Little Dorrit

A.W. Sandberg, 1924, 131 min
Amy Dorrit – nicknamed Little Dorrit – was born in Marshalsea debtors prison, where her father has been incarcerated for a minor debt for the last 23 years. She lives with him in the prison at night, while going out to work as a seamstress during the day, for the unpleasant Mrs. Clennam. One day, Mrs. Clennam’s son, Arthur, returns home after spending years abroad, and falls head over heels in love with Amy. He marvels over the fact that his reserved mother has taken the girl under her wing, and senses a connection between Mr. Dorrit’s lengthy prison sentence and his own parents. He soon discovers that the shadow of the prison extends far beyond its walls, intervening in the lives of many, including the rent collector Pancks, the successful financier Mr. Merdle and the bureaucrats of the Circumlocution Office.

The work is a film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous 1857 novel of the same name. Film director A.W. Sandberg truly made a name for himself through Nordisk Film with his large-scale film adaptations of Dickens’ works, including ‘Our Mutual Friend’, ‘David Copperfield’ and ‘Great Expectations’. The set designs for these films were created by Carlo Jacobsen.

The film has Danish, reconstructed intertitles and English subtitles.