British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Great Authors: Charles Dickens

Synopsis
A 3-part DVD set exploring the life, times and work of Charles Dickens, using a mixture of drama and dramatised documentary from the BBC archives. His is a fascinating story - from rags to riches, complete with bankruptcy, prison, forced child labour and fame and fortune, overshadowed by guilt and secrecy, yet there is much about his life that remains unknown. This DVD set demonstrates how much Dickens drew upon his own experiences in his fiction.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Year of release
2003
Year of production
2003
Documentation
'Dickens’ by Peter Ackroyd (Sinclair-Stevenson, 1990)
Subjects
Literature
Keywords
biographies; Dickens, Charles (1812-1870); literature - English; television drama; docudrama

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 2 PAL
Price
£29.99
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
510 minutes (3 discs)
Year
2003

Sections

Title
Uncovering the real Dickens
Synopsis
UNCOVERING THE REAL DICKENS, presented by Peter Ackroyd, resembles the plot of one of Dickens’ own novels. Using a mixture of documentary and dramatic reconstruction it recreates the author’s extraordinary life, blurring the lines between Dickens’ fiction and his own experiences and also between drama and biography. Visits the key locations in Kent and the capital which inspired him. Actors playing the parts of Dickens’ family members and friends are ‘interviewed’ during the programme.

The programme was broadcast in 3 weekly parts on BBC2, beginning on 11 May 2002 under the title DICKENS.

Part 1: SECRETS - with Kenneth Cranham as John Forster (Dickens’ friend and biographer), Timothy West and Prunella Scales as Dickens’ parents and Miriam Margolyes as the writer’s wife. Anton Lesser stars as Dickens and Geoffrey Palmer plays William Makepeace Thackery. This part also includes clips from various BBC dramatisations of his novels, including David Copperfield and Our Mutual Friend. Computer graphics have been used to recreate Victorian London.

Part 2: BLAZING AWAY - This part looks at how Dickens used his fame to challenge Victorian society - in ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’, he criticised the brutality of industrialised England, and the death of Little Nell caused hysteria, even across the Atlantic.

Part 3: TERROR TO THE END - Dickens created some of his greatest works in the final decade of his life, attacking the flaws in Victorian society and defending the virtues of home and family. However, his own domestic arrangements were by no means harmonious, and the emergence of a young 18-year-old actress in his life saw Dickens embark on a complex and dangerous double life.
Duration
176 mins

Title
David Copperfield
Synopsis
Dramatisation of the Charles Dickens’ novel by Adrian Hodges. Broadcast on BBC1 in 2 parts on 25 and 25 December 1999.

Also available separately on VHS and DVD.
Duration
186 mins

Title
Christmas Carol, A/Songs from Grope Lane/The making of Uncovering the real Dickens
Synopsis
In A CHRISTMAS CAROL Dickens (Anton Lesser) reads his classic ghost story to a group of friends and relatives at his house (97 minutes).

SONGS FROM GROPE LANE - the 12-year-old Dickens escapes his miserable daily life and the blacking factory to enjoy a brief spell of raucous tavern entertainment. Lucy Skeaping’s ensemble performs seedy pub songs from Dickensian London in the mid-19th century(25 minutes).

THE MAKING OF ‘UNCOVERING THE REAL DICKENS’ - a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the BBC series DICKENS (27 minutes)
Duration
149 mins

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

Opus Arte

Email
Customer.services@opusarteshop.com
Web
http://www.opusarte.com External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7010 8560
Fax
020 7836 0506
Address
Customer Services
Simran Mediatech Ltd
26-28 Hammersmith Grove
Hammersmith
London
W6 7BA
Notes
Opus Arte is the Royal Opera House’s multi-platform arts production and distribution company. Established in 1999 the company grew rapidly to become one of the world’s leading providers of high-quality classical music content. As well as releasing around twenty titles on DVD, Blu-ray and CD per year, the company has produced and directed programmes that have been broadcast in over 60 countries and released in cinemas. The website allows lovers of opera, ballet, classical music and theatre to purchase traditional CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays, and also to download digital music and video straight to a computer or portable device.

Record Stats

This record has been viewed 1111 times.