David Copperfield

It's about as thorough an adaptation of a Dickens novel that one could hope for, but unfortunately I just couldn't get myself immersed in it due to the community-theater-quality acting. Lady Trotwood was the only believable character in the first episode. The others... well, it wouldn't be fair to call them "bad" exactly. If this were a high-school one-act play, you'd pat them on the back and tell them "well done". But for a BBC production of one of history's all-time great novels? Not for a moment did I forget that I was watching actors. It's a shame, because again, it's quite thorough -- superior in that regard to several other adaptations.

This is a beautifully scripted and acted version of the Dickens novel. The mini-series form allows the most detailed and complete rendition yet. Performances are especially fine, with three fine young Davids (though none to compare with the definitive Freddie Bartholomew), and a Mr. Macawber by Simon Callow to rank with the classic W.C.Fields. This is the only adaptation I've seen to rival the wonderful David O. Selznick Hollywood B&W film. This surely will sound like heresy to many British folk, but Selznick's film sets the stage for his masterful paring-down of Gone With the Wind, and gives the essentials for our enjoyment. Still, I wish this BBC mini-series would be issued for home video (ONE multi-layered DVD would do it). Then I could play it for my bright young nieces. Such exposure MIGHT even lead them to read the book when they get a little older, just as the Selznick did for me. Top marks all round!!

I looked for this for many years and finally was able to buy it through Amazon in the U.K. I believe this was originally a BBC and Masterpiece Theater production. While they sell DVDs of many of their shows, they have for some reason never sold this show. My wife and I had great memories of this series and were shocked it was never shown again. It was just as amazing as we remember. Simon Callow is unforgettable as Wilkins Micawber. Paul Brightwell as Uriah Heep is absolutely oozing. The characters are fantastic. There were several choices for sellers. I bought it from a seller called The Best of DVD. It is a Dutch produced DVD, but I easily turned off the Dutch subtitles and it was perfect. Here in the U.S. I had to have a DVD player which plays for international zones. Many do that, but mine didn't, so I picked up a very inexpensive one on Ebay. All well worth it. Enjoy!

In short, skip this version as it offers nothing that the 1974 version only 12 years prior does much better. The casting is terrible, so much so that a day after having seen it I can scarcely remember the faces of the actors. The production is low budget and clunky, worse than the 1974 earlier version. It is however a thorough adaptation and was a little clearer on some details over the 1974 version in regards to locations and how the many characters timelines interweave in the middle 3rd of the novel. But ultimately it's not worth buying the dvd (it's not available online legal or otherwise as of 2021) to invest the time in this one when if you are looking for a thorough adaptation the 1974 version is superior in every sense. And The 1999 version is much more watchable if you don't mind some things being abridged for the sake of brevity.

A brilliant adaptation, along with the 1999 and 1935 versions it is one of the best adaptations of possibly one of Charles Dickens' best books. Dickens is very difficult to adapt, and David Copperfield while not as huge as Our Mutual Friend and Bleak House and not with as many subplots is no exception to that. His work is difficult to adapt because of how he wrote about the aesthetics and such of the time; he had a mix of funny comedy, genuine foreboding and heart-breaking tragedy that not all adaptations of his work bring out entirely successfully; and the question of the characters being believable, with the villains not being too camp, the female heroines/characters not being bland and the side characters not being too much like grotesque caricatures.

Back to this David Copperfield, it is atmospheric without being too bleak and sumptuous without being too clean, it's beautifully shot as well. The music is one of the more appealing music scores of any David Copperfield adaptation, haunting and beautiful as one would want. The dialogue flows naturally, is succinct and easy to understand while capturing Dickens' spirit and stylistic flavour, while the story is not too rushed or draggy- even with the story stretched over 10 episodes-, is faithful to the book and Dickens and is comprehensible.

The cast are uniformly strong. Colin Hurley is an identifiable David, a softer interpretation than some but it works and he isn't too bland. Extra marks also for handsomeness and a real effort to make all three Davids alike. The other two younger boys as the character engage too. Standing out in particular in the cast were Simon Callow's unforgettably funny Micawber, Paul Brightwell whose Uriah Heep is an absolute weasel and Oliver Cotton's cruelly chilling and vily cold Murdstone. Brenda Bruce is very good as Betsy Trotwood, and John Savident is one of the more memorable Creakles. Natalie Ogle is beautiful and innocent and Sandra Payne's Mrs Micawber is warm and funny.

Overall, brilliant and one of the best David Copperfield adaptations. 10/10 Bethany Cox