Nicholas Nickleby

A cracking cast, mixing established British actors and a group of attractive young performers (including a stand-out, scene-stealing turn from Jamie Bell as the tragic Smike), is just one of the notable things about this fine British cinema adaptation of Dickens' rollicking comic odyssey. American writer-director Douglas McGrath does a very good job of elegantly compressing the picaresque tale, retaining its warmth and humour, while making the most of its beautifully shot summer locations.