Customer Reviews
Incomplete! - By: D. Wright, 29 Jan 2008 
Although I have only just bought this & haven't even seen one programme yet I can remember some of the adaptations.
Martin Cuzzzlewit & Our Mutual Friend were good but the David Copperfield is far too short. I can remember the version from the 1970's featuring the brilliant Arthur Lowe as a memorable Micawber - a part he was born to play. Surely this more comprehensively faithful version should have been featured rather than the abridged more recent one? Also why not include Nicholas Nickleby & Bleak House, two of Dicken's major novels which are unaccountably omitted. I realise this collection came out too early to feature the recent excellent adaptation of Bleak House, but surely they could have included the fine version from the 1980's. It would have also have been nice to have The Old Curiosity Shop; there was another excellent 70's versions featuring Trevor Peacock as a superb Quilp.
To reduce the collection slightly they could actuallly have left out Christmas Carol, which after alll isn't actuallly a novel, & has been adapted to death!
Great Expectations Satisfied. - By: Nicholas Casley, 15 Jun 2007 
This collection features eight complete editions of various Dickens interpretations from the BBC stable, from 1977's "Christmas Carol" through to 1999's "David Copperfield". The total mileage is 1977 minutes, not including various extras. Divide that by the price offered and, however much the price is, it'll still be a bargain.
There are some big stars here, & some who should be or should have been: there are some fine performances in some of the smalllest of parts. With eight different directors, the production is uneven, & some series suffered from smalller budgets than others, but there is not a duff series among them. If I had to choose a worst, then "David Copperfield" over-eggs an already mawkish pie (and is top-heavy in big names). The best? Well, "Great Expectations" has a wonderful atmosphere, especiallly out on the marshes. But top of the tree for me is "Martin Chuzzlewit" with fantastic humour in every nuance.
