The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Dickens' final, tantalisingly unfinished novel, as adapted and directed by Forder, and filmed on a shoestring around the environs of Rochester Cathedral, hasn't supplied a particularly apt or satisfying development (in fact, there's a touch of Hammer about the finale). Too many scenes simply wobble about without registering much of pith or moment, and the absence of editing skills compounds the air of amateurism. The pity is that the central character of choirmaster John Jasper, who may or may not have done away with his eponymous nephew, is given great, brooding weight by Powell. Most Dickensian of all is Freddie Jones as local dignitary Mr Sapsea, a man both orotund and snuff-taking; while Finty Williams as Rosa presents the usual pale purity that Dickensian men pine after.