Summary
One of Charles Dickens' best-loved (and most complex) stories receives its fourth feature film adaptation in this lively historical comedy-drama. Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) is a 19-year-old who becomes the head of the family when his father dies unexpectedly. Keeping watch over his mother (Stella Gonet) and his sister Kate (Romola Garai) becomes an even greater challenge when Nicholas discovers that his father lost the family fortune due to ill-advised investments. Without a shilling to his name, Nicholas turns to his wealthy but unforgiving Uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer) for help; Uncle Ralph offers to find work for all three, and Nicholas becomes a teacher at a school for unfortunate boys run by Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent) and his wife (Juliet Stevenson). Squeers and his wife are cruel and frequently violent toward their charges, and when Wackford, without cause, beats a weak and timid student, Smike (Jamie Bell), Nicholas decides he can take no more and runs away, with Smike in tow. The two young men fall in with a traveling theater troupe run by the genially eccentric Vincent Crummles (Nathan Lane) and his equally flamboyant spouse (Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna Everage). In time Nicholas returns to London to check in on his sister and mother. To his horror, he learns that Uncle Ralph has promised Kate's hand to Sir Mulberry Hawk (Edward Fox), a wealthy older man with a less-than-wholesome interest in young women. Both Kate and Nicholas are upset at the prospect of this union, and Nicholas attempts to tear his family away from Uncle Ralph's control, beginning with a job working for the warm-hearted Charles Cheeryble (Timothy Spall) and his brother (Gerard Horan). Nicholas also falls in love with the fair Madeline (Anne Hathaway), but when Uncle Ralph learns of Nicholas' plot to foil Kate's impending marriage, he strikes back by kidnapping Smike and attempting to force Madeline to wed Sir Hawk. Actor, writer, and filmmaker Douglas McGrath adapted Nicholas Nickleby into a screenplay, as well as directing the picture. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Additional Information
| Subjects |
Heads of households
-- Drama.
Feature films. Historical films. Video recordings for the hearing impaired. |
| Publisher | [United States] :MGM Home Entertainment,2003 |
| Edition | Widescreen version. |
| Other Titles | Nicholas Nickleby. |
| Contributors |
Channing-Williams, Simon.
Hart, John N. Sharp, Jeffrey. McGrath, Douglas. Bell, Jamie, 1986- Broadbent, Jim. Courtenay, Tom. Fox, Edward, 1937- Garai, Romola, 1982- Hatheway, Anne, 1982- Humphries, Barry, 1934-2023 Hunnam, Charlie, 1980- Lane, Nathan, 1956- Plummer, Christopher. Pope, Dick, B.S.C. Walker, Lesley. Portman, Rachel. Meyers, Ruth. Stewart, Eve. Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870. Nicholas Nickleby. United Artists Corporation. Hart-Sharp Entertainment (Firm) Cloud Nine Films (Firm) MGM Home Entertainment Inc. |
| Participants/Performers |
Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox, Romola Garai, Anne Hatheway, Barry Humphries, Charlie Hunnam, Nathan Lane, Christopher Plummer. |
| Other Contributors |
Director of photography, Dick Pope ; editor, Lesley Walker ; music composer, Rachel Portman ; costume designer, Ruth Meyers ; production designer, Eve Stewart. |
| Audience |
MPAA rating: PG; for thematic material involving some violent action and a childbirth scene. |
| Language |
English French Spanish English, French or Spanish dialogue, French or Spanish subtitles. Closed-captioned. |
| Notes |
Originally released as a motion picture in 2002. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens. Special features: commentary by director Douglas McGrath; "Creating a classic: the making of Nicholas Nickleby"; "The cast on the cast"; "View on the set" multi-angle feature; photo gallery. |
| System Details |
DVD, double-sided, 5.1 Dolby digital, Dolby digital 2.0 surround, DTS, Region 1 encoding. |
| Description |
1 DVD (132 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in. |
| ISBN | 0792857216 |
| Other | Classic View |