Charles Dickens
One of the most popular writers of the 19th Century, Charles Dickens was a major celebrity in his own lifetime. He published many of his novels in serial form and wanted his writing to reflect and be accessible to all classes. Readers would eagerly anticipate the next instalment in the lives of young Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Little Dorritt and the scores of other lively characters inhabiting his stories. Many of his works have been translated to the big screen and gathered below is Alice's collection of adaptations from one of the greatest storytellers of all time.
"Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest." - Charles Dickens
David Copperfield / Jane Eyre (1970)
Director: Daniel Mann
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans, Ron Moody, Richard Attenborough...
'David Copperfield' (1970): Delbert Mann's adaptation of the Dickens classic stars much of the royalty of the British 20th Century stage. Framed in fl... Read more
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
5.8/10
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Emma Stone, Breckin Meyer...
Unabashed womaniser, Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey), proves to be a real buzzkill on the eve of his brother's nuptials. That night he is visited by... Read more
Great Expectations (1946)
7.9/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Bernard Miles, Alec Guinness, Martita Hunt, Jean Sim...
One of the great translations of literature into film, David Lean's "Great Expectations" brings Charles Dickens's masterpiece to robust on-screen life... Read more
Great Expectations (1997)
6.8/10
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft, Robert De Niro
This modern, stylish remake of the Dickens classic is set in the New York City art world. Ethan Hawke is the misunderstood artist wooing rich girl Gwy... Read more
Great Expectations (2012)
6.4/10
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Gr...
Young orphan Pip finds his life changed forever soon after encountering and lending assistance to escaped convict Magwitch (Ralph Fiennes) on the mars... Read more
Great Expectations ( Blu-ray ) (1946)
7.9/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Alec Guinness, Bernard Miles, Jean Simmons, John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Martita...
One of the great translations of literature into film, David Lean's "Great Expectations" brings Charles Dickens's masterpiece to robust on-screen life... Read more
Great Expectations (BBC) (2011)
6.8/10
Director: Brian Kirk
Starring: David Suchet, Gillian Anderson, Ray Winstone, Douglas Booth
In 19th-century England, a tenacious orphan named Pip is rescued from a life of squalor by a mysterious patron. Years later, an adult Pip learns his s... Read more
Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The (2000)
Director: Stephen Whittaker
Starring: Charles Dance, James D'Arcy, Pam Ferris, Gregor Fisher
From Charles Dickens' classic novel: The death of their father has thrown the Nickleby family into chaos. They are forced to beg for protection from M... Read more
Little Dorrit (1988)
8.3/10
Director: Christine Edzard
Starring: Alec Guinness, Bill Fraser, Cyril Cusack, Derek Jacobi, Eleanor Bron, Joan Green...
Christine Edzard's film is a brilliant reworking of the Charles Dickens classic in two parts. The first part ("Nobody's Fault") is told from Arthur Cl... Read more
Little Dorrit (2008)
8.3/10
Director: Diarmuid Lawrence, Dearbhla Walsh, Adam Smith
Starring: Bill Paterson, Judy Parfitt, Tom Courtenay, Andy Serkis, James Fleet, Alun Armst...
Scandalous secrets, strangling bureaucracy, and crippling debts collide in this compelling adaptation of Charles Dickens' weighty novel, which debuted... Read more