Masterpiece Monday: The Old Curiosity Shop

So ... what did you think?

It was certainly much different from Downton, but of course that was to be expected. And it was a Dickens tale ... so it was a rather grim tale. Though I was surprised by just how grim it got ... and I must admit I'm glad the tale concluded in one night.

I'll jump into the comments a bit later on ... but I'm curious to know how you all enjoyed (or not) last night's Masterpiece Classic. And I am wondering what we are up for next week? I think it is South Riding (according to my satellite schedule) which looks very interesting! 

(But, the previews for Great Expectations looked simply fantastic!)

:)

Have a great Monday, my friends!

Comments

[Dawn]

Ok, so it's not all that clear what exactly will be on "Masterpiece" this SUnday night. I have come across a listing for Oliver Twist as well as one for South Riding. So I will have to see what I end up with on Sunday night!

I am so very glad though, to keep this conversation going ... looks like APril will be a big month of new productions to discuss, but for now let's keep chatting about what we're watching and any recommendations we can make for like-minded ladies. :D

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and suggestions, my friends! See you here bright and early Monday morning!

[bobbi @ revolution of love]

Unfortunately, our local PBS station is having fundraising for the next few weeks so I was unable to watch on Sunday. Since I don’t have the same shows as you guys are watching and since Great Expectations starts in April, I thought I would watch Masterpiece’s Bleak House to get me in the mood for Dickens and Gillian Anderson. It is one of my favorite movies/series and I haven’t watched it in awhile so I’ll be doing that on Mondays instead. If anyone cares to participate in two movie discussions or if you are stuck with fundraising too, you are more than welcome to also join me here http://revolutionoflove.stblogs.org/archives/2012/02/tv-talk-mondays.html. Then I’ll be back for Masterpiece Mondays when Great Expectations starts in April. Thanks, Dawn, for keeping the Mondays going! :-)

[Sarah]

I skipped watching it and downloaded a free copy of Great Expectations onto my kindle. I have never read it and want to before the show airs. I am really enjoying it!

[Diapeepees]

Yes, I def. think Mrs. Quilp was pregnant. And, interesting point that that was why she was running after the husband (tho. maybe it was just because he had all that money with him...and her son/daughter's inheritance.) Again, it shows how cruel he is that he didn't even care if he kept his pregnant wife up all night just to sit by him, probably to torture her, because it wasn't like he really liked her. And, how animalistic of him for him to say that he would bite her...I didn't exactly expect that to come out of his mouth...Also, I kept thinking that his mother -in-law may really have been some shifty character as well...maybe she was in debt and offered her daughter to him...how else would they have come together?

[EK White]

Well, after missing out on Downton Abbey (have to rent it!) I made sure to record The Old Curiosity Shop.

I, too, think that Mrs. Quilp might have been pregnant and that may be why she was so desperate to hold on to her husband. How he gave me the creeps! I was reminded of King Denethor in Lord of the Rings and the way he ate while Pippin sang. While it was such a dreary story, I really enjoyed it. I haven't read the book, but I will be putting it on my list, since I understand that there is quite a difference, especially with the ending (though little Nell still passes). Parts of the movie felt a tad rushed, but I guess that couldn't be helped.

I enjoyed seeing "Grandfather" (Gracchus from Gladiator), Mr. Quilp (Dobby from HP - had to look that one up!), Mrs. Jarley (Madame Hooch, HP, as mentioned), and Mr. Brass (Mr. Teevee from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

Next Sunday our station is showing Oliver Twist (in two parts - Sunday and Monday nights). I agree that Great Expectations looks fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to South Riding as well!

[Lisa Taylor]

I'm looking forward to South Riding - something different and new (to me at least!).
Dickens' stories were serials so he did like to add in those cliffhangers and sub plots galore! (How many here have read Pickwick Papers? It's one long continuation of subplots! ) But I've read a lot of Dickens to my boys and we all enjoy his work.
As for Great Expectations, it will be interesting to see yet another interpretation of it - though from the previews I'm wondering if the lady who plays Miss Havisham doesn't look a bit young. Of course, what's considered young in our day and Dickens isn't exactly the same thing :-)

[Jennifer N]

My PBS station was also fundraising again, and so it showed some folk tunes show instead of
The Old Curiosity Shop. But my husband found the same PBS version on line at Youtube, so I was able to watch it, anyway.

It looks like my local station has their own agenda for the coming weeks and won't be showing any Masterpiece, except at odd times like 3 AM Wednesdays. I will be at the mercy of Amazon Prime streaming and Youtube to find the correct versions.

I'm sad about this. It's always something...

[Chris]

Hmm. My PBS Station did not show The Old Curiosity Shop. Rather, it aired a new version of "Upstairs Downstairs". I DVR'd it, so haven't watched it yet. Still trying to figure out when they'll show Old Curiosity Shop.

[Lindsey]

We were not able to watch - our local PBS is doing their fundraising now and it was not on last night. There were other programs on :(

[Tracy]

I was very upset that I had to miss our first Masterpiece Monday because my husband was using both DVR tuners but after reading the comments I think that was a good thing. I've been feeling weepy lately so this was most likely not a good show for me. We will be working something out with DVR usage for next week, however.

[Susannah]

Without television, we actually pulled out our small set and watched My Fair Lady. I thought I'd catch this later to see if they release it on DVD, since I recall the book. It was actually a pretty good book and very accurate! (And guess what, with copyrights the way they are... it is available free online http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/dickens/etexts/dickens/novels/ocs.pdf !) I admit I'm more of an Electronic Reader between trips to the library! :]

[Jennifer N]

This was a big change from last week, to be sure. It's sad to think about life being so awfully grim in those days. I try to like Dickens, but I'm afraid this tale did not spur me on to want more...

[Arlene Grimm]

Good points Diapeepees!! Back in that time, there were few happy endings. We have been spoiled by our modern conveniences and our relatively easy lives for sure!! My own grandmother lost two little toddlers to diptheria...I cannot imagine her pain that it happened not once but twice and this was in the late 30s and mid 40s. Times have changed so much! I do think I might have to read the book to get the total story that Mr Dickens was trying to tell. Loving Masterpiece Monday by the way!

[Diapeepees]

What is interesting about this story was how Dickens doesn't try and make a happy ending...we're so used to that, it is a bit of a shock when someone who we think will prevail actually dies (Nell). We also expect all the characters to have redeeming sides, but Quilt really doesn't...even when his wife begs for just a shred of something at the end...I kept thinking maybe some soft side would be revealed, despite his tendency to eat shells of all kinds. The grandfather, also, was much creepier than we would have liked him to be...there were slight moments of kindness, but overall, he seemed so much weaker than I might expect...Life's not fair, is the message, quite clearly...good doesn't always get rewarded (Nell, Mrs Quilt--unless you take her husband's death as her reward) and some people are just plain bad.

[Dawn]

Oh, I thought she looked familiar! Good eye, Arlene. That's one of the things I really enjoy about British programming - all the familiar faces that pop up!

And, lol, the only reason I knew the villain's real name is because we use closed-captioning when we watch!

:D

[Arlene Grimm]

I had to come back and see what you thought of The Old Curiosity Shop Dawn! I agree...the idyllic scene at the end left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe the book explains it better. Thanks for the correct name for the villian..I thought they were saying Quill. And like you, I was surprised at his wife's love(?) for him. Another story line that might be better explained in the book. So am I going to have to read this book??? And I do think this film captured the despair that many lived in during this time in history. The poor house was also a mentioned in a Christmas Carol. I remember the scene of the young couple living with their children on the streets and trying to avoid the poor house. After seeing the depiction of it last night, I can see that I would take my chances on the street as well. Did you notice the Waxworks lady was from Harry Potter(Professor Hooch...she taught them to fly in the first Harry Potter movie!

[Dawn]

Arlene - yes, it did feel just like Knockturn Alley! Very dark and dreary ... Bill and I kept thinking, what a miserable time to live.

And I agree about the grandfather - I was SO upset with him, through the whole thing, but especially at the end. How he didn't fess up to being the reason she died I don't know. And then at the end ... he just got his shop up and running and has no more problems with his addiction?

And I was also wondering what was up with Quilp's wife ... how on earth did she feel love and concern for this man? She was obviously miserable and abused ... was she pregnant? But at the end she chased after him, all distraught and appealing to him to feel love? So odd. I felt I missed the point with that part.

I have to say, as dark and depressing as the show was - it did seem to truly capture that time. And as usual, I liked observing the costumes and scenery.

(Did anyone else recognize Quilp's mother in law as one of the ladies from "Enchanted April?")

[Arlene Grimm]

I think South Riding has been on before and I gave up on it after about two episodes but I will perservere this time for the sake of Masterpiece Monday!!:)

[Arlene Grimm]

Ok....what a difference from Downton Abbey. So dark and depressing...the scenery reminded me of Knockturn Alley from Harry Potter! I kept hoping it would get better but really to have Poor Nell die just as her father got there. Then the grandfather sat there all holier than thou talking to Nell as she was dying. Did I miss something? His gambling led to this poor girl's demise!! Oh well, I do know that many of Dickens stories appeared as serials in newspapers so I guess he wrote things like this to keep everyone in suspense. I was glad when Mr Quill met his watery end. Looking forward to hearing the thoughts of everyone else.