Customer Reviews

The Charles Dickens Masterworks Collection (Oliver Twist / The Old Curiosity Shop / Bleak House / Little Dorrit / Great Expectations)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

The cardboard case that the DVD's arrive in appears to be the main culprit. I knew when I opened my brand new Charles Dickens Collection that there was going to be a problem with at least some of the DVD's. Sadly every single DVD had one long scratch going through the center of the DVD. This scratch was clearly made by the cheap cardboard packaging so uncommonly used in packaging DVD's and CD's. There were also additional scratches on the DVD's besides this one large scratch. The cardboard casing the DVD was kept in was so tight I could hardly remove the DVD. I did so as carefully as possible without scratching it further, as I knew using this kind of case would be the same as laying a CD or DVD on top of a rough surface and rubbing it back and forth. One DVD actually had part of the cardboard stuck to it when I pulled it out as if it had been glued to its surface. When I pulled the DVD's out of its cardboard pocket I saw behind the DVD a rough cardboard edge that was supposed to be not only the resting place for the fragile surface of my expensive DVD set but also the place for which I was supposed to slide it against again and again for all eternity for as long as my DVD shall live, which I found out very soon was not long at all. Not one of my DVD's ran the length of its entirety without skipping or freezing. I knew better than to order another set, because I knew the problem was the manufacturing of the box which the DVD's arrived in. I should think that any person who would engineer such a foolish design should at the very least rate a demotion. I spoke with someone at Barnes & Noble (where I made my purchase) on the phone after my purchase and they did not seem to believe me when I claimed that the problem appeared to be the poor design of the DVD container and use of cardboard rather than the more traditional plastic with the center snap design (keeping the surface of the DVD from being scratched). I told them a set of envelopes for my DVD would have been better than the cardboard container that destroyed my DVD's and no doubt thousands of other DVD's. They claimed they had received no other complaints about this DVD set at all. I told them that they should stop selling this product now that they are aware that it is defective and they should also contact the BBC and let them know that it is defective. He laughed. Then he sent me a return slip so I could send it back at no more cost to me.

This is why folks out there should not review DVD's or books when they haven't purchased the specific product they are profiling. Please don't bother doing a review if you've only seen it on TV or at the cinema or you read a different version of the same book. I've done that in the past myself, but I won't do that again after this experience. You never know what an actual product is like and what a disservice you might be doing if you give that product a good review based on how much you liked that film or book. Every film in this set is good, especially Little Dorrit and Bleak House. And this set has the best rendition of Oliver Twist I've seen thus far. I watched them all on PBS Masterpiece Theatre. Just make sure you buy them separately. This set is too good to be true.

Do not buy this set.

What I was able to watch of the DVDs was really great, but all of the disks started skipping part way through and I was unable to watch the complete story. I even had Amazon replace the first set I received hoping that it was a problem with that particular set, but that was not the case. The second set I got had the same problem.

It's either in the production or the packaging, which may have caused damage to the DVD that is causing the skipping problems.

These are great stories, however the "Masterworks Collection" is a rip-off. All of the disks start skipping around the second episode. Too bad really. I had to pay more to buy Bleak House and Little Dorrit seperately.

As has previously been stated, the package design is one of the worst imaginable. However, for people who are willing to take a chance with the packaging, I doubt many people will find every film in the collection interesting. In other words, I cannot believe many people who enjoy "Bleak House" could possibly find "Old Curiosity Shop" and "Oliver Twist" bearable to watch since they are so greatly altered from the novels. As for "Great Expectations," the version included in this film collection is more interesting than the 1981 adaptation, but far less accurate because of much compacted action.

Therefore, for people interested in watching Dickens' works on film, I recommend the BBC classics collections volumes 1 and 2. They are less expensive, more loyal to Charles Dickens' literary intent, and individually packaged.

One can always buy "Bleak House" (a great 510 minute mini-series) and "Little Dorrit" separately.

Working films are nice, but it is also nice to watch films whose plots actually resemble the novels. "Oliver Twist" and "The Old Curiosity Shop" do not. "Great Expectations" and "Little Dorrit" are acceptable.

The only really good film in terms of loyalty is "Bleak House." Buy it separately unless you like watch films that do not even resemble the novels and may not even work.


PS:
"Oliver Twist" 1985 or "Oliver Twist" 1999 are far better miniseries than the one included in this collection.

BBC adaptations of "Old Curiosity Shop" and "Oliver Twist" are completely inaccurate. I did not see "Little Dorrit," so I do not know.

"Bleak House" 2005 is a wonderful mini-series, but you can purchase it individually for twenty three dollars. Save the rest of your money.

It's obvious to me from reading the other reviews that the manufacturer has since changed the packaging completely. I bought my copy at Borders and, since I had read these reviews beforehand, specifically told them that once I bought it I wanted to open it on the spot and examine the DVDs for scratches.

The DVDs were packaged no differently than a number of other boxed sets (such as the Elizabeth Gaskell Collection, for those who happen to own it); a clear, hard plastic 'book' with each DVD on it's own 'page', with the little press-in-the-middle release button. No cardboard touching them whatsoever on either side. Nevertheless, I took every DVD off to examine closely. One had a clearly visible fingerprint, which was easily wiped off. Two others had very small smudges which mostly came off. I've been watching one of those (Bleak House) to see if the smudge causes problems. So far, I'm on the fifth episode and there have been no skips whatsoever (hope I didn't just jinx it, but anyway...)

The quality of the BBC productions of Bleak House and Little Dorrit are outstanding. I can't speak for the others yet, but the BBC has a great reputation. I haven't read the books, so I can't speak to how true they are to Dickens' writings, which others have commented on.

Regardless, I'm glad I added this to my collection!

I thought I had purchased a defective set but after reading some of the reviews here I am convinced this is a poorly designed product. I cannot even describe the frustration we felt when we sat down to watch Little Dorrit and Bleak House. Every single DVD skipped and froze. It was impossible to watch. I wish I had not spent over $100 for this. My advice is not to purchase this product.

The item was damaged and all DVD's were unplayable. Seller was quick to make a refund, but I am still without my movies.

The discs are messed up, and freeze or skip, rendering the entire purchase a waste of time, as you'll absolutely end up asking for a refund. DO NOT PURCHASE. But the films are excellent, if you can find discs that play.