A new film based on the novel by Charles Dickens.
A beloved novel by master storyteller Charles Dickens is always a solid basis for an adaptation, as has been shown plenty of times. Most of his novels are not, however, as hilarious as The Personal History of David Copperfield, and therefore this film is very different from adaptations such as Great Expectations. It's the coming-of-age story of young David Copperfield, who experiences various living situations from poverty and wealth, all set in Victorian England.
The plot of the film is similar to that of the novel, and told in a chronological fashion, with the frame story of a grown David Copperfield telling his life's story. A few plot departures or simplifications are well carried out, as it is certainly impossible to fit an entire Victorian novel into a digestible film of normal cinema length. Without going into plot details for anybody who has not read the novel, it is as the film's tag line says a story of a journey from "from rags to riches...and back again". With topics such as the difficult life of orphans and poverty in general, which Dickens also discusses in some of his other novels such as Oliver Twist, this novel deals with important topics at the heart of society - then and now.
But beside some criticism of society and some people who abuse the system, this film focuses mainly on the eccentric and lovely set of characters, which are the heart of this story. In all phases of his adventurous life, David meets interesting people who shape his life - not only his mother and their maid Peggotty, but later on also his strict stepfather, his kind but unusual aunt and her relative Mr. Dick, his landlord Mr. Micawber and some friends he makes at work and at school. In this film adaptation, they are all shown in all their wonderful eccentricities and played by an ensemble cast of great actors such as Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Wishaw and many more.
Besides the charming unusual characters, there are also some unusual elements to this film that make it more controversial. This starts with the casting of Dev Patel as David Copperfield, and an overall colourblind casting. This is already very normal on London stages, but not equally common on screen - another recent example being Mary Queen of Scots. Some viewers have seen this as strange and distracting, because it is sometimes not quite possible to have blood relatives with very different skin tones. Especially in historical films, this might be more unusual because society in Victorian England had a very different ethnic mixture than London nowadays; but I find it to be an interesting concept, and the actors are all very well cast based on their talent and performance.
Overall, this is an entertaining comedy, focusing more on the humorous aspects of David Copperfield's life, while also managing to show some serious sides and including some touching moments. Not only for fans of Charles Dickens.
(Note: this film has already been shown in the UK shortly before the pandemic, but has only been released more widely elsewhere now. )
(Images: IMDB)