In his 4-star review, Roger Ebert wrote that he felt the movie might be better experienced seeing it in one day, with a break for lunch in between (read his review here).
Part 1 is very enjoyable, as we are introduced to a kind man named Mr. Stammers (Derek Jacobi) who returns to his hometown after 20 years of being overseas. He gets reacquainted with a certain family member who has a connection to a mysterious house servant, Amy Dorritt. Stammers spends the entire half of the movie learning about the mystery behind Dorritt and building a name for himself in the community as a businessman and investor.
Part 2 was even better than the first half. The entire second half was told from Amy Dorrit's point of view, and we learn much more about her relationship with her father, splendidly played by Alec Guiness.
I haven't ever read the book, but I understand the story was adapted into a 6 part mini-series starring Tom Courtenay as father Dorritt, which would make for a great watch one day.
It would be nice if this 1988 movie were ever to be released on DVD.
I was curious to see how the film performed at the box office back in 1988, so I checked IMDB and to my surprise it grossed over $1 million. When the movie played at art house theaters in 1988, many theaters charged a separate admission for each 3-hour installment.
