David Copperfield
David Copperfield
| 25 December 2001 (USA)
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After the death of his father and a second wedding of his mother, David Copperfield suffers from his tyrannical stepfather, Mr. Murdstone. The mother dies shortly after the death of another child, whereupon Mr. Murdstone sends David to London, where he has to work for a starvation wage.Here he makes some new friends, but soon flees from the capital of England to his aunt Traddles in Canterbury, where he is adopted by her.

Reviews
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Armand to adapt a famous book is always a difficult work, for director and for the reader. for the need to present/discover the heart of story and for not use easy tools.but, in this case, all is OK. the atmosphere, the performance and shadow of Dickens small universe. Hugh Dancy is David and not only his subtle performance is impeccable but the preoccupation to give force and shine to each detail. and this is a great virtue because the film is a little more than an adaptation.honest, rich in nuances, seductive, smart, almost lovely, like many inspired translation of great books spirit, it is a precise puzzle.a fragile ball of emotions and memories, interesting trip in a middle of a way to discover literature, it is that decent option to respect novel and remember its extraordinary profound message.
garikster I wouldn't recommend this unless you're keen on David Copperfield and want to "complete the set". There are some good performances (e.g. Uriah Heep) and well directed moments (e.g. the beating), but on the whole it really pales in comparison with the 1999 BBC version, as well as earlier versions. There are inexplicable changes to the story that really serve no great purpose except, possibly, to dumb it down (the stolen jewels being a case in point). The American cast were poorly chosen: Sally Field is a good actress, but she is wrong as Betsy Trotwood, and her English accent is only slightly better than Dick Van Dyke's cockney. I can see why Michael Richards was chosen to play Mr Micawber; he hams it up rather too much, however, and becomes irritating. He also speaks his lines in an accent that goes beyond eccentric and becomes simply preposterous. Anthony Andrews is menacing as Mr Murdstone, but one almost expects him to don a black cape and tie David's mother to a railway line (though this is perhaps partly the fault of Dickens). I got this for free with a newspaper. It helped pass a Sunday afternoon, but I felt more disappointed than charmed at the end of it
Nozz How do you cut and structure David COPPERFIELD? If I recall correctly, the TV version back in 1969 made it a passage through grief to maturity. This one makes it the shaking off of a curse. Murdstone is a destroyer of women, and he sends David off to a training that will inevitably make David-- as it makes his hero Steerforth-- another such destroyer. From time to time David as narrator reminds us that he is making the mistake of succumbing to expectations, but in the end he successfully rebels. It's not the original, but it's not a bad take on the story.Micawber has a similar triumph near the end of the story, and it's a shame that he wasn't allowed to shine in that triumph without the distraction of Michael Richards' physical comedy. Up to that point the Krameresque bumbling was not unwelcome, certainly a better alternative than trying to compete directly with the legendary W.C. Fields interpretation. Micawber's accent was odd, though, and it was mixed with unadulterated Kramer interjections.
jlittle1 Well although I only got to see the latter half of the movie (since I tuned in to TNT when the second half was showing), I still enjoyed this film very much. It was a decent, clean film (a rarity these days) and very dramatic and leaving you wondering what will happen next, which were all major pluses in my mind. Also even though I have not read the book, I think the movie really should be judged on its own merit (as opposed to simply comparing it to the book). I would give "Copperfield" a 10 out 10.