Strong and Moving!

An action-packed slog

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I'm not able to say if this is the best BBC series ever, since I've seen few of them, but it must be close. The attention to casting, choice of locations, costumes and everything else is so impressive. They have really brought the Marshalsea to life by using Hampton Court, it looks just like the Hablot Browne illustrations. Andrew Davies is to be praised for using so much of Dickens's dialog in his script.The one real standout performance is that of Andy Serkis as Rigaud; he is commandingly evil and looks just like the illustration. You accept his presence everywhere in the story without asking questions, he is that impressive. Tom Courtenay as Dorrit is very good; he's one of the most self-deluding men in world literature, always telling everyone how he has suffered during those two decades in prison (others suffered more, but he won't recognize that). Maxine Peake, whom I knew only through Silk, does very well as ice-cold Miss Wade. Eddie Marsan is Pancks, absolutely: obsessed, snorting derisively at the Marshalsea prisoners, finally declaring independence to cheers all round. Claire Foy and Matthew McFadyen play the heroes convincingly.

This is yet another outstanding Dickens-adaptation by the BBC. It makes you wonder how they do it: making everything fall so exactly in its place! The casting is perfect, settings and costumes are flawless, the direction is impressive and the editing gives it all a wonderful pace, helped by cutting it into short pieces of half an hour, so that you are kept on your toes all of the time, simply craving for the next episode.To be honest, Little Dorrit is not my favorite Dickens. I remember when reading it, it impressed me as over-long, over-crowded with characters and with story-lines, and – I'm sorry to say – as a bit tedious in the last couple of hundred pages, especially after the family Dorrit came into their unexpected financial fortune and starts traveling. So the directors (apparently there were three of them) and the writers deserve the highest praise, to have turned the somewhat tough basic material into this wonderful, exciting and involving story of love, greed, social differences, mystery and (thank heaven) lots of vintage Dickensian comedy.The basic premise of a life almost entirely spent in a debtors prison (the notorious Marshalsea), without any hope of ever getting out, and where even your children are born and bred, is heartbreaking in itself. The rest of the story with all the turns and twists that Dickens composed is actually less important, it is at many points too complicated and unrealistic. Even in the end, when all the mysteries are unfolded and out in the open, you keep wondering if you have understood everything correctly. But don't bother too much about logic, just let yourself be immersed and enjoy the ride.It's hard to give credits to singular actors, they are all so wonderful. Of course Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen should be mentioned as the two leading characters Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam. Claire Foy succeeds in making Amy more than just a spotless and angelic Dickens-heroine, she's a real person of flesh and blood who can at times be hurt and angry, but who stands firm in her believes and especially in her loyalty to her overbearing father. Foy gets more beautiful in every episode and in the last happy shots she's virtually radiant. Macfadyen is as Arthur convincingly her match in every aspect, he plays this extremely sympathetic, modest and loyal man to perfection, and with a wonderful sense of humor. He's also very handsome in a puppy-like way and it isn't hard to see why Amy is totally in love with him from the moment she first meets him. Of course Tom Courtenay has to be mentioned. His portrayal of the complicated personality that father Dorrit is, cannot be surpassed. The arrogance and the insecurity, the ungratefulness towards his daughter and yet his deep love for her, his carefully groomed image of "the father of the Marshalsea" and yet his fear for the real outside world, it is all there, not with grand gestures but with the subtlety that only the most gifted actors have. When he finally feels himself slipping away into mental confusion he just breaks your heart.I need to mention two more actors. I was on the edge of my chair every time Ruth Jones as Flora Finching came into view, she's absolutely hilarious and she never failed to make me laugh out loud, clinching and flirting around her old love Arthur and calling him "Arthur, Doyce and Clennam" all the time (it doesn't sound like anything funny when you write it down, but you should see it!). Ruth Jones was a great surprise to me and I don't know how her career develops but she definitely should have her own television show or something like that.The last actor that I want to point out is Russell Tovey. He plays the awkward and clumsy John Chivery, literally hopelessly in love with Amy. His character is clearly put into the story as a comic relief (the counterpart of Flora Finching who in vain tries to win back Arthur), and his unstoppable sobbing and desperation when his love is rejected are comical indeed. But in several scenes Tovey succeeds in lifting up his character to an almost grandiose level. His reaction when Amy – ever so gently – turn his proposal down already is heartbreaking. But his last big scene, when he tells Arthur – his supposed rival - how Amy actually loves Arthur and not himself, is unforgettable, it moved me to the core and I'm again in tears just thinking about it. Tovey is an extremely gifted talent and I just hope he will get many chances to prove it again.In short: a great series, a treat to watch and a heartfelt 10 out of 10!!!

Oh, I do love a good period drama… I got interested enough after one episode of this to re-read the book for the first time in 10 years, and was impressed by how very dark and cynical Dickens' tone is. The show is well-shot and well made, and does the book justice in almost every way. The only thing which is – so far – slightly lost is the cynicism: the staggering incompetence and idleness of the Circumlocution Office is meant to be an attack on the whole governmental administration system. Likewise, the inordinate raising up of one person above others on a great balloon of hot air, and the great, national disgrace that was the imprisonment of whole families for debt. The intensity of the satire is missing – which is a great shame, since a central part of the story finds its perfect parallel in events unfolding both in this country and elsewhere right now. That was a missed opportunity – but I suspect the show wouldn't have attracted such ready funding and promotion if it laid the satire on too thick at the expense of say, the costumes (yawn).The casting is excellent, and it seems almost unfair to single out individuals from the list, including Judy Parfitt's cold Mrs Clennam, Tom Courtenay's vain, haunted Mr Dorrit, Russell Tovey's charmingly emotional young Chivery, Claire Foy's delicate, youthful Amy and Matthew McFadyen's kind-hearted, generous Arthur. Ruth Jones' wondrous recreation of the voluminous Flora is bettered only by Annette Crosbie's frankly terrifying Aunt. (She's how I want to be when I get old!) I'd been disappointed by McFadyen's Mr Darcy in the Joe Wright film "Pride & Prejudice" - it was almost at times as if he had been stuffed, and his looks were somehow lost in the mix. Here all his best attributes are to the fore – his eyes, his height, his voice and manner, the excellence of his diction – all these create a warm, breathing man out of really quite flimsy material. In the book and even in this dramatisation, Arthur is a rather shadowy presence, on the sidelines while things happen to those around him. Yet his appearance each week is like a beacon, a feeling of warmth, like home. Claire Foy does a really wonderful job as the title character. Dickens' heroines used to drive me mad – so tiny and blushing and always so very, irritatingly good, drat them. Foy manages to be all of these things, but to be likable too, and I very much admire her for it. The way she looks at her father – half with love, half with pity – is spot on. Tom Courtenay is brilliant – I can't imagine anyone else being able to bring so much to the character of this foolish, vain, blind Mr Dorritt. I kept missing episodes and having to watch them on the (BBC's excellent i-player) catch up site. Now I've at last seen the final episode I think it's sadly rushed, missing a few voyeuristic opportunities for catching up on some of the minor characters seen in the series. However the scenes between John Chivery, Arthur and Amy are moving and beautifully handled. I will definitely be getting hold of the DVD. This one's a keeper.

I may have been looking forward to this too much. Period drama has been hitting new heights recently but I'm not surprised that there hasn't been a rush to comment on the latest BBC/Andrew Davies Dickens adaptation. 18 months ago, Bleak House, with its dark shadows, glacial foreboding and taut narrative storyline gripped the nation. Not so Little Dorrit.What's the problem? Surely with a winning formula, a great cast and a brilliant novel, we must be guaranteed some sort of success? The three leads are very successfully cast. McFadyen and Courtenay are both living their parts and taking every opportunity that comes their way. Amy has just the right combination of winsomeness, vulnerability and moral strength and can bring a tear to the most jaded eye. But here's where the problem starts. She's so tall, fit and healthy that if someone told you she was the British All-Comers keepie-up champion you wouldn't be surprised.And the whole series is like that. London looks spruce and modern, the Marshalsea looks more inviting than any accommodation I ever had in London, everyone is clean and fettled and no one seems to have a problem worthy of the name. Parts of it,like everything associated with the Meagles at Twickenham, are actually boring and defective.Apart from that, the planning that went into the storyline of Bleak House to come up with a strong narrative thread supporting two half hour episodes a week is missing here. Characters constantly seem to be rushing off stage. Andy Serkis, as Rigaud, is a delicious villain and would be a much-needed, hugely oppressive presence if only they'd give him more than a minute an episode.I can't see myself falling in wholeheartedly love with this production, especially when there is a much more imaginative (and even better acted) adaptation already on DVD, from Christina Edzard.I love Panks and the Bleeding Heart Yard crew, and the Clennam household is a tremendous success. I'd watch Judy Parfitt mowing her grass, she's beautifully paired with Alun Armstrong and Sue Johnston is perfect as Affery.But whilst it scores, it also continues to disappoint. I just don't think enough hard work went into it at the planning and scriptwriting stages.