David Copperfield

Having always heard of David Copperfield, but never having read the novel nor seen the movie, I finally decided to check out the DVD. I found it quite enjoyable with an all-star cast and good Dickensian backdrops.

I have always loved W.C. Fields, but have to disagree with those who say he steals the show. Although he is perfect as Mcawber, to me it is Edna May Oliver who steals the picture. She is delightful as the dotty aunt – especially standing up to Mr. and Miss Murdstone with the loony backing of Mr. Dick (a charming Lennox Pawle).

Of course Lionel Barrymore always makes the most of a part and does so as the gruff fisherman Dan Peggotty. Freddie Bartholomew is excellent as the young David. Elizabeth Allen is gorgeous and delightful as David's mother, while Basil Rathbone and Violet Kemble Cooper are cold and devious as the step-father and his housekeeper sister.

The entire cast is excellent, including Jessie Ralph as Peggotty and Herbert Mundin as the 'willing' Barkis. My only complaint – and this is from one who hasn't read the book – is that the miscellaneous characters get a bit confusing. A guy who apparently had been nice to David in school runs off with and abandons the adopted daughter of Peggotty's brother. Then two men fight during a shipwreck and David sees his school friend dead. Perhaps things were better spelled out in the book.

In any event, it is a quite charming film. Oliver and Field are delightful, along with the rest of the talented cast. I doubt that as better adaptation could be done today.

Generations continue to read Dickens' best works, David Copperfield among them, because he created unforgettable characters through their language. Granted, the characters are often exaggerated or simplified, but they are nonetheless memorable, and often very lovable.

That's what makes so much of this movie so good. MGM lavished on it their best character actors, and the result is often magical. Edna May Oliver as Betsey Trotwood, Jessie Ralph as Peggotty, Basil Rathbone as Murdstone, Herbert Mundin as Barkis (yes, "Barkis is willin'"), Una O'Connor as Mrs. Gummidge, Lionel Barrymore as Dan Peggotty, Violet Kemble Cooper as Jane Murdstone, W. C. Fields as Micawber, the sadly forgotten Lennox Pawle unforgettable as Mr. Dick, the versatile Roland Young remarkable as Uriah Heep. These actors and actresses all create vivid characters, sometimes with very little screen time. They make Dickens come alive before our eyes.

The only weak spot, to me, is the cypher Elisabeth Allen as David's mother. For me, she is a zero in several otherwise very good MGM movies from this period. She conveys no personality. I do not understand why she was given one major role after the next. She is forgettable in all of them. The thought that she was originally contracted to appear opposite Robert Donat in one of my favorite movies, Goodbye Mr. Chips, is chilling. She was replaced by Greer Garson, who was great in that movie and helped make it the masterpiece it is. Elisabeth Allan would have made it a much inferior movie, despite Donat's deservedly Academy Award-winning performance as Chips.

Freddie Bartholomew is fine as the young David, but Cukor directed him to be far too emotional for my tastes. (You can see in the trailer that "tears" were intended here.) He is much better in films like Captains Courageous, made two years later and directed by Victor Fleming.

The only problem with this movie, for me, is that, while the script is good, it sometimes radically abbreviates major moments. (In the edition I read, the novel has 848 pages. Reducing that to a 2-hour movie is a real challenge.) Just as one example: during the storm that is wrecking the ship on which Steerforth is returning to England, Ham, from whom Steerforth seduced Little Emily only to abandon her later, swims out to the ship in order to save the crew. He climbs on board and sees Steerforth, who sees him. There is the potential for a great, elemental confrontation scene there, set against the wild storm, but it is passed over almost immediately to the next scene, where the two men's lifeless bodies are dragged up on shore.

Even the great scene near the end where Micawber denounces Uriah Heep, one of the great moments in the novel, could have been given more time to build, though its still very good. (With this cast, how could it not have been?)

Definitely worth a watch.

I agree with the commentator who offered an opinion that given the length and density of the novel, it should have been filmed in two parts. Alas, the courage to do such a thing would have to wait for 40 years and Francis Ford Coppola in "Godfather I" (1972) and "Godfather II" (1974). Still, what we do have in this film is an extraordinary ensemble of superb actors doing their very best to deal with an abridged screenplay of a much read and highly acclaimed novel.

While watching this film recently, I started to remember where I had seen these folks before, and began to free-associate about some of the celebrated members of this all-star cast. The following personal observations are reflections from that viewing experience:

Violet Kemble-Cooper (Jane Murdstone)---am I the only person who thinks that she is a dead ringer for the American character actor, Mary Nash, who also tended to terrorize children (the nemesis of Shirley Temple in "Heidi" (1937) and "The Little Princess" (1939)?

Basil Rathbone ((Mr. Murdstone)---funny, but I saw Raymond Massey as a more effective villain in this part.

Roland Young ((Uriah Heep)---to the best of my recollection, this is the only downright nasty part this comic actor ever played on the screen.

Hugh Williams (Steerforth)---he gave us an even more repulsive character as Hindley in "Wuthering Heights" (1939).

Jesse Ralph (Nurse Peggotty)---one year later, she played Jack Holt's mother and Jeanette MacDonald's confidant in "San Francisco" (1936).

John Buckler (Ham Peggotty)---did you know that he was the son of actor Hugh Buckler, who delivers the moving final speech in Frank Capra's classic, "Lost Horizon" (1937)?

Edna May Oliver (Aunt Betsey)---it sure looks like this role was a reprise of her Aunt March portrayal in "Little Women" (1933) also directed by George Cukor.

Elizabeth Allan (Mrs. Copperfield)---she was seen to better advantage with less histrionics in "A Tale of Two Cities" as Lucy Manette (1935).

Jean Cadell (Mrs. Micawber)---best remembered as Henry Higgins' housekeeper, Mrs. Pearce, in "Pygmalion" (1938).

Una O'Connor (Mrs. Gummidge) and Elsa Lanchester (Clickett)---these two great actors had very little to do in "David Copperfield"---but a great deal more to do in "The Informer" ((1935) and "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) respectively! Ms. O'Connor's hysterical Minnie also appears on display in "Bride."

What a treat to watch this group of stellar players! Their likes will never be seen again!

This version of David Copperfield is a little disappointing in that the lead characters (David, Agnes, Steerforth, Little Em'ly) are somewhat bland and don't reveal their depth of feeling or passion. But the actors who play the supporting characters are so superb that this version is worth seeking out for those who love Dickens' work. Aunt Betsy, Uriah Heep, Mr. Dick, Mr. Micawber, Dan Peggotty and Ham are fleshed out by actors who have true spark and understand that their characters are supposed to be a little larger than life.

W.C. Fields can act- he's not just playing himself here. Although Mr. Micawber is a somewhat Fields-ish fellow, Fields adds a touching sincerity to Micawber's belief that he will come out ahead someday to everyone's benefit. Micawber's denunciation of Uriah Heep is both fun and close to what one can picture from the novel.

A lot of plot is left out, since you can't really cram an epic like that into a 2 hour film- the BBC miniseries is better for depth of character and filling in plot holes- but this 1935 version can be considered a classic for those looking for a nice large-screen adaptation with some incredibly good character actors.

I've read "David Copperfield" at least a half dozen times. If it's not the greatest novel in the English language, then it's darned close to it. Like any Dickens work, there are plots within plots and scores of major and minor character. With the exception of excluding poor Traddles, this film catches the essence of the story better than any since--and I defy anyone to cite a better movie for casting the right actor with the right character. Of course, W.C. Fields' Mr. McCawber was superb and has been cited time and again as a great characterization, but it's also difficult to fault Basil Rathbone's Mr. Murdstone, Edna may Oliver's Aunt Betsy, Roland Young's Uriah Heep, Freddy Bartholomew's young David, Lionel Barrymore's Mr. Peggoty or Maureen O'Sullivan's Dora Spenlow. As well, George Cukor's direction and period details are top-notch, as is the screen adoption of a very complicated novel. It's simply one of the greatest movies ever made.