David Copperfield

Having always heard of David Copperfield, but never having read the novel nor seen the movie, I finally decided to check out the DVD. I found it quite enjoyable with an all-star cast and good Dickensian backdrops.

I have always loved W.C. Fields, but have to disagree with those who say he steals the show. Although he is perfect as Mcawber, to me it is Edna May Oliver who steals the picture. She is delightful as the dotty aunt – especially standing up to Mr. and Miss Murdstone with the loony backing of Mr. Dick (a charming Lennox Pawle).

Of course Lionel Barrymore always makes the most of a part and does so as the gruff fisherman Dan Peggotty. Freddie Bartholomew is excellent as the young David. Elizabeth Allen is gorgeous and delightful as David's mother, while Basil Rathbone and Violet Kemble Cooper are cold and devious as the step-father and his housekeeper sister.

The entire cast is excellent, including Jessie Ralph as Peggotty and Herbert Mundin as the 'willing' Barkis. My only complaint – and this is from one who hasn't read the book – is that the miscellaneous characters get a bit confusing. A guy who apparently had been nice to David in school runs off with and abandons the adopted daughter of Peggotty's brother. Then two men fight during a shipwreck and David sees his school friend dead. Perhaps things were better spelled out in the book.

In any event, it is a quite charming film. Oliver and Field are delightful, along with the rest of the talented cast. I doubt that as better adaptation could be done today.

A young boy grows to manhood in Victorian England. He will learn to deal with the early deaths of his parents. He will be cruelly abused by his sadistic stepfather. He will be betrayed by false friends. He will experience a brief, tragic marriage. He will also be showered with tenderness and affection from hearts good & true. He will grow to be a man made strong by adversity, but still wondering if he'll turn out to be the hero of his own life. He is DAVID COPPERFIELD.

Charles Dickens' masterpiece comes to marvelous life in this triumphant translation from literary classic into film. Enormous care was taken by MGM to get the look & feel just right - to make the viewer believe they were seeing the novel spread out before them, without a false moment from start to finish. (The Studio even went so far as to use special on-location exterior filming at Canterbury Cathedral, a segment that only runs for a few seconds.)

The all-star cast is remarkable:

Freddie Bartholomew, newly brought from England by his aunt, is perfect in the role of Young David; his anguish at the death of his mother is almost palpable.

Replacing a reluctant Charles Laughton, W. C. Fields proved a triumph in the comic role of the penniless Mr. Micawber, always confident of something `turning up.' (You might think Fields' American accent & mannerisms would tend to be grating, but he turns in what is arguably his finest performance. Fields had loved Dickens' novels for years and always kept a few in his vaudeville trunk. He knew the role and how to play it. Here he takes the character of Micawber, tweaks it slightly, and delights us.)

Lionel Barrymore, as the old fisherman Dan'l Peggoty, adding yet another exceptional portrait to his gallery of character parts.

Edna May Oliver is unforgettable as the stern, yet loving, Aunt Betsey, forever chasing donkeys off her property - fiercely defensive of those she cares for.

Basil Rathbone as Mr. Murdstone, dark & dangerous, full of passions & fury.

Maureen O'Sullivan as darling Dora, sweet & doomed.

Roland Young as an oily Uriah Heep, sniveling & devious.

Lewis Stone, Elizabeth Allan, Una O'Connor, Lennox Pawle, Elsa Lanchester, Violet Kemble Cooper, Madge Evans, Frank Lawton - all perfectly cast.

(Look for E. E. Clive, Lionel Belmore & Arthur Treacher in tiny uncredited roles. Sir Hugh Walpole, the celebrated English novelist who adapted the novel for the screen, appears as the Vicar.)

Savor this wonderful film again & again.

Generations continue to read Dickens' best works, David Copperfield among them, because he created unforgettable characters through their language. Granted, the characters are often exaggerated or simplified, but they are nonetheless memorable, and often very lovable.

That's what makes so much of this movie so good. MGM lavished on it their best character actors, and the result is often magical. Edna May Oliver as Betsey Trotwood, Jessie Ralph as Peggotty, Basil Rathbone as Murdstone, Herbert Mundin as Barkis (yes, "Barkis is willin'"), Una O'Connor as Mrs. Gummidge, Lionel Barrymore as Dan Peggotty, Violet Kemble Cooper as Jane Murdstone, W. C. Fields as Micawber, the sadly forgotten Lennox Pawle unforgettable as Mr. Dick, the versatile Roland Young remarkable as Uriah Heep. These actors and actresses all create vivid characters, sometimes with very little screen time. They make Dickens come alive before our eyes.

The only weak spot, to me, is the cypher Elisabeth Allen as David's mother. For me, she is a zero in several otherwise very good MGM movies from this period. She conveys no personality. I do not understand why she was given one major role after the next. She is forgettable in all of them. The thought that she was originally contracted to appear opposite Robert Donat in one of my favorite movies, Goodbye Mr. Chips, is chilling. She was replaced by Greer Garson, who was great in that movie and helped make it the masterpiece it is. Elisabeth Allan would have made it a much inferior movie, despite Donat's deservedly Academy Award-winning performance as Chips.

Freddie Bartholomew is fine as the young David, but Cukor directed him to be far too emotional for my tastes. (You can see in the trailer that "tears" were intended here.) He is much better in films like Captains Courageous, made two years later and directed by Victor Fleming.

The only problem with this movie, for me, is that, while the script is good, it sometimes radically abbreviates major moments. (In the edition I read, the novel has 848 pages. Reducing that to a 2-hour movie is a real challenge.) Just as one example: during the storm that is wrecking the ship on which Steerforth is returning to England, Ham, from whom Steerforth seduced Little Emily only to abandon her later, swims out to the ship in order to save the crew. He climbs on board and sees Steerforth, who sees him. There is the potential for a great, elemental confrontation scene there, set against the wild storm, but it is passed over almost immediately to the next scene, where the two men's lifeless bodies are dragged up on shore.

Even the great scene near the end where Micawber denounces Uriah Heep, one of the great moments in the novel, could have been given more time to build, though its still very good. (With this cast, how could it not have been?)

Definitely worth a watch.

This version of David Copperfield is a little disappointing in that the lead characters (David, Agnes, Steerforth, Little Em'ly) are somewhat bland and don't reveal their depth of feeling or passion. But the actors who play the supporting characters are so superb that this version is worth seeking out for those who love Dickens' work. Aunt Betsy, Uriah Heep, Mr. Dick, Mr. Micawber, Dan Peggotty and Ham are fleshed out by actors who have true spark and understand that their characters are supposed to be a little larger than life.

W.C. Fields can act- he's not just playing himself here. Although Mr. Micawber is a somewhat Fields-ish fellow, Fields adds a touching sincerity to Micawber's belief that he will come out ahead someday to everyone's benefit. Micawber's denunciation of Uriah Heep is both fun and close to what one can picture from the novel.

A lot of plot is left out, since you can't really cram an epic like that into a 2 hour film- the BBC miniseries is better for depth of character and filling in plot holes- but this 1935 version can be considered a classic for those looking for a nice large-screen adaptation with some incredibly good character actors.

Of all of the films directed by George Cukor, I think this is his finest achievement, helped in no small measure by the perfect casting of all the Dickens characters.

Freddie Bartholomew is flawless as the young David. Edna May Oliver as his stern but loving Aunt Betsy Trotwood gives her usual sharp characterization and nearly steals the first half of the movie. As for Mr. Murdstone, Basil Rathbone is the perfect embodiment of that brutally wicked man. Born to play Mr. Micawber is W. C. Fields, so uncannily right that it almost seems as if Dickens had him in mind when he wrote the character!

Very atmospheric, so much so that it seems almost incredible that an American movie company could have crafted this gem. One would think the British would have beat us to it--but Dickens would have approved of this version, I'm sure.

The only drawback is the length and the scenes involving David's wife, Dora, as played by Maureen O'Sullivan with a saccharine sweetness that becomes cloying at times. (Thank God she didn't play Melanie in 'GWTW'). Some of the acting is a bit florid but to be expected when you consider this was made in 1935. Roland Young is well cast as Uriah Heep.

Highly recommended. Anyone who cherishes the Dickens novel will not be disappointed. The only flaw is that the story has been compressed in order to limit the running time to two hours and ten minutes and it shows. All the essential characters remain but some of them have little dimension because of time constraints.