Dickens: Charles Dickens - DVD

ENGLISH

Dickens: Charles Dickens (OA0877D)<br /> <br /> Anton Lesser; Timothy West; Prunella Scales; Daniel Radcliffe; Ian McKellen<br /> <br /> This comprehensive 3 DVD box set explores the life, times and work of Charles Dickens, the great Victorian author. Dickens is undoubtedly one of the great literary geniuses of all time. Yet, there is much about Dickens’ incredible life that remains unknown. His is a fascinating story; from rags to riches, complete with bankruptcy, prison, forced child labour and fame and fortune, overshadowed by guilt and secrecy. This DVD set demonstrates how much Dickens drew upon his own experiences in his fiction. The cast includes Anton Lesser, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Prunella Scales, Timothy West, Michael Elphick, Trevor Eve, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Zoë Wanamaker and Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings).<br /> <br /> DVD 1 Uncovering the real Dickens, the great authors fascinating biography presented by Peter Ackroyd.<br /> His life’s story resembles the plot of one of Dickens’ own novels. An innovative mix of<br /> documentary and dramatic reconstruction vividly recreates the author’s extraordinary life. The<br /> cast includes Anton Lesser, Prunella Scales and Timothy West. This lavish literary production<br /> sets out to blur the lines between Dickens’ fiction and his own life. (176 mins, stereo)<br /> <br /> DVD 2 The classic 1999 BBC version of David Copperfield, starring Bob Hoskins, Daniel Radcliffe,<br /> Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Zoe Wanamaker and Nicholas Lyndhurst. Three hours of very<br /> autobiographical classic drama heaven. (186 mins, stereo)<br /> <br /> DVD 3 A Christmas Carol. At Dickens’ house a group of his friends and relatives attend the telling of<br /> the classic Christmas story by the novelist himself. Anton Lesser, as Dickens, brings this classic<br /> ghost story to life in a masterly and haunting way. (97 mins, stereo)<br /> In Songs from Grope Lane the 12-year old Dickens escapes the miserable daily life and the blacking<br /> factory in a brief spell of raucous tavern entertainment. Lucy Skeaping’s ensemble performs<br /> deliciously seedy pub-songs from London in the mid 19th century. (25 mins, stereo and surround)<br /> The making of “Uncovering the Real Dickens” - a surprising look behind the scenes of this<br /> evocative production. (27 mins, stereo)<br /> <br /> "Anton Lesser made an emotionally charged, almost tremulous, Dickens, especially recreating the writer's inspirational public readings." (The Times)<br /> <br /> "Anton Lesser is the greatest Dickens interpreter around, unafraid to show the darkness in a writer too often seen as relentlessly jolly<br /> " (The Independent)