A Bit of a Weak Curiosity
Nell's (Elaine Benson) grandfather (Ben Webster), a shopkeeper, has gotten himself in to financial difficulty having taking a loan to gamble with from the creepy Quilp (Hay Petrie) who despite being married asks Nell to be his next wife. Threatened by Quilp, both Nell and grandfather flee across England but find themselves being pursued by Quilp whilst also meeting some unsavoury characters on their travels. What they don't know is that they are also being looked for by the shop keeper's long lost brother who has made a fortune whilst living overseas, having left after they thought over the same woman. And now having grown old is in search for any relative he might have.
It is well known that when "The Old Curiosity Shop" was originally written and published in a series, that fans stormed the docks in America as they were desperate to know how the story ended for one particular character. I wonder if they would have felt the same way if their first encounter with Charles Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop" was this 1934 movie as whilst there are some things which stand out about it one thing which doesn't is the storyline. As such I have to say this story of Nell trying to protect her grandfather from the wicked Quilp, leading the infirm elderly gentleman across country whilst we have various people trying to catch up with him doesn't grab you. It isn't until something happens to one of the more sympathetic characters that the movie comes close to drawing you in. Of course maybe Charles Dickens' original story was much more engrossing but this 1934 movie adaptation feels stiff and has a feel about it of being a bit older than it is.
That brings me to what is one of the most noticeable aspects of this 1934 version of "The Old Curiosity Shop" and that is it feels like it was made by people who were probably more adept to making silent movies. As such we have heavy make up, acting to the camera and plenty of painful over acting, especially from Hay Petrie who makes Quilp almost a pantomime villain with his evil looks. But then there are the sets and the various locations and to be honest they are much greater than the movie probably deserves. This is simply a movie which is rich in visual detail for it's age and it is a shame that that storyline doesn't really come to life like it could have.
What this all boils down to is that this version of "The Old Curiosity Shop" certainly delivers a vintage feel with it actually coming across visually a few years older than it is. But from a storyline telling point of view it doesn't bring the characters or the story to life which unfortunately makes this feel laboured and drawn out.
