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User Reviews for: The Personal History of David Copperfield

invisiblesolid
/10  3 years ago
If it’s possible, this is a lighthearted popcorn film that is also a faithful adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel.

I think a lot of people expect more from Dickens than he was prepared to give. This movie was a series of satirical, funny, sad, painful, hopeful character sketches. If that’s what Dickens means to you, this adaptation will scratch that itch. If you’re looking for a strong narrative, or a faithful reproduction of a notoriously unadaptable series-novel, then you will be disappointed.

Similarly, if you are expecting another Iannucci tour de force, you will also be disappointed, but you may enjoy the craftwork. He really did a great job bringing the thematic loops of the novel to the big screen, although he obviously was forced to cut some character arcs out to barely make the two hour mark. As a consolation, he performs some very fun metanarrative tricks that never removed me from the reality of the action.

Either way, it contains some excellent sets and costumes as well as some modern luminaries of British cinema having a good time.

Bizarrely enough, the scale felt huge while the budget felt small. Do studios not yet realize that Armando Iannucci is a modern satirical genius?

I enjoyed watching this movie, but I would be selective in recommending it. I suppose that’s true of the novel itself.
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