Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Other Doctor Lives: The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019, PG)

This was one of the hardest entertainment disruptions of the pandemic for me (the other being Shang Chi – seriously, when can we at least get a teaser?) I remember when I first saw the trailer for this movie, right around the same time the trailer also came out for The Green Knight, similarly starring Dev Patel. May 2020 was going to be the month of Dev Patel coming for all the classic-English literature roles, and the rest of David Copperfield’s glorious cast (including Peter Capaldi as Mr. Micawber!) was just gravy. Then, obviously, 2020 happened. The movie didn’t come out in May, and when it was pushed back to the end of August, it came out in theaters only (remember August? Good grief.) This might’ve been the one 2020 film that would’ve had me forking over the $20+ for simultaneous VOD, but it wasn’t even an option. Let me tell you, there were multiple times in the fall when I Googled, “How can I see The Personal History of David Copperfield???", looking for any answer that didn’t involve setting foot in a theater during a pandemic. But finally, this long-awaited-for-me film is available to pay to see on streaming outlets.

Young David Copperfield’s life is turned upside-down when his mother remarries and David’s cruel stepfather sets out to make his life miserable, sending David away to work in his bottling factory. But this immense hardship kicks off an impressive series of adventures for David involving a wild variety of colorful characters, including a grandiloquent pauper, a maiden aunt with a vendetta against donkeys, and a greasy little social-climber. Along the way, David’s fortunes change drastically multiple times, he falls in and out of love, and he learns which friends he can really trust.

First of all, let me say that David Copperfield is probably one of my least favorites of Charles Dickens’ major works. There are parts of it that I love, including a number of truly-memorable characters, but the story doesn’t feel as tight to me as some of my favorite books of his and I don’t have a ton of use for David as a protagonist once he grows up. My excitement for this movie was pretty much wholly down to the incredible cast list, including multiple people of color and led by our star, Patel, as the eponymous David. As such, I can’t speak with too much authority on this adaptation’s faithfulness to the book. It’s certainly streamlined, which gives it quite a whirlwind feel, but it all holds together pretty well for me. It doesn’t feel cut to ribbons or jam-packed with characters we can’t keep track of. And there are some notable changes to the source material that I actually like a lot, especially in the portrayals of some of the main female characters. In the book, Agnes comes across more like one of Dickens’ Angel of the House types, but she’s given more definition here, and while Dora is still very much Dora, there are moments within her storyline that treat her with a little more compassion and understanding.

The direction/construction of the adaptation, by none other than The Thick of It’s Armando Iannucci, is lovely and lyrical as well as wild and madcap. I like the conceit of the grown-up David stepping in and out of the story of his childhood, with Iannucci giving certain early memories a beautifully dream-like quality, and the film handles both the rough comedy and high drama of the story in ways that feel true to its extremes without leaving the movie with a sense of pulling in too-wildly-different directions. I also like how the notion of David’s potential as a writer is threaded throughout the movie, with his observations of the wild characters around him and his penchant for jotting down whimsical phrases.

The whole cast is every bit as good as you’d expect them to be. Patel carries the film with aplomb, making me feel invested in a protagonist I’ve never had too much interest in. His David is still something of a mess and can be a bit of a putz, but his innate goodness shines through, which keeps me rooting for him to get his head on straight. Tilda Swinton makes a feast of the character of Aunt Betsy, and while I’m unfamiliar with Rosalind Eleazar, she’s utterly winning as Agnes. Benedict Wong (lately of Doctor Strange) is understatedly fun as the drunken solicitor Mr. Wickfield, Hugh Laurie makes for a fantastic Mr. Dick, and Ben Whishaw just oozes slime as that sniveling little weasel Uriah Heep. The film also features the likes of Gwendoline Christie (Brienne!), Anna Maxwell Martin (who I loved so much in the 2005 adaptation of Bleak House,) and Sophie McShera (Daisy from Downton Abbey.)

I’m pretty much always in favor of seeing people of color in period pieces, whether it’s something like Belle that tells a seldom-told story about people of color in history or a film like this that takes the “colorblind” approach and just casts great actors in fun roles. Patel, Eleazar, and the other BIPOC cast members shine in their parts while looking lovely in period garb, and I’d love to see more adaptations like this in the future. (Yes, I know about Bridgerton, but I haven’t mustered up the enthusiasm to watch it yet. While it’s not like I haven’t watched other shows with copious amounts of sex – hello, Game of Thrones – to my knowledge, Bridgerton doesn’t have dragons.)

Micawber is up there among Dickens’ most memorable characters, so Capaldi has a delightful part to play. He captures Micawber’s self-importance and tragic-hero-of-his-own-story flair so well. I love the early scenes of him meeting young Davy, teaching him the ins and outs of avoiding bailiffs and creditors, and Micawber’s overdramatic histrionics are a hoot. This is a fun, hammy role for any actor to play, and Capaldi gamely takes bites out of the scenery whenever the moment calls for it.

Also, I just really like his physicality in the role. He’s so long and nimble, and he brings such a fun presence to scenes like Micawber scuttling to avoid the bailiffs or valiantly trying to save his possessions from being repoed. Even though it’s not a huge part in the movie as a whole, Capaldi/Micawber brightens up every scene he’s in and consistently brings laughs.

Accent Watch

A broad Cockney.

Recommend?

In General – I would, with the disclaimer that you should probably be at least slightly interested in Victorian period pieces and/or Dickens. It’s fun and frothy and dramatic, and for me personally, it helped me connect with the story in a way that the book never fully accomplished.

Peter Capaldi – Yes. Be warned that it’s not an enormous role, but Capaldi makes the most of every scene that he has.

Warnings

Thematic elements (including child abuse,) drinking/smoking, and scenes of violence.

No comments:

Post a Comment