, does Andrew Davies take many liberties with it?

Just seen this weeks' omnibus.

Thought the performances were great (as ever), but didn't it seem just a little contrived that the Dorrits should be staying at the same hotel as Rigaud and his latest targets? How small did Dickens think Europe is?

Ah, it's Dickens- his books always relied on extreme coincidence, so I never really notice any more (rather like Rigaud meeting Flinwick's brother in a previous episode).

Lee Carey wrote:Ah, it's Dickens- his books always relied on extreme coincidence, so I never really notice any more (rather like Rigaud meeting Flinwick's brother in a previous episode).

Exactly. Dickens work was rife with this type of incident. Although to be fair, he's not the only culprit - it was pretty much an accepted convention of literature of the time. God knows, to a certain extent it still is now - 24 for example certainly couldn't function without the staggering coincidence abounding.

I suppose, also, Dickens could have been making a satirical point about people from certain levels of society only travelling to a very limited number of places on the continent.

But it still strains at the leash of credibility somewhat. *grouches*

Doc Filth wrote:I suppose, also, Dickens could have been making a satirical point about people from certain levels of society only travelling to a very limited number of places on the continent.

But it still strains at the leash of credibility somewhat. *grouches*

That's exactly at least part of what he was doing. Remember that back then these "european tours" were very much like today's package holidays. Populist destinations and people very concious of going where the "In-Crowd" goes. So for the readers of the time, there would have been little or no credibility gap.

But do please grouch away anyway.

gah! no little dorrit - instead a documentary about some 'orrible family

barnaby salton wrote:gah! no little dorrit - instead a documentary about some 'orrible family

Sacrilege!

What a brilliant last episode: some get their comeupance, some there just rewards, and everyone else simply continues with their lives, having learnt little.

Mr Penk is a favourite character of mine, showing loyalty and friendship to those that deserve it, and seething inside at the inequalities at life. Claire Foy was marvellous as Amy, and even the garlic accent of Rigaud didn't upset proceedings (although I'm convinced that it was this that destroyed the house!!)

One question though: who was Arthur's father? It was never made clear, and I've a sneaking suspicion that he and Amy are half brother and sister!!!

Lee Carey wrote:What a brilliant last episode: some get their comeupance, some there just rewards, and everyone else simply continues with their lives, having learnt little.

Mr Penk is a favourite character of mine, showing loyalty and friendship to those that deserve it, and seething inside at the inequalities at life. Claire Foy was marvellous as Amy, and even the garlic accent of Rigaud didn't upset proceedings (although I'm convinced that it was this that destroyed the house!!)

One question though: who was Arthur's father? It was never made clear, and I've a sneaking suspicion that he and Amy are half brother and sister!!!

Yes, we gave it a huge round of applause in the Frank household. Very moving. I particularly liked Mrs. Clennam asking for forgiveness of Amy and the whole business of the house falling down just as the secret is revealed. What a showman Dickens was!

just watched it. fantastic- the only subplot i wasn't sure about was the one with freema and miss wade- what was all that about?