Expected more

Absolutely brilliant

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Could not believe what was done with the only Dickens novel significantly set in the USA, and encapsulating his astute impressions of our country. The business in America was reduced to a simple land swindle, sans mention of the political corruption, boundless greed, and sanctimonious moralizing that plagues us to this day. A perfect example of corporate media censorship.The acting was first rate, but overemphasized characters that emphasized the completely different novel that was crafted out of Dickens' masterful storytelling. I'm sure they will explain that necessary cuts were made to make the story more cinematic and approachable. A pleasant fiction for the American TV market, who don't like to hear the truth about their beloved oligarchy.

Architect Mr. Pecksniff attempts to inveigle himself into the good graces of the senior, wealthy Chuzzlewit (Scofield), via all manner of solicitousness and over the top ingratiation.I didn't think much of Tom Wilkinson's acting skills before seeing this. But for the first hour or two he steals the show as the greedy nincompoop Pecksniff. He assays this incorrigible dope with quite a varied catalog of idiotic reactions and barely-disguised avarice. Pete Postlethwaite as an unctuous servant is amusing. The actor playing the title character telegraphs that he's the mumbling, no-good sort long before any character explicitly discuss it. I guess my problem with this is that the narrative and its complications are so commonplace that it never drew me in, and I couldn't tell you what all the mediocre convolutions of the middle do for the story. They didn't engage me, amount to much, or stand out in the Romantic canon. And my appetite for one-dimensional bad guys was long ago filled by Hollywood blockbusters. All that and the usual, insipid, high-Victorian ending in which multiple story lines all reach their moral climax in the same 4 minutes. guh."Saffie" from Absolutely Fabulous is one of Pecksniff's daughters and the dimwit villager from Vicar of Dibley is the other one.

I read that someone called it a dark and gloomy adaptation. I have to disagree with that ! I thought ita very funny TV-series.Of course there's a lot of scheming and some people get treated very badly. But all the characters areplayed in such a manner that you can't help but see them as ridiculous. Tom Wilkinson is marvelous as the pompous Seth Pecksniff and i would like to mention Elizabeth Spriggs who makes her part as Mrs. Gamp unforgettable. If you like a period drama with a good deal of humor this one is for you ! The series lasts 337 minutes. It's a shame that it's still not released on DVD.Let's hope we don't have to wait too long ! If you like the wit of Jane Austen you will like this seriestoo ( yes there is a love story in it as well).

Although this BBC production of "Martin Chuzzlewit" from 1994 is not widely known, it is definitely a very good one. The characters are true to Dickens' novel, some of them being rather multi-layered, such as the bitter and twisted Jonas Chuzzlewit, very well portrayed by Keith Allen, or the desperate young Martin Chuzzlewit (Ben Walden), who from his very first scene casts a spell with his eyes and voice.For those BBC drama collectors who consider buying the video: This is not as light as the fine Jane Austen film versions, but rather dark and gloomy. In my view this contributes to the film's attraction, and I can recommend "Martin Chuzzlewit" without hesitation.A piece of advice concerning the videotape: Watch it as soon as you purchased it because there are some tapes on which visual noise appears every now and then. You might perhaps have to exchange it.