Starring: Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, Aneurin Barnard, Peter Capaldi, Darren Boyd, Tilda Swinton, Morfydd Clark, Jairaj Varsani, Ben Whishaw
Distributor: Roadshow Films
Runtime: 119 mins. Reviewed in Jul 2020
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This American-British Film, directed by the Italian Director, Armando Iannucci, is a comedy-drama based on the 1850 Victorian novel, “David Copperfield” written by Charles Dickens, whose novel revealed truths about his own life.
The film has won Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Laurie), Best Screenplay, Best Casting, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design at the British Independent Film Awards in 2019. Iannucci was the Director of the comically satirical movie, “The Death of Stalin” (2017).
A young David Copperfield (Jairaj Varsani) moves in with his widowed mother (Morfydd Clark), who marries the cruel and harsh Mr. Edward Murdstone (Darren Boyd), who beats David Copperfield unmercifully to punish him. David is sent to work in Edward’s bottling factory, and is shipped off to London to acquire what his stepfather decrees as a good education through a life experience of what he “needs”. In London, David takes up lodging with a penniless Mr Micawber (Peter Capaldi), who always sees what is good in life.
Following the death of his mother, David (Dev Patel) runs away and finds solace with his wealthy, long-lost aunt, Betsey Trotwood (Tilda Swinton), and her lodger, Mr Dick (Hugh Laurie). Mr Dick is obsessed that King Charles 1 is ruining his life and is haunted by the sadness that his obsession brings. Laurie’s comic performance as Mr Dick is a special feature of the movie.
After experiencing Uriah Heep (Ben Whishaw), “who hovers like a vulture”, and the insecure and attention-grabbing James Steerforth (Aneurin Barnard), who comes to be his friend, David especially values the comfort that his aunt Betsey brings him. Aunt Betsey finances his goal to become a gentleman-author.
Dicken’s novel was about a boy who journeyed from poverty to find fame in nineteenth century Victorian England as an educated gentleman of literary worth, and Armando Ianucci’s interpretation of Dickens’ work brings an element of zaniness to what happens, rather than supplying a focus on events that herald dark foreboding. This establishes an intriguing context for comedy, which Iannucci exploits intelligently. The film’s comic tone de-emphasises the pathos, melodrama and sadness that Dickens communicated so well in characters like the optimistic Mr Micawber, the deluded Mr Dick, and the unscrupulous Uriah Heep.
The film’s cinematography and production design are in good harmony with the period interpretation of the dramatic events that unfold. The film places fast-moving interpretations of Dickens’ novel before the viewer, and Patel as David Copperfield narrates. Patel leads us through what happens in his acting, rather than being a consistently integrated part of a developing story-line. The film starts and ends by having him on a theatre stage telling stories about Copperfield’s life. When the film commences, Ianucci inventively has Patel beginning the narrative and then Copperfield is injected physically into the images projected onto the back of the theatre stage.
The film turns Dicken’s 883-page novel into a 119 min movie and some of the eccentric nature of Dickens’s character-creations is necessarily lost. Iannucci, with the help of an ethnically diverse cast, humorously translates Dickens in a modern way that amuses, rather than enthrals. The result is a gentler version of “David Copperfield” than Dickens’ presumably intended, and the film doesn’t dwell excessively on sinister places.
This movie is an unorthodox interpretation of Dickens’ work. Dickens’ work has been revisited to deliver a humorous, stylish film that engenders delight, not bite, about David Copperfield, what happens to him, the people in his life, and his various mis-adventures.
Peter W. Sheehan is Associate of the Australian Office for Film and Broadcasting
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