The Personal History Of David Copperfield: The BRWC Review. I’m sure that everyone has come across David Copperfield at some point in their lives. The Dickensian story is, like most novels by the famed author, truly timeless and ever relevant. I myself haven’t read the book personally – it being over 600 pages long being my main put off – I have seen the 1999 BBC mini-series adaptation, staring Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith and Ian McKellen among others. So, I was fairly excited to hear of this film’s release.

Adding more excitement to the mix was the announcement that Armando Iannucci would be writing and directing The Personal History of David Copperfield. I am a fan of Iannucci’s work, from Alan Partridge and The Thick of It, to what I consider to be one of the best films of the last decade, The Death of Stalin. It was all falling well for me.

We all know the story. David Copperfield is born without a father and is very close to his mother. Then he gets a cruel stepfather, makes his own way in life, comes across his aunt and a cast of other colourful characters. He lives a life both mundane and extraordinary. The story is, of course, almost biographical of Dickens’ own life, so expect many similarities.

My reaction to this film, when all was said and done was this – I liked it, but… And that followed the film throughout. There was so much I loved about this film. But! I will say that I was impressed with how well the film came across. Iannucci’s past filmography is cynical, so it was nice to have him successfully deliver something wholesome. It was also his most stylish film. It plays out like a stage play. Outside of some establishing shots, every set feels nice and close. Actor’s literally walk on and off like they are entering and exiting stage and it is edited in such a way that the film feels like it is continually flowing.

What really got me down on this film was its pacing. The film just thunders through its story. I understand that there is only so much that can be done when you are telling a 600 page story in roughly two hours. Combining his time at school and the blacking factory and other such choices are more than fair. But still, we go from his birth, to the whole ordeal with his stepfather, to his mother’s death and the blacking factory and then his introduction to his aunt and Mr Dick, not to mention the entire Mr Micawber ordeal all within the first half hour. There doesn’t feel to be room to breathe with this film. And this is a story where this room to breathe is essential for making it work.

I found Iannucci’s script to be surprisingly weak, with some bizarre choices here and there. A prime example for me is the announcement of Copperfield’s mother passing on. In the story, this news is given to him by the abusive and comically indifferent headmaster (factory owner in this version) Mr Creakle as he is the only figure of authority there. In this version his stepfather is present to the news breaking. But it’s still Creakle who tells him. Little things like that make little sense and feel sloppy in a way. It also falls for the same trap that many adaptations have fallen for lately – Harry Potter, DC films and even those Disney Remakes on a technical level are included in this. If you haven’t read the source material, or watched the original film, then you will be lost. Taking away previous material, these films feel incoherent. I’m sad to say this about The Personal History of David Copperfield, but I doubt I’d know what was going on just by watching this version.

As for the cast, it’s colourblind casting. Meaning that the actors were hired for their talent and what they brough to their roles, regardless of ethnicity. Honestly the actors all do good jobs. Dev Patel is a wonderful choice as Copperfield, bringing a delightful energy to the film. Tilda Swinton, Benedict Wong and Ben Whishaw are also equally up to the task. The stand out to me was the ever fantastic Hugh Laurie as Mr Dick. Peter Capaldi as Mr Micawber however fell hollow, I don’t know what it was, but I found his performance to be subpar. The colourblind casting, while definitely a nice way of casting that I hope to see a bit more in the future, does feel strange when we have parents with pale skin raising a biological child with darker skin. But you get used to it quickly.

I liked it, but. That is the only way I can describe this film. It looks lovely, it’s well acted and it’s genuinely funny. It’s also very rushed, has a weak script and loses most of the original stories heart. I recommend it to fans of British cinema and of Iannucci, or to those looking for a quirky period comedy. But for fans of the source material, you may find it wanting.

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