Dickensblog

Thoughts on BBC Radio 4's 'Hard Times'

Here's a direct link to the first episode of the BBC's new two-part radio drama of Hard Times. I listened to it this week and enjoyed it very much. Of course, cuts have been made to the story to fit it into two hourlong episodes. Also, it feels as if some of the sharper edges have been sanded off Dickens's characters and situations -- Mrs. Gradgrind doesn't say "Go and be somethingological directly," Mr. Bounderby doesn't go on and on about being born in a ditch, Louisa's spells of sharpness and sullenness are pretty much gone. Sleary doesn't even lisp! Yet for all that, adapter Graham White takes the story seriously and tells it simply and movingly, foregrounding the domestic scenes, to which the strong cast brings a sense of both intimacy and urgency. Even with some of the beloved Dickensian trimmings pared away, this adaptation shows the strength of Dickens's storytelling and the timeless appeal of his characters.

R.I.P., Maggie Smith

The great Dame Maggie Smith, who passed away yesterday at the age of 89, is being celebrated all over the world for a plethora of wonderful performances and roles. Here at Dickensblog, let us pause to remember her brilliant work as Aunt Betsey Trotwood in the 1999 TV adaptation of David Copperfield. (The clip is taken from an awards show -- the actual scene starts at 0:11.)

To see one of your favorite actors portray one of your favorite characters is always a special treat, and that was what Smith's portrayal of Aunt Betsey was for me. In the clip below, her confrontation with the Murdstones, Smith runs the gamut of emotions in just over a minute. She's affectionate with David, magnificent in her rage at his tormentors, venomous as she finds and pushes Mr. Murdstone's buttons, and then she perfectly underplays her parting shot at Miss Murdstone. For longtime Dickensians and for newbies alike, it's utterly satisfying.

New Dickensian dramas on BBC Radio 4

On Sunday, September 29, BBC Radio 4 will begin airing a whole season of new Dickens audio dramas:

• A two-part Hard Times, starring David Morrissey, Rachel Harper, Ike Bennett, Shaun Dooley, Janey Orchard, Jan Ravens, Will Close, Arthur Hughes, and Claire Cage;
• A three-part Little Dorrit, starring Jason Watkins, Samuel Barnett, Kitty Archer, Paul Bradley, David Tarkenter, and Claire Price; and
• A three-part Our Mutual Friend, starring Bukky Bakray, Sule Rimi, Issam Al Ghussan, Jeremy Ang Jones, Bettrys Jones, and Delilah Tahiri.

The channel will also be airing special Dickens-themed episodes of its show "Opening Lines," examining each of the three books adapted here. 

Listeners outside the UK should be able to access all shows via the BBC Sounds website and app. Go here to learn more!

TCM alert

Oliver Twist (1948) airs on the channel at 11:30 Eastern this morning.

At the chalet with Dickens

Dickens's Swiss chalet, the building where he did much of his writing, is open to the public free of charge this weekend, as part of England's annual Heritage Open Days event. Medway Council, the Dickens Fellowship, and other groups hope the event will help "raise awareness" of the need for funds to restore the chalet. If you happen to be in Kent, go check it out!

'King of Kings' has a distributor and a release date

Blue Harbor will be releasing the animated adaptation of The Life of Our Lord next Easter. Go here to learn more.

'A Christmas Carol' with drones

This December, a drone light show will tell the story of A Christmas Carol in Nottingham and Bristol, England! Go here to read all about it, and to buy tickets if you're in the area.

Sam Mendes's 'David Copperfield': A review

By Cody M. Quanbeck, guest blogger

I wasn’t initially sure I would listen to the new audio dramatization of David Copperfield from director Sam Mendes and adapter Marty Ross, since I wasn’t a fan of their adaptation of Oliver Twist. What ultimately convinced me to give it a try was the casting of Helena Bonham Carter as Betsey Trotwood. In my experience, Bonham Carter can be a very charismatic performer, but I had a hard time picturing her as the character. That’s the beauty of audio dramas, however. To my mind, Helena Bonham Carter may not look physically intimidating enough to be Betsey Trotwood, but that doesn’t occur to me while I’m listening to her stellar vocal performance. (Sadly, though not surprisingly, this adaptation doesn’t give the character the emotional arc she had in the book, but that’s not the actress’s fault.)

The cast’s other standout is Richard Armitage, who sounds awesomely creepy as Mr. Murdstone. Ncuti Gatwa is also great as the title character. (When that character is an adult, that is. Reece Kenwyne Mpudzi voices him as a child.)

But not everyone is so well cast. Rhiannon Clements sounds too mature to be Dora Spenlow, making the character’s occasional brattishness and general immaturity less tolerable than they should be. To be fair, though, the problem there may lie more with the writing than the acting.

Ah, the writing.

Puzzling over Dickens

Author and teacher Julian Morgan gives an interview here about his book Charles Dickens Puzzles, a collection of 100 puzzles of various kinds based on Dickens's life and works. The book is available here. (Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualified purchases.)

A free book on Dickens!

Cambridge University Press, publisher of the new book Dickens and the Gothic by Andrew Smith, is offering the book for free for the next two weeks. You can read it online or download the PDF version at this page (click the "Save PDF" button) through July 23. I've started reading this short book -- it's really more of a monograph -- and so far it's very accessible and interesting! Thanks to Dale Townshend, Elements in the Gothic series co-editor, for the tip.