David Copperfield Review

 

Here we have a new adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, David Copperfield to deal with… as if it hadn’t been done to death already in innumerable other versions. This one comes to us from Armando Iannucci, so that means one thing - a heavy emphasis on comedy.

The film begins in a theatre where David (Dev Patel) emerges and recites the novel’s opening lines. Then he starts to tell the familiar story of his enjoyable early years with his mother and nurse (Daisy May Cooper and Morfydd Clark - who also plays his wife later in the film). But then in comes an evil stepfather (Darren Boyd) who sends him away. As he grows up he crosses paths with his aunt (Tilda Swinton); a gentleman called Steerforth (Aneurin Barnard) whom he eventually calls his friend; an eccentric old man (Hugh Laurie) who lives with his aunt; the good-natured but impecunious Micawber (Peter Capaldi); and an ambitious but untrustworthy lawyer called Uriah Heep (Ben Whishaw). Copperfield has many interactions with them and inevitably sets on a path to become a novelist.

I know I should be pleased to see a cast like this, but to my disappointment no one gives a fully satisfying performance. It’s evident that they all understand the characters they play but they fail to engage us emotionally. I was especially disappointed with the waste of the talents of Capaldi and Laurie: the former rushes through his dialogue and occasionally shouts and bulges his eyes for no apparent reason, and the latter just sits going through the motions doing nothing memorable apart from just being there. The part of Uriah Heep ought to have great potential but Whishaw fails to make any impact.

Despite being very humorous, the script (by the director and Simon Blackwell) manages to be surprisingly faithful to the source material. Most of the pivotal scenes (apart from David’s schooldays) are retained, and essential character traits stay the same. However, the whole film is overloaded with humour that after a while becomes excessive – even undermining the dramatic moments. And was there any need for the donkey-kicking scenes?  

One positive thing I can say about this film is that it does have the look of a lavish period drama and appears appropriately cinematic. But even with all the humour at its disposal, the film feels incredibly long, dragging especially in the middle. Also, there’s one very dark scene in a rundown part of London that feels very much at odds with the light-hearted tone of the rest of the film.

I can respect Iannucci for his ambition, but given the results here, I would caution other directors who might wish to follow in his footsteps in making comedic adaptations of classic novels that weren’t originally envisioned as such.

Thank you for reading.