by Josh Sewell
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| Courtesy of Fox Searchlight |
The latest from writer-director Armando Iannucci, best known for The Thick of It, In theLoop and Veep, is a surprising departure from those sharp, foul-mouthed political satires. With The Personal History of David Copperfield, he and co-writer Simon Blackwell imbue one of Charles Dickens’ most beloved – and most adapted – works with their own unique brand of inventive, witty storytelling. Rather than yet another retread of something we’ve seen a hundred times before, they make the familiar narrative feel fresh and relevant for the modern era.
For those who made it through high school or college without having to read Dickens’ classic novel David Copperfield (first published as a serial from May 1849 through November 1850), it’s a tragicomic tale, episodic in nature, full of memorable characters and clever dialogue. Set in Victorian England, we meet the titular character when he is a young boy who is sent away after his mother remarries a cruel, wealthy man. After this heartbreaking origin, we follow him through many adventures on his way to becoming a burgeoning writer, as he makes his fortune and loses it again, forging important relationships along the way.
Admittedly, I knew nothing about Iannucci’s version before screening it, which is a rare situation in my line of work. In fact, I hadn’t even watched a trailer. As a result, I was expecting yet another stuffy, by-the-numbers retelling, full of British people in top hats and corsets. I was right about the second half of that sentence (after all, consider the setting and time period), but I was happily, gloriously wrong about the first half.
Iannucci and Blackwell take a story that students everywhere frequently dismiss as old-fashioned or boring and retell it in a way that helps contemporary audiences understand why it was so beloved in the first place. Step one is incorporating beautiful cinematography (courtesy of Zac Nicholson), a vivid color palette and creative visual flourishes that make the story feel current rather than historical. For example, there’s a particularly powerful moment where Iannucci is able to convey young David’s fear and anxiety when his new stepfather forces him to read aloud.
But it’s clear from the opening scene that The Personal History of David Copperfield has its sights set on reinvention. The first thing viewers see is the adult David (an outstanding Dev Patel, who should be a part of the Best Actor conversation) walking onstage to address an audience. After some brief remarks, he spins around and is instantly transported from the theater stage to the yard of his childhood home, although a few members of the crowd are still behind him, their chairs now in the tall grass.
It’s a stunning sequence, one that made me say “Whoa!” out loud, even though I was watching alone. This creative narration continues throughout the film, with Patel frequently stepping into moments from his character’s past. In one particularly powerful instance, he even interacts with Ranveer Jaiswal, the terrific child actor who plays his younger self.
Along the way, David meets characters who will become dear friends and bitter enemies, most of whom Iannucci casts with absolute ringers. There’s not a bad performance in the bunch, and though some might complain the diverse cast isn’t historically accurate for the story’s time period, the film suggests that we’re in for a welcome reassessment of what classics can look like in our post-Hamilton world.
In addition to Patel, there’s strong work from a host of familiar faces. Peter Capaldi, a frequent Iannucci collaborator, plays charming con artist Mr. Micawber. Gwendoline Christie is terrifying as young David’s malevolent new step-aunt. Morfydd Clark pulls off tricky dual roles, playing both young David’s mother and adult David’s love interest, the mid-film switch could’ve been creepy, but she makes both characters unique and endearing.
Rosalind Eleazar shines as David’s charming friend, while Benedict Wong brings some comic relief as a constantly drunk lawyer. A nearly unrecognizable Ben Wishaw plays the scheming, villainous Uriah Heep, far removed from the actor’s good-natured vocal performance as the lovable bear Paddington
However, aside from Patel, the film’s clear standouts are Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie, who play David’s eccentric aunt and uncle. Clearly relishing the chance to chew scenery, they somehow manage to craft larger-than-life characters without stealing scenes from their fellow actors. Instead, they elevate the performances of anyone they share scenes with. I had a huge grin on my face whenever they popped up.
The Personal History of David Copperfield opens in theaters this weekend. I can’t, in good conscience, recommend you pay money to see it while sitting with a crowd of maskless, popcorn-munching patrons in the middle of a pandemic. Not when I had the luxury of watching an online screener from the comfort and safety of my home.
That being said, it’s one of my favorite movies of the year and you should definitely make plans to check it out at some point. Whether that’s in theaters or on Blu-ray a few months down the road is a choice I’ll leave up to you. But it’s an absolutely fantastic watch and I can’t wait to add it to my collection.
The Personal History of David Copperfield is rated PG for thematic material and brief violence.
Grade: A-
For those who made it through high school or college without having to read Dickens’ classic novel David Copperfield (first published as a serial from May 1849 through November 1850), it’s a tragicomic tale, episodic in nature, full of memorable characters and clever dialogue. Set in Victorian England, we meet the titular character when he is a young boy who is sent away after his mother remarries a cruel, wealthy man. After this heartbreaking origin, we follow him through many adventures on his way to becoming a burgeoning writer, as he makes his fortune and loses it again, forging important relationships along the way.
Admittedly, I knew nothing about Iannucci’s version before screening it, which is a rare situation in my line of work. In fact, I hadn’t even watched a trailer. As a result, I was expecting yet another stuffy, by-the-numbers retelling, full of British people in top hats and corsets. I was right about the second half of that sentence (after all, consider the setting and time period), but I was happily, gloriously wrong about the first half.
Iannucci and Blackwell take a story that students everywhere frequently dismiss as old-fashioned or boring and retell it in a way that helps contemporary audiences understand why it was so beloved in the first place. Step one is incorporating beautiful cinematography (courtesy of Zac Nicholson), a vivid color palette and creative visual flourishes that make the story feel current rather than historical. For example, there’s a particularly powerful moment where Iannucci is able to convey young David’s fear and anxiety when his new stepfather forces him to read aloud.
But it’s clear from the opening scene that The Personal History of David Copperfield has its sights set on reinvention. The first thing viewers see is the adult David (an outstanding Dev Patel, who should be a part of the Best Actor conversation) walking onstage to address an audience. After some brief remarks, he spins around and is instantly transported from the theater stage to the yard of his childhood home, although a few members of the crowd are still behind him, their chairs now in the tall grass.
It’s a stunning sequence, one that made me say “Whoa!” out loud, even though I was watching alone. This creative narration continues throughout the film, with Patel frequently stepping into moments from his character’s past. In one particularly powerful instance, he even interacts with Ranveer Jaiswal, the terrific child actor who plays his younger self.
Along the way, David meets characters who will become dear friends and bitter enemies, most of whom Iannucci casts with absolute ringers. There’s not a bad performance in the bunch, and though some might complain the diverse cast isn’t historically accurate for the story’s time period, the film suggests that we’re in for a welcome reassessment of what classics can look like in our post-Hamilton world.
In addition to Patel, there’s strong work from a host of familiar faces. Peter Capaldi, a frequent Iannucci collaborator, plays charming con artist Mr. Micawber. Gwendoline Christie is terrifying as young David’s malevolent new step-aunt. Morfydd Clark pulls off tricky dual roles, playing both young David’s mother and adult David’s love interest, the mid-film switch could’ve been creepy, but she makes both characters unique and endearing.
Rosalind Eleazar shines as David’s charming friend, while Benedict Wong brings some comic relief as a constantly drunk lawyer. A nearly unrecognizable Ben Wishaw plays the scheming, villainous Uriah Heep, far removed from the actor’s good-natured vocal performance as the lovable bear Paddington
However, aside from Patel, the film’s clear standouts are Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie, who play David’s eccentric aunt and uncle. Clearly relishing the chance to chew scenery, they somehow manage to craft larger-than-life characters without stealing scenes from their fellow actors. Instead, they elevate the performances of anyone they share scenes with. I had a huge grin on my face whenever they popped up.
The Personal History of David Copperfield opens in theaters this weekend. I can’t, in good conscience, recommend you pay money to see it while sitting with a crowd of maskless, popcorn-munching patrons in the middle of a pandemic. Not when I had the luxury of watching an online screener from the comfort and safety of my home.
That being said, it’s one of my favorite movies of the year and you should definitely make plans to check it out at some point. Whether that’s in theaters or on Blu-ray a few months down the road is a choice I’ll leave up to you. But it’s an absolutely fantastic watch and I can’t wait to add it to my collection.
The Personal History of David Copperfield is rated PG for thematic material and brief violence.
Grade: A-
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