Two thumbs up for Andrew Davies "Little Dorrit".
Excellent story line, great plot, and a superb cast.
In my opinion, this is the best Dickens movie made to date.

I will add more later...

An amazing screenplay, insightfully directed and overflowing with performances unrivaled in such a long miniseries. There is no character so minor that you do not light up when they are on screen. The screenplay is not overwritten allowing for so much to be communicated with looks and emotion. The lighting is wonderfully sculpted (sometimes subtle and sometimes dramatic but always complimentary to the emotion) and the art design is rich and engaging. BUT it's the performances that keep me coming back to the world of Little Dorrit. If young John Chivery (played brilliantly by Russell Tovey) cannot bring you to tears, you have no heart.

If you loved it on Masterpiece but wished for more, the DVD is for you. There are many extended scenes and small scenes that were cut in the PBS broadcast that help to further enrich the story. One, like myself, longs for long and detailed "making of" extras for such a production as this but it is not to be found on the DVD. However, there is a decent "making of" featurette that I was happy to devour. Noticeably absent, however, were any interviews with Eddie Marsan (who played Pancks). I would have loved to hear him talk about his character. The Photo gallery was a complete waste

If you loved Little Dorrit on PBS you cannot live without the DVD. An amazing production of a timely and deeply moving story!

We really enjoyed the production, until the end of the story. The attempt to pull the plot together, to explain all the secrets and relationships, failed. As Mrs. Clennam and the Frenchman went back and forth with revelations of the past, the whole thing got confused. We watched and rewatched it and still couldn't figure out why Little Dorrit and Arthur were connected. The director dropped the ball and left us wondering what the whole story was all about.

This movie is a great movie. Andrew Davies is truly a great screen writer. Claire Foy, Matthew McFayden, Tom Courteney, Judy Parfitt (the actress that played the part of Mrs. Clennam), Andy Serkis (the actor that played the part of Rigaud), and the other cast members performed very well. It is a movie worth watching.

It seems screenwriter Andrew Davies just has a knack for adapting major literature masterpieces onto the screen with great detail and spirit. Little Dorrit is one more success he can claim... Of course it is not just a superb screenplay that makes a mini-series adaptation a success... It takes great acting, and we have it on display from all cast members here. I am not a Matthew Macfadyen fan, and I disliked his Pride and Prejudice perfomance as Darcy to no end... that said, I like him plenty in his role here as Arthur Clennam! Claire Foy makes a great debut as the title character, and the supporting cast is all top notch. BBC tends to excel at adapting the classics, and this one sits right below Pride and Prejudice (1995) and I Claudius as one of the best... Pretty good company in my opinion!