Dickensblog

Big day!

First of all, happy Easter! Second of all, don't forget to watch Great Expectations part 2 and come back for my review/recap (and enter the raffle!).

At the Dickens film festival

A friend and I were at the AFI Silver Theater this morning to catch a screening of A Tale of Two Cities (1958) -- the first and, alas, the last film I'll have the chance to see in their Dickens film festival. The print could have been in better shape (I was a bit disappointed in the print quality of the Gene Kelly films I've seen there, as well.) But let me just say this . . . the only thing better than Dirk Bogarde as Sydney Carton, is larger-than-life Dirk Bogarde as Sydney Carton.

Dickens festival at Gad's Hill

The Gravesend Reporter has the details.

Easter egg hunting, Dickens style

Rockingham Castle has added a Dickensian twist to this year's Easter festivities.

Dickens and music

The Oxford University Press Blog has a fascinating post about how Dickens helped inspire all kinds of music, from comic songs to the musical Les Misérables.

GE DVD now available in the United States

Amazon has it here -- and don't forget, we're raffling one off, too. Just a small donation to a good cause gets you in. You only have a few days left to enter!

GE episode 1 available online

PBS has the video here. It'll be available until May 2.

'Great Expectations,' part 1

(Cast list here for your reference.)

Ah, Laura Linney. Last time I saw you, you were mixing up Maria Beadnell and Catherine Dickens. Now you appear to be confusing Great Expectations with David Copperfield ("perhaps his most personal book!"). I guess good help is hard to find . . .

Tonight's the night!

Part 1 of Great Expectations premieres on PBS's Masterpiece tonight. Reviews are coming in -- go here, here, here, here, and here for a few examples. Don't forget to watch! And check back here after the show to see my recap/review, and to share your own thoughts.