"The Pickwick Papers" (DVD) 1985 / a TV-miniseries directed by Jack Davies & Brian Lighthill

From London's narrow alleyways to the pastoral serenity of the countryside and spilling over into quaint village inns and taverns, The Pickwick Papers is the resplendent work of a young Dickens at his best. Enamored with all the trademark elements which set him among history's greatest writers, the novel follows the inimitable Samuel Pickwick, a gentleman among gentlemen, and his charming group of friends--The Pickwick Club--along on their wistful travels; the group's indelible spirit, though beset by deceitful charlatans, dubious lawmen and misadventures of the sporting kind, remaining forever optimistic.
 
Masterfully applied to the small screen is the BBC's extraordinary rendering of this classic tale starring Nigel Stock, Patrick Malahide and Phil Daniels. This is how Dickens (and all established literature) should be done: true to the author's original vision yet diversified and segmented just enough to allow the actors time to effectually "become" the characters. It could well be said that Stock, a career supporting actor, was born to play the portly Pickwick. No small task was the role either, Samuel Pickwick is one of Dickens' truly special people. Sustained by the affection of loyal friends and constancy of his dutiful servant Sam, Mr. Pickwick is a man with a heart as big as his paunch and an unwavering certainty in the inherent 'good' of every man--convictions upheld despite numerous instances of affrontery, tribulation, betrayal and disappointment.

While central to the drama is Stock's marvelous portrayal of Pickwick, it's Daniels and Malahide, servant Sam and swindler Alfred Jingle respectively, who almost steal the show in their supporting roles. Though each's on-screen time is marginal, it's effective enough to earn awestruck approval of viewers. Daniels' inhabitation of the charismatic Sam, with his cockney charm and neverending supply of clever witticisms, could effectively stand alone as an independent story while the dexterous Malahide's embodiment of the garish, artful and fast-talking Jingle is a near-majestic performance. Still as breathtaking nearly 25 years since the original broadcast, "Pickwick Papers" is a lasting indication that you scarcely need lofty production values and 'names' to create a masterpiece. (DVD PICKWICK)