Nobody is going to be excused Dickens in his bicentennial year. This is good news for television people, since Dickens wrote his novels in the form of screenplays. He worked closely with his illustrators, making sure the scene they drew was exactly what he had in mind. He even acted out the roles as he wrote them, so the family would hear Fagin, or Pecksniff, or Squeers booming from his study as he worked.
Someone pointed out in the Arena documentary, Dickens on Film (BBC4, Tuesday), that it is impossible to overact any of those characters, as clips of W.C. Fields and Bob Hoskins in the role of Micawber proved. It must make a welcome change for thesps who spend a lifetime perfecting subtle and suggestive; instead they can roll their eyes, puff out their cheeks, gurn, roar, wheedle, chortle and cringe to their hearts’ content. Panto after Harold Pinter, a holiday for hams.
Dickens interleaved his scenes, exactly like a film, rapidly cutting from one plot strand to another.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in