Customer Reviews

Dombey and Son

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

 

 

In some ways, "Dombey and Son" is Dickens' saddest novel. It's a story about a father who, through his infatuation with his own image, irrevocably loses both his children, and then realizes too late the value of what he has lost.

Around such a wrenching theme Dickens wrote a remarkably buoyant and lively story, with sharp contrasts of darkness and brightness, piquant characterizations (and caricatures) and humor. I'd been wishing and hoping that there was a dramatization of this novel out there, and was delighted to find this version.

**SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW**

In 10 episodes, this production unfurls the story with great faithfulness to the book. When one has read the novel beforehand, one pictures characters and scenes, and it sometimes is tough for a production to live up to one's expectations. However, as I waited for favorite characters to appear, I was again and again exclaiming, "He's wonderful!" (of Captain Cuttle) or "She's marvelous!" (of Mrs. Pipchin.) It was like opening a Christmas present and finding something you wished for. They looked exactly as I'd pictured them, both in looks and manner--not a bit watered-down, nor smoothed out as Hollywood productions often make them.

It's difficult to warm to Mr. Dombey as a character, so I can't hold it against Julian Glover that he comes across as stiff and dry. He does an excellent job of conveying a sort of dormant animosity toward his hapless daughter, Florence, which makes its occasional expression all the more jarring (as when he refers to his son Paul as his "only child".) Lysette Anthony is sweet and warm as Florence, the daughter whom he cannot love but instead regards as a rival for his son's affection. One of the challenges of the story (as in many of Dickens' stories) is how to handle mawkish Victorian sentimentality. This dramatization treats these risky scenes sparely and believably--without at all injecting anachronistic attitudes or behavior. For instance, a modern reader often gets impatient with how much mistreatment Florence puts up with before she finally turns her back on her father and leaves home. Here, her devotion and longing for affection is always felt, but she doesn't act like a doormat--and when the final blow comes, she is out of there.

Most of the color comes from the sideline characters: Captain Cuttle, Miss Tox (a deliciously & delicately eccentric portrayal), the blue-faced Major Bagstock, Mrs. "Cleopatra" Skewton, the sweetly vacant Mr. Toots, and gravelly Mr. Toodles.

My favorite was Zelah Clarke's aptly-named Susan Nipper, the short-tempered but good-hearted nurse/companion of Florence. I think this production is worth seeing on the strength of her performance alone.

And of course, Walter Gay. Too bad he's offstage for most of this story.

If the 10th episode had been equal to the other 9, I would have given this DVD 5 stars. However, at the very end, everything so carefully built up is hastily and anticlimactically ended. I was disappointed. It was so abrupt that if it hadn't been followed by the credits, I could not have believed that it was over. It has the appearance of a desperate hurry to wrap things up. They probably needed an 11th episode to allow the viewer to adjust to the new overturned state of things, and develop Dombey in his humbled state. This is the crux of the novel, and it was just dashed through. It would not be so disturbing if the preceding 9 episodes hadn't been so good.

Another disappointment is the absence of the whole sidestory of James Carker/John Carker/Harriet Carker/Alice Brown, which gives depth and explanation to James Carker's villainy. There is a theme of doubles and mirror images in "Dombey and Son" which was lost by the omission of these characters--John Carker, the repentant embezzler vs. James Carker, the arrogant self-righteous manager, who is ruining the company in a much worse way; the artificial old lady Mrs. Skewton vs. the witch-like Mrs. Brown, both mothers; and their exploited daughters, the proud, well-bred purchased bride, Edith vs. the bitter prostitute, Alice. And Alice's role in the final downfall of James Carker contributes one of the most icy and memorable scenes in the book. This might have taken a few more episodes to include, but it would have been worth it, to make this grand production an absolute masterpiece.

Nevertheless, if you love Dickens, you must see this production. It is rewarding in many ways. You will find jewels of enjoyment here.

Maybe it's a nostalgia trip but I've been waiting for these series to be released on DVD for a long time. In the 70's and 80's these multi-part adaptations used to be shown on TV here in the UK on a Sunday afternoon, around tea-time as we say, and as soon as VCR's became affordable I would record these and watch them again and again. For some reason I can't remember, I didn't manage to get all of Dombey & Son so this DVD release is a special moment for me - indeed 20 years since I've seen the whole series. No big budget, no CGI, just the pinnacle of quality for acting, screenplay and production values; don't hesitate to buy if you like Victorian literature. PS, also recommended, Bleak House, Jane Eyre, Pickwick Papers, The Brontes of Haworth, Tennant of Wildfell Hall, etc.

If you like Dickens' books you will certainly appreciate this TV version with its authentic recreation of Victorian times. This 1983 BBC miniseries was created with a limited budget, but it is well worth watching. Will Dombey find an heir to his business after his son tragically dies since the family inheritance is so important? He is a strange fellow locked in his own status, something which the elite valued so highly at that time.

The DVD is double sided and includes the entire miniseries of almost five hours in length. It is really a bargain for the amount of material it contains. The only thing these BBC series don't have is the more elaborate sets of the Dickens' big screen movies made over the years. But with the fine characters and actors who played them, the programs had a standard of high quality. And being divided into episodes adding up to longer time in total than the films, they offered much more of the books' original stories.

"Dombey and Son" is about a relationship between a father and a daughter. Mr.Dombey has predestined his son to become his coworker in his business. Over the years, Mr. Dombey's son gets all the attention and his daughter (Florence) gets none. This is very intriguing story about relationships and how they can be either broken or sustained. One small draw back from the film is the character of Mr. Dombey. I have not read the book, so I don't know if the book is equally vague sometimes on the character's past and motives. While watching the film, I really enjoyed the wonderful acting and the cinematography which really enhanced the sub-dialogue in Dickens tale.

This version of Dombey & Son is excellent. Even though a few important elements of the story were not addressed, I think someone who is viewing the video without having read the book could pick up the most important points in the story and enjoy it. The actors chosen for most of the characters were very well suited, especially Dombey, Florence and Captain Cuttle. Dickens creates characters like no other author. I recommend this to people who enjoy stories of the old days and who just enjoy a great story!

This is a jewel except for the ending. Should of been more complete. Leaves you wondering where the final chapter was -- and there isn't one.

I've enjoyed each and every piece of Charles Dickens I can get my hands on. I enjoyed Donbey and Son too, but was this really the ending? I think not. It couldn't be. Throughout the whole thing I was waiting, looking forward to the time when Dombey and Daughter came about. Well, it did, but not like I thought.

The acting was excellent and the characters marvelous, as always. This was not the way I wanted it to end though. It was a pleasant enough ending, with good winning out over evil, which is always what I'm rooting for in a plot, but HOW it won out was not what I expected. I wanted more.

This is not my favorite Charles Dickens novel/movie/DVD, but I'm glad I now know what Dombey and Son is all about, in case it ever comes up in conversation with people who talk about these things at parties.

Having not read the book yet, I enjoyed this movie. Dickens is a master. I discovered that it was filmed in the 80's and I hope that it is redone by Andrew Davies. Anyone having seen the early version of Bleak House and then the version done by Andrew Davies, will understand what I mean. Same story, huge difference in production values and acting.

This is the worst adaptation of literature for TV that I have seen, and I have seen many. The acting is comical, when it is not wooden (Mr. Domby). It seems more like a high school play that was filmed by a parent than it does any kind of decent TV production. And it goes on for 10 episodes like that. The end is so simplistically trite that I felt cheated after putting in so much time watching the rest of the story.