1721 The personal history of david copperfield
Review
Score: 3 op 5

The Personal History of David Copperfield: overwhelming entertainment

Niels Ruëll
© BRUZZ
09/09/2020
Also in:
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In this umpteenth adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel director Armando Iannucci does not highlight sombre themes like poverty and exploitation. Instead he opts for overwhelming entertainment.

Being born as a half orphan, being beaten by your stepfather and bullied by your step aunt, being forced to go to a terrible boarding school, experiencing first-hand how badly factory workers were treated in 19th-century London: these are just a few examples of the worries, injustice, and adversity that David Copperfield must overcome in the celebrated and classic novel by Charles Dickens.

The umpteenth film adaptation does not deserve to be described as just that. Armando Iannucci, the satirical brain behind the political series The Thick of It and Veep, and the film The Death of Stalin, does not highlight sombre themes like poverty and exploitation. Instead he opts for a flamboyant, continuously entertaining film that doesn't give the viewer a moment's rest.

The battalion of brilliant actors palpably enjoy the colourful characters and the quick dialogues. Colour-blind casting resulted in a lead role for Dev Patel. The charming Englishman who broke through in Slumdog Millionaire and confirmed his star quality in Lion, easily takes the lead. (NR)

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