MoMA Commemorates Charles Dickens Bicentennial Beginning 12/19

The Museum of Modern Art presents Dickens on Film, December 19, 2012 through January 3, 2013 in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. Commemorating the bicentenary of Charles Dickens (British, 1812-1870), one of the world's most beloved storytellers, Dickens on Film presents a vivid selection of silent and sound films adapted from his work. Dickens's highly visual narrative style has inspired filmmakers throughout the history of cinema, and many critics and scholars believe the author's use of alternating stories, divided by chapters within a single novel, helped sow the idea of cinematic cross–cutting and the development of editing in film. 

Approximately 20 programs of mostly British and American films will be shown, including several fine versions of Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol. The exhibition opens with a lecture by Adrian Wootton, Chief Officer of Film London and a Dickens film expert, on Wednesday, December 19, at 7:00 p.m. 

The exhibition is organized by Charles Silver, Curator, and Laurence Kardish, Former Senior Curator, Department of Film.