Amazon.co.uk Review
Like a fine gourmet meal, the BBC's 1999 adaptation of David Copperfield has something to suit every taste: a well-paced screenplay that keeps the tale bowling along without losing the delights of some of Dickens' most sparkling dialogue; a rich gallery of characters; and a cast which features many of Britain's favourite actors. There is, of course, plenty of high comedy but some very tight direction checks any tendencies to over-ripe performance. The whole production is tightly integrated: from David's idyllic, if cloistered, childhood with his beloved mother and their devoted servant Peggotty, through the shattering arrival of a sadistic step father, rescue by his eccentric Aunt Betsey Trotwood, and a journey into maturity where his very innocence makes him the unwitting agent of tragedy before all is resolved.
Ciaran McMenamin is the mature David, his youthful face increasingly clouded by the gathering of experience. Trevor Eve oozes evil as his stepfather Mr Murdstone, ultimately neutralised by Maggie Smith's Aunt Betsey, a comic performance of true genius that gives frequent flashes of the vulnerable human being beneath. In other inspired pieces of casting, Nicholas Lyndhurst's incubus-like Uriah Heep haunts every scene he's in and Pauline Quirke's Peggotty exudes the motherly warmth that sustains David during his darkest moments. Three hours of classic drama heaven.
On the DVD: the disc is presented with a Dolby Digital Stereo soundtrack and 16:9 picture format, reproducing the original high quality of its first television transmission. The three-hour production is beautifully lit, with carefully chosen locations adding to the authentic "Dickensian" atmosphere. A short "making of" documentary is largely based around the likeable Pauline Quirke's experiences of playing Peggotty and generally leaves you wanting to know more about the conception and processes of the production. As an audio extra, there is 30 minutes of Rob Lane's original music presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. --Piers Ford
Customer Reviews:
Pedestrian adaptation of a classic tale.......2007-11-27
'David Copperfield', is, by all respects, a brilliant story. It is partly autobiographical, but this gives the story an extra layer. The story of a man's development from boyhood to man is nothing new, and Dickens' novel sets his tale apart because of his emphatic understanding of human nature. This adaptation however, is fairly pedestrian in its handling of human emotions. Trevor Eve is perhaps, a little OTT and there is very little depth to his character, whilst I could say the same to Emilia Fox and Zoe Wannamaker.
The real triumph of this adaption is, I feel, Maggie Smith's performance which is in a league of its own. Betsy Trotwood is a very likeable character anyway, but Smith is superb.
The film is worth a look though, for any period drama fan, however to get the real benefits from this story, I'd recommend the book.
Romantic, Funny, Sad, Heartwarming.......2007-06-02
I have just finished watching David Copperfield today and was suprised how long it went on for! It's approx. 180 minutes long, but that's definitely not a bad thing.
I've never read the book, so I don't know how closely it resembles it, but even if there were bits missed out, I felt that there was enough said to understand the crux of the story and I really enjoyed it.
Daniel Radcliffe plays the young David Copperfield really well and Ciarán McMenamin also plays the older David well too. I especially liked the choice of actors including, Maggie Smith, Pauline Quirke, Bob Hoskins and Zoe Wanamaker.
I would definitely recommend this adaption to everyone because it's not too sickly sweet, but not to violent either. But do have some tissues handy as some scenes are quite sad.
One NOT to be MISSED!.......2005-09-09
David Copperfield has to be the BBC at it's very best! A great cast with superb acting I love it! I personally find Dickens boring to read and so have to watch the dramatisations when they are made. This is a masterpiece! Whilst watching it I go through a variety of emotions and feel exhausted at the end. Having said that I defy anyone who watches David Copperfield not to be touched by this wonderful, moving and touching story!
Simply glorious.......2004-03-15
David Copperfield is simply glorious. Though not massively faithful to the book (a fact that may make die hard Dickens fans baulk) it presents its cut down version amazingly.
The BBC builds here on its impressive record of period dramas (including the impassible Pride and Predjudice in 1995), and whilstm being Dickens much of this production is set in dingy victorian London, it doesn't lose any of its beauty. The costumes are wonderful, the rich costumes suiting even the younger members of the cast. The two Davids are wonderful, Daniel Radcliffe shows, at the age of 9 the ability to draw in the viewer that would be exibited two years later as Harry Potter. His eyes alone, on the close ups are enough to make any viewer weep at the various injustices that befall our hero. Ciarán McMenamin is good as the adult David, though I admit a certain inability to see how the young David developed into him.
Of the rest of the cast, its virtually impossible to pick a best. Trevor Eve and Zoe Wannamaker show equal meaness in their roles as David's evil mental torturers and with a cast that also includes such greats as Ian McKellen, Bob Hoskins, Dawn French, Pauline Quirk and Emelia Fox it would be an injustice to single anyone out. That is, were it not for the spectacular performance of Maggie Smith, who pulls out all of the stops in her wonderful, heartwarming performance as David's aunt. The idea of anyone else now playing this role, seems foreign to me.
All in all this is a great adaptation of a great novel. Filmed in all its beauty by Simon Curtis and his wonderful crew. Let this version stand as a benchmark for a long long time.
Doesn't do the book justice!.......2004-03-14
I read the book before I watched the movie and loved the book to bits. I liked the characters and how Dickens had developed them but it didn't come out in the movie. The beginning of the movie started well. Young David, older David, David's mum, peggotty, mr and miss murdstone, ham peggotty and Mr peggotty were cast perfectly. The young and the older Emily were completely wrong though. Young Emily is meant to be more shy and playful but in the movie, she wasn't at all! From then, it just got worse. Nicholas Lyndhurst was totally wrong for Uriah Heep and Agnes was terrible! Agnes is meant to be a very friendly, loving and guiding character in the book and thats why we grow to love her, but in the movie, she's always depressed and jealous of Dora. It's completely wrong! One of the most amazing characters was completely missed out! Thomas Traddles! Also, in the book, I thought it was great how David, Martha and Mr Peggotty found Emily after Rosa Dartle had but there was no Martha this time and it was not as good as it should have been. If you want my opinion, read the book first and then watch the movie otherwise your impressions will be spoilt. Try another version of David Copperfield!
Amazon.co.uk Review
Like a fine gourmet meal, the BBC's 1999 adaptation of David Copperfield has something to suit every taste: a well-paced screenplay that keeps the tale bowling along without losing the delights of some of Dickens' most sparkling dialogue; a rich gallery of characters; and a cast which features many of Britain's favourite actors. There is, of course, plenty of high comedy but some very tight direction checks any tendencies to over-ripe performance. The whole production is tightly integrated: from David's idyllic, if cloistered, childhood with his beloved mother and their devoted servant Peggotty, through the shattering arrival of a sadistic step father, rescue by his eccentric Aunt Betsey Trotwood, and a journey into maturity where his very innocence makes him the unwitting agent of tragedy before all is resolved.
Ciaran McMenamin is the mature David, his youthful face increasingly clouded by the gathering of experience. Trevor Eve oozes evil as his stepfather Mr Murdstone, ultimately neutralised by Maggie Smith's Aunt Betsey, a comic performance of true genius that gives frequent flashes of the vulnerable human being beneath. In other inspired pieces of casting, Nicholas Lyndhurst's incubus-like Uriah Heep haunts every scene he's in and Pauline Quirke's Peggotty exudes the motherly warmth that sustains David during his darkest moments. Three hours of classic drama heaven.
On the DVD: the disc is presented with a Dolby Digital Stereo soundtrack and 16:9 picture format, reproducing the original high quality of its first television transmission. The three-hour production is beautifully lit, with carefully chosen locations adding to the authentic "Dickensian" atmosphere. A short "making of" documentary is largely based around the likeable Pauline Quirke's experiences of playing Peggotty and generally leaves you wanting to know more about the conception and processes of the production. As an audio extra, there is 30 minutes of Rob Lane's original music presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. --Piers Ford
Customer Reviews:
Pedestrian adaptation of a classic tale.......2007-11-27
'David Copperfield', is, by all respects, a brilliant story. It is partly autobiographical, but this gives the story an extra layer. The story of a man's development from boyhood to man is nothing new, and Dickens' novel sets his tale apart because of his emphatic understanding of human nature. This adaptation however, is fairly pedestrian in its handling of human emotions. Trevor Eve is perhaps, a little OTT and there is very little depth to his character, whilst I could say the same to Emilia Fox and Zoe Wannamaker.
The real triumph of this adaption is, I feel, Maggie Smith's performance which is in a league of its own. Betsy Trotwood is a very likeable character anyway, but Smith is superb.
The film is worth a look though, for any period drama fan, however to get the real benefits from this story, I'd recommend the book.
Romantic, Funny, Sad, Heartwarming.......2007-06-02
I have just finished watching David Copperfield today and was suprised how long it went on for! It's approx. 180 minutes long, but that's definitely not a bad thing.
I've never read the book, so I don't know how closely it resembles it, but even if there were bits missed out, I felt that there was enough said to understand the crux of the story and I really enjoyed it.
Daniel Radcliffe plays the young David Copperfield really well and Ciarán McMenamin also plays the older David well too. I especially liked the choice of actors including, Maggie Smith, Pauline Quirke, Bob Hoskins and Zoe Wanamaker.
I would definitely recommend this adaption to everyone because it's not too sickly sweet, but not to violent either. But do have some tissues handy as some scenes are quite sad.
One NOT to be MISSED!.......2005-09-09
David Copperfield has to be the BBC at it's very best! A great cast with superb acting I love it! I personally find Dickens boring to read and so have to watch the dramatisations when they are made. This is a masterpiece! Whilst watching it I go through a variety of emotions and feel exhausted at the end. Having said that I defy anyone who watches David Copperfield not to be touched by this wonderful, moving and touching story!
Simply glorious.......2004-03-15
David Copperfield is simply glorious. Though not massively faithful to the book (a fact that may make die hard Dickens fans baulk) it presents its cut down version amazingly.
The BBC builds here on its impressive record of period dramas (including the impassible Pride and Predjudice in 1995), and whilstm being Dickens much of this production is set in dingy victorian London, it doesn't lose any of its beauty. The costumes are wonderful, the rich costumes suiting even the younger members of the cast. The two Davids are wonderful, Daniel Radcliffe shows, at the age of 9 the ability to draw in the viewer that would be exibited two years later as Harry Potter. His eyes alone, on the close ups are enough to make any viewer weep at the various injustices that befall our hero. Ciarán McMenamin is good as the adult David, though I admit a certain inability to see how the young David developed into him.
Of the rest of the cast, its virtually impossible to pick a best. Trevor Eve and Zoe Wannamaker show equal meaness in their roles as David's evil mental torturers and with a cast that also includes such greats as Ian McKellen, Bob Hoskins, Dawn French, Pauline Quirk and Emelia Fox it would be an injustice to single anyone out. That is, were it not for the spectacular performance of Maggie Smith, who pulls out all of the stops in her wonderful, heartwarming performance as David's aunt. The idea of anyone else now playing this role, seems foreign to me.
All in all this is a great adaptation of a great novel. Filmed in all its beauty by Simon Curtis and his wonderful crew. Let this version stand as a benchmark for a long long time.
Doesn't do the book justice!.......2004-03-14
I read the book before I watched the movie and loved the book to bits. I liked the characters and how Dickens had developed them but it didn't come out in the movie. The beginning of the movie started well. Young David, older David, David's mum, peggotty, mr and miss murdstone, ham peggotty and Mr peggotty were cast perfectly. The young and the older Emily were completely wrong though. Young Emily is meant to be more shy and playful but in the movie, she wasn't at all! From then, it just got worse. Nicholas Lyndhurst was totally wrong for Uriah Heep and Agnes was terrible! Agnes is meant to be a very friendly, loving and guiding character in the book and thats why we grow to love her, but in the movie, she's always depressed and jealous of Dora. It's completely wrong! One of the most amazing characters was completely missed out! Thomas Traddles! Also, in the book, I thought it was great how David, Martha and Mr Peggotty found Emily after Rosa Dartle had but there was no Martha this time and it was not as good as it should have been. If you want my opinion, read the book first and then watch the movie otherwise your impressions will be spoilt. Try another version of David Copperfield!
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