David Copperfield

I found this DVD at the dollar store, where it was, if you can believe it, on sale at 50 cents. You wouldn't expect much and I wasn't disappointed at what I got.

Although there are some sparkling portrayals, the movie was long, muddy, and hard to watch. Some of this had to do with the poor reproduction by the distributor, Digiview. The rest related to the fact that I hadn't read the book so the 101 story lines going off in all directions were confusing, especially when held together only by the title character walking up and down the beach, and alternately scowling and muttering.

Worth every cent ... and not a pence more.

Veteran director Delbert Mann gives us this unusual perspective on the life of David Copperfield - Dickens' legendary orphan. For a TV film Mann's Copperfield packs an unexpected punch. Unlike the standard Copperfield interpretation, Mann's Copperfield is a depressed, brooding, haunted man,who feels responsible for all of the problems he sees around him. The story is ably rendered through a series of flashbacks, as Copperfield (nicely portrayed by a Robin Philips) broods in his later life, prior to the resolution of this part of his story (which I will not discuss here). David's flashbacks tell most of the novel's story and touch upon the major highlights in our hero's life, suggesting that he is about to either experience an epiphany of sorts or to collapse in upon himself - perhaps both. Ultimately, Dickens' wonderful story-telling ability shows through very nicely as the story winds up with most of the major arcs resolved in a few lucidly depicted paragraphs of narrative.

The movie is very well made, and quite complete despite the Herculean scope of the novel and the scalar difference between Dickens and a TV movie. It moves along at a pithy, but unhurried gait. It is also very nicely acted by a stellar British cast. Agnes (perfectly handled by Susan Hampshire) and Michael Redgrave's excellent Mr. Peggotty are easily the most sympathetic characters in the story.

The cinematography is also very good, and despite the mediocre quality of the reproduction I viewed, does not have the boxy, boring feel of the typical TV movie. The soundtrack is also a touch-above the average TV production, but still, I found it a little too repetitive at times.

Be forewarned - this is not the standard interpretation of Copperfield's character and Dickens' story. It is more emotional, cerebral and depressing than the norm. Don't go into it expecting to come out wholly unscathed - you will be disappointed. The film is definitely an accomplishment worthy of respect. My rating of 7 may seem low, but note that I have downgraded it by one point because it simply isn't as plainly entertaining as some of the more lighthearted versions of this story are. Take the warning at the top of this paragraph seriously and you won't be disappointed. Ignore it at your own peril.

This film felt longer than it was. The acting and scenery were certainly enjoyable, but the story was difficult to get into. (I have not read the book.) Eventually I found it compelling enough to keep watching to the end. The characters' interactions were good and I became interested enough to wonder what Copperfield's shallow despair was all about and what would happen. On hindsight I agree with a previous reviewer that the flashback device created a character of Copperfield that was out of character with his life in flashbacks. What I really hated about the film was the awful perms on the lead and the heavy eye makeup on the beautiful women. I guessed this film had to have been made in the early 1970s. I was close. I actually felt relief when Copperfield came out of the water and his hair was plastered to his head instead of all poofed out and neatly clipped. Hardly Dickensonian.

Unlike other reviewers of this film I didn't feel that it was particularly dull; if anything, the way that it seemed to skim over many aspects of the story makes it seem like the cinematic equivalent of a Readers Digest condensed version. Characters such as Oliver and Attenborough's Creakle and Tungay make little more than cameo appearances, while the flashback structure of the film means that, for the first hour or so, the narrative flow is constantly interrupted by lingering shots of a maudlin Copperfield mooching about Yarmouth beach listening to memories of people he has known echoing in his head.

The cast reads like a who's who of British acting of the 60s and before. The likes of such heavyweights as Oliver, Attenborough, Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans, Ralph Richardson, Ron Moody, Cyril Cusack, Susan Hampshire et al makes the little-known Robin Phillips in the title role seem a little bland and insipid. Nevertheless, the story is entertaining enough - even if it doesn't match up to George Cukor's 1935 version.

As much as I love the story of David Copperfield, I cannot claim to have enjoyed this movie. It was probably the second worst movie I have ever seen. One problem I see is that the magnitude of the novel asks for a miniseries of several hours, rather than a regular movie. It is just impossible to capture a significant amount of the events that take place in the story in two hours. I dis not enjoy the brooding flashback format. It was disjointed and would be impossible for someone who did not already know the story to fully grasp. Also, I don't think the filmmakers interpreted Copperfield's personality correctly. The idea of him strolling around on a beach moaning about his life seems inconsistent with the proactive, forward-thinking nature Dickens gave him in the novel. Agnes also bothered me. She came across as a ditsy household decoration, rather than a strong woman. Dora was perfect, however. This movie was fraught with problems, and I wait eagerly for someone to make a decent screen version.