The Personal History Of David Copperfield

This review may contain spoilers!

This film totes an impressive ensemble cast who unfortunately cannot bring this confused and inconsistent film into high regard. I would give The Personal History Of David Copperfield a 4.5/10.

An adaptation of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, this feature follows the title role as he endures a series of trying obstacles throughout his young life. This film is presented as a witty comedy of sorts, with a very unusual method of presentation for a period-set feature. The story itself maintained a really strong introduction and I thought the way David Copperfield was introduced and explored was quite interesting. Throughout the film I found that most of the charm within the narrative came from the wit in the dialogue, as well as neat moments of character introspection that happened from scene to occasional scene. The cinematography for this film tended to be quite the impressive venture, particularly in the first and final acts. There were some real attempts to show that this was a narrative reflecting upon itself by a storyteller through some very expressive visual shots that really showed some vision at work.

Nikki Amuka-Bird, who played Mrs Steerforth, is a genuine regal matriarach throughout this piece; Amuka-Bird has this presence about her that enables her to enter a scene and immediately feel like one of the most powerful figures there. Aneurin Barnard, who played Steerforth, presents one of the more chaotic yet charismatic figures in this piece; Steerforth is a very foppish and self-destructive individual who becomes significantly more tragic as the plot wears on. Darren Boyd and Gwendoline Christie, who played Edward Murdstone and Jane Murdstone respectively, are fantastic antagonists for the first act of the feature; Christie is a seriously imposing invader while Boyd is a tyrannical stepfather for young Copperfield. Morfydd Clark, who played Clara Copperfield and Dora Spenlow, didn't give the strongest performance initially as Copperfield's mother but really came into her own with Dora; this ditzy yet high-energy role is a lot of fun and the source of some of the best comedy in the final act. Daisy May Cooper, who played Peggotty, is a strong kindly figure who really connects with both actors portraying Copperfield; Cooper clearly is a comedic powerhouse as she deals some of the funniest dialogue in the feature. Hugh Laurie, who played Mr Dick, is a very discombobulated individual at the best of times; Laurie presents a figure of great intellect who is almost plagued by a series of thoughts that invade his mind. Tilda Swinton, who played Betsey Trotwood, is right at home with this non-nonsense if not somewhat eccentric character; Swinton's role is to be a guiding presence in a household that never ceases to be turbulent. Jairaj Varsani, who played Young David Copperfield, has to be one of the best young performers I've seen in a few months; Varsani really embraces the way his role is lost in the character and worlds presented to him by other people. Ben Whishaw, who played Uriah Heep, is a really convincing antagonist for this feature; Whishaw's simpering and conniving figure is the idea of raw ambition turned sour and it is a treat to watch.

However, the best performance came from Dev Patel, who played David Copperfield. Dev Patel has always emerged as a strong leading performer in projects and he helms this one quite nicely too. Patel manages to preserve the charisma and kindness that is at the heart of the role which immediately endears him to the audience. I liked seeing Copperfield as this desperate yet determined individual, one who struggled to completely connect with others yet undeniably formed lasting social bonds. I felt that Patel had this incredible ability to emulate other performances, altering how his role interacted around other characters in order to bond with them. The points in the movie wherein Copperfield feels defeated and sees things slipping out of his control are really powerful and strongly played to. Furthermore, this is arole with a particular talent for hearing the voice and words of others and forming it into how he thinks and expresses himself that I think Patel worked really hard to nail perfectly. This was a seriously driven performance that Patel worked hard to achieve.

The Personal History Of David Copperfield showed a lot of promise when I sat down and first got engaged with it, but after twenty minutes it became clear the film couldn't maintain it's unique method of storytelling. What had been a compelling visual blend of storytelling and character introduction gave way to a more linear narrative that dragged the pacing right down. The film had started with some of the most interesting narration I had seen of late but this was canned rather suddenly. The way the film presented storylines was a manner of blending plots together initially but afterwards we were set on a very stagnant path, so Copperfield's journey throughout became dull to watch. The characters and situations started to turn to the melodramatic and even the plot around Uriah Heep as the antagonist felt like a rather two-dimensional direction to take. It was disappointing because the further the film went, the more it lost everything that had made it appealing going in. A nice, if not rather rushed final ten minutes did nothing to help a film that had clearly lost its way. The editing for this film started out pretty impressively and crafted a distinct visual presentation; but was abandoned not long into the film for very simple cutting and a much slower pace. The score for David Copperfield wasn't anything particularly noteworthy for a period film, leaning in to the familiar rather than attempting to craft something new.

Peter Capaldi, who played Mr Micawber, is a performer who tends to overact without ever finding some semblance of the essence of his role; Capaldi's temperament is for the melodramatic and whimsical but he lacks the finer ability to nurture a role within a comedic performance. Rosalind Eleazar, who played Agnes, is a poor fitting romantic lead against Patel; Eleazar seems content in the background and her role's personality is often dwarfed by others in a scene. Aimee Kelly, Anthony Welsh and Paul Whitehouse, who played Emily, Ham and Mr Peggotty respectively, are a collective group of characters who fail to really claim their place in this narrative; Kelly's erratic portrayal of her role's affair and Welsh's descent into a brooding persona are some of the more disappointing qualities of the feature. Benedict Wong, who played Mr Wickfield, really doesn't suit the role of confused drunkard; Wong struggles to find a natural approach to his character's place in the comedic wit of the piece.