The Pickwick Papers- In Colour! [DVD] [1952]

This production cannot be beaten and should never do so. Just love it!

The Pickwick Papers is a vast book with so many interesting cameos that it would be impossible to include everyone's favourite piece.Never the less this charming little film manages to please, seemingly without effort. James Hayter as Mr Pickwick is definitive (in my opinion) and his supporting band of loyal club members step off the page and onto the film set effortlessly. Mr Jingle, the lovable rouge, pushes his way to the front from the very start whilst the villainous representatives of the legal profession Dobson and Fogg have to be two of the most odious creations ever to grace fiction. Never the less they are sadly so recognizable even today.The film chooses to concentrate on the trial of Mr Pickwick for 'Breach of Promise of Marriage 'as the main set piece and develops from this a slightly more dramatic theme as the plot moves into the Fleet Prison, but whilst the deprivation is conveyed well it is never over stated or allowed to slacken the pace for long.One slight miss calculation has to be the casting of Jingles Henchman 'Job Trotter' whom I've always conceived to be a rather bright if debauched young man, but here he is played as a slow lumbering character. In fact this actor is so out of character that I was forced to ponder whether he had shares in the making of the film. He strikes a jarring note, rather like a cracked bell in a carillon. However Job Trotter is a minor character so one can afford to be magnanimous.A good little film ( black and white of course ) and a pleasant gentle entertainment. I think even those who have no professed interest in Dickens would be entertained.

THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE RENOWN COLORISED VERSIONThis charming film is a who's who of great British post war character actors, James Hayter, later to become the voice of Mr Kipling Cakes (exceedingly good), was Mr Pickwick personified and the inimitable Harry Fowler, the perfect cheeky street smart Sam Weller - a part he was born to play. Nigel Patrick steals the show as arch bounder/cad Alfred Jingle and Kathleen Harrison twitters admirably as Rachel Wardle. I won't recycle what other reviewers have expressed more eloquently than I ever could, but this is a delightful film and owes a lot to Noel Langley who managed to compress Dickens' sprawling book into a concise story without losing the spirit and charm of the original.Whilst Renown can be applauded for their remaster, their decision to colorize the film is questionable. Wilkie Cooper's beautiful black and white cinematography is reduced to a child's crude paintbox version. Its not as if the process is particularly thorough. Skin tones are on the whole flat and only embellished with a bizarre rouge on the cheeks of the actors. The software employed fails to distinguish skin tones through glasses so Pickwick's face is flesh toned while his eyes and surrounding areas behind his glasses are grey. In one scene two soldiers' red tunics are transformed to a washed out pink. It really became annoying. Surely Renown could have bundled the B/W original with the ghastly colorized version as they did with the Night Caller.Anyway I've subsequently ordered the black and white version from another supplier.

A funny vintage old fashioned movie based on the comic writings of a famous author. This movie shows the comic manners of an era of hundreds of years ago in the mid eighteen hundreds. It is about a bunch of rich young men having fun visiting pubs and dances around the country. They meet unusual people are always helped safely and with kindness by a character called - Sam Weller. He is a Londoner who cannot pronounce his Rs and speaks in a dialect . He knows how other less wealthy people live and have fun . The young men are not that knowledgeable about ordinary people at this time and so their mistakes in dealing with this society can be funny at times. The original book on which this film is based, is supposed to be a comedy. It is well worth the purchase price and very entertaining. It is seldom shown on tv these days, so it is a treasure in its own right. Excellent product. Thanks

Bought this simply for Harry Fowlers character, absolute class acting from all. The 40s and 50s adaptations are the best.

Full of old famous English actors and actress's (blink and you might miss some) very good adaption the colour was obviously added later which makes it look rather faded which is why it just gets 3 stars

A must for collectors of British comedy! The story line, as with other early film versions of Dickens, distils some choice situations from the original book. The quirky style of acting matches the eccentric behaviour of the Pickwick Club, its members and the people who cross their path. However, it is the brilliant cast that holds your attention to the end. The quality of the DVD is pretty good considering the age of the production. Buy, watch and enjoy the style of this particular version, which earned a well-deserved Bafta nomination for Hayter (though Harry Fowler gets my vote!).

This is not a good film and did not capture the character of the Pickwick club members. It was more Billy Bunter than Pickwick. The character Sam Weller who is so real in the book is very badly directed and was a bit of a let down. My wife did not bother to watch it after two minutes!Much better to read the book.

Having been a Dickens lover most of my life this film is very near to the conditions of the19th century. The characters arejust as I pictured them in my young mind when I first read the novel and then saw the film the first time. James Hayter who playsMr. Pickwick is wonderful.

Enjoyable.

This black and white production is superb as an introduction to the Pickwick Papers. At 109 minutes it necessarily has to eliminate many stories included in the book,(the first edition contains 609 pages of close print, and the Folio edition has 798 pages) but the essential facts of this 1836/37 serial are there and the acting is admirable. As one views this film, he/she can be transported to another time - the characterizations by the main actors being very well done --- James Hayter IS Mr. Pickwick - Harry Fowler IS Sam Weller. The British Film Industry knows very well how to produce the classics of English literature, and this is a costume drama you won't soon forget. For those who want a more complete version (running time, 350 minutes) of this early Dickens writing, take a look at the BBC production starring Nigel Stock. Happy viewing!

Good quality DVD.

Plays well but video quality is not very good.