This charming
film is not entirely what you might expect from Armando Iannucci whose reputation
was made with dark comedic satire. Yet he has breathed life into this venerable
tale giving it a contemporary spin only inasmuch as to show how identifiable a
story it actually is. If for some reason you had no idea this was based on a
book you might think it was penned recently as there’s nothing here that smells
musty or old. Quite the contrary in fact- this adaptation is as fresh and enjoyable
as run on the Yarmouth beach which provides one of its locales. But don’t
accuse the director- who also co-writes with Simon Blackwell - of going soft as
there is always a harder edge where Dickens is concerned.
The author’s florid
style does provide a lot to work with
yet it can also leave little room for innovation without some extreme re-working,
While this film has necessarily filleted the intricately written original into bite sized
parts losing whole characters and making up new plot a yet it loses none of the
novel’s rich characterfulness and sense of hope. Transitions are delightfully
conveyed vividly with backdrops falling away, characters wandering from one
scene to another but this device never intrudes. In fact it fits in well with
the main theme of an aspiring writer –even though at first David doesn’t even
realise that is what he is. He writes down phrases and remembers people and moments
on bits of paper and there is plenty for him to write about given the army of
eccentrics he encounters. His life is as varied and subject to as many highs
and lows as many a Dickens character with good times frequently undercut by
sudden developments. Throughout David is given different nicknames and
sobriquets reflecting how he hasn’t yet found his true self. When he declares
during a crucial scene near the end “I am David Copperfield” it feels like a
big, big moment.
Given the
source material is such a dense novel this edited version means events fly by
stealthily here perhaps because Iannucci senses that the characters themselves
could be a little too larger than life for some modern viewers. Certainly they
are an expansive and loquacious bunch and to bring them to life the director
has cast without bothering much about racial origin or age; only David ages
during the film, everyone else remains exactly the same. It’s a joy then to
watch these great actors at work and a challenge which Dev Patel, who is in
almost every scene once David grows up, rises too. Watching his energetic performance
I felt he could take on any iconic role you might imagine and ace it. When he
smashes the glass factory up in a cathartic scene it could be Jesus hurling the
money lenders out of the temple. When he meets his Aunt’s family for the first
time he could be the next Doctor Who! (Wouldn’t
that be just brilliant btw!) He ably
includes some amount of arrogance that David develops and which could easily
have been lost. His David packs a modern energy which works surprisingly well
with the Victorian words he speaks and he is easily up for the challenge of
acting with a distinguished cast.
This is the
second time in two weeks I’ve seen Tilda Swinton take on a role and wholly
inhabit it, her Betsy Trotwood is prickly and prone to anger when she sees
donkeys on the lawn (well you would be wouldn’t you) and so funny. Daisy May
Cooper made me laugh the loudest though, her Peggotty is full of little asides
and looks, I probably even missed some of them. Then you’ve got Peter Capaldi
as the slippery and not as wily as he imagines he is Micawber, another master
of comic timing as he manages to make his way through life despite everything.
Benedict Wong is an absolute hoot as the alcoholic Mr Wickfield. There’s a very
funny scene where everyone is trying to avoid giving him a drink so early. Ben
Whishaw gets to inhabit the unctuous yet dangerous Uriah Heep whose barely
concealed jealousy and class rage drives him well above his station. With an
unflattering haircut and bent back Whishaw makes the character as repulsive as
he is supposed to be yet not without allowing us a little understanding. Hugh Lawrie
makes a perfect Mr Dick, the distracted and befuddled man who believes the
thoughts of the beheaded King Charles have flown into his mind. The sequence
where he and David fly a kite with all the troubled thoughts written on it is a
joyous delight.
Iannucci
heightens the moods at all times as that the upturned boat at Southend beach is
very bright and colourful while the bottle factory is impractically dark and
gloomy for a workplace. Sometimes the breezy tone does mean that events simply
tumble into view before we’ve had a chance to lap up the previous happening but
there should be much value to be had from a second watch. Iannucci himself has
suggested the actual story is “the least interesting part” of a novel he has
always cherished and he has managed the delicate trick of adapting without losing
the essence. Inevitably Dickens scholars will snipe but this is a lovely,
uplifting and extremely well performed and presented movie well worth seeing.
Its out to buy, stream and watch in various formats this week and you really
should see it.
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