Product Details

• Actors: Natalie Ogle, Trevor Peacock, Granville Saxton, Sebastian Shaw, Christopher Fairbank
• Format: Color, Content/Copy-Protected CD, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Koch Vision
• DVD Release Date: April 4, 2006
• Run Time: 270 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000E3L7JQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,641 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Old Curiosity Shop" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Thirteen year-old Nell Trent lives with her ailing grandfather (Sebastian Shaw) in a run down London antiques shop, unaware that her grandfather has a ruinous gambling addiction that has left them nearly penniless.

To feed his addiction, Nell’s grandfather has been borrowing money under false pretenses from Daniel Quilp (Trevor Peacock), a deformed and vicious local businessman with dishonorable intentions towards Little Nell. When Quilp discovers where his money has gone, he wants it back – and Nell with it. Desperate and penniless, Little Nell and her grandfather flee, wandering the countryside in a frantic attempt to stay one step ahead of Quilp in a tragic and heartbreaking journey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old school version still the best of them all..., April 2, 2009

By 

40 Something Pop Pundit (LaLaLand, SoCal) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Old Curiosity Shop (DVD)

This offbeat Victorian tale of a mad half pint shylock and his stalked shopkeeper debt victims grows on you despite the popularity of more epic Dickens novels set in worldly locales. And for big drama translated to small screens, there is no overplaying in Boz's whimsical realm. Most every character must be played to the hilt to do justice to the original prose. So much so that good support helps the black hat wear the show.

For a beloved yet overlooked classic, there are several adaptions of this and counting, another one out due this summer. All of them collectable to see who does the best job of portraying the dastardly Quilp. Look no further. Master Trevor Peacock even has the gait down. Moreover, no other version ever captured the picaresque combination of melodramatic dread, serial comedy and forlorn heartbreak like this early BBC effort.

The only subtle touch it is missing is a narrative host intro like when it was first aired on PBS. And the only other actor who can compare with Peacock's scene chewing stealth was the spot on fellow who portrayed Sam Brass in the Ustinov version. In a day and age where we're all potential victims of debt without the prison, there's a lot of plot to hit home and entertain us here. And it's more old world real than new reality TV.

This miniseries was must see TV for high school English lit way back when. It retains a lot of the colorful character atmosphere of classic Dickens, is literally faithful (almost word for word) and not without comic relief in the worst laid plans of Quilp. Critics who fail to see that the main antagonist was the funniest of all Dickens miser villains and not a garden variety scoundrel, misread a comi-tragic masterpiece.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best adaptation of "Old Curiosity Shop" (1979), July 18, 2010

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Deaux (Wake Forest, NC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Old Curiosity Shop (DVD)

I have seen two other versions of this Dickens tale--one version starring Ustinov, the other Jacobi, and they both suffer in comparison to this (1979 BBC production.) Even though is was filmed in 1979 I was surprised to see how well it held up, and the transfer to DVD by Koch is excellent.

The acting was superb, and Little Nell looked as if Dickens had chosen her himself. Mr. Quilp looked perfectly evil, and comedic at the same time.

You won't be sorry if you buy this version.

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Old Shop of Curiosity ... Julian Amyes (2006) ... Koch Vision", October 20, 2006

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Old Curiosity Shop (DVD)

Koch Vision and BBC present "The Old Curiosity Shop" (1979) - Julian Aymes (270 mins/Color) (Dolby Digital) --- Under Julian Amyes (Director), Barry Letts (Producer), Charles Dickens (Book Author), William Trevor (Dramatised by), Carl Davis (Composer of Music) ----- the cast includes Natalie Ogle (Little Nell), Sebastian Shaw (Grandfather), Trevor Peacock (Daniel Quilip), Granville Saxton (Dick Swiveller), Annabelle Lanyon (Small Servant),Colin Jeavons (Sampson Brass), Freda Dowie (Sally Brass), Wensley Pithey (Single Gentleman), Brian Oulton (Schoolmaster), Chris Fairbank (Kit Nubbles), Patsy Byrne (Mrs Nubbles), Sandra Payne (Mrs Quilip), Laurence hardy (Mr. Witherden), Donald Bisset (Mr Garland), Keith Hazemore (Abel Garland), Patrick Carter (Turnkey), Max Latimer (Policeman), Derek Chafer (Policeman), Ronald Markham (Doctor), Simon Garstang (Little Jacob) ----- The Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by Charles Dickens, the plot follows the life of Little Nell and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London ... which Dickens published in his short-lived weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock, as The Old Curiosity Shop was printed in 1841 --- our story tells of Little Nell, a beautiful and virtuous young girl who lives with her grandfather in his shop of curiosities --- Nell's grandfather loves her dearly, and she never complains --- without friends of her own age she is always lonely except for her friend Kit, who works at the shop and whom she is teaching to write --- meanwhile her grandfather is attempting to make Nell a good inheritance by winning at cards --- borrowing heavily from the evil Quilp (a dwarf) Nell's grandfather gambles away what little money they own --- thus Quilp seizes the opportunity to take possession of the shop and make Nell and her grandfather's lives a misery --- what can be done, will her grandfather suffer a breakdown lose his wits --- what is Nell to do, escape may be the only answer running away to live as beggar around the countryside --- what will become of Nell, only the following chapters of this Dickens mini series will tell.

Great job by Koch Vision for releasing "The Old Curiosity Shop" (1979) - Julian Aymes, the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the BBC mini-series film market...order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch drama mixed with an outstanding cast and director --- just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 270 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV6352 ~ (4/04/2006)