The Personal History of David Copperfield review – Iannucci Democratises Dickens

Armando Iannucci has previously found a unique voice in political parody and manages to push his comedic chops further with this period fiction. Iannucci and co-writer Simon Blackwell writes a film which makes intelligent creative choices which feels like a breath of fresh air. Starring Dev Patel who squeezes more and more confidence into an audience that has seen him start his film career from what seemed to be a peak.

'It's a classic Dickens tale' in every sense of the phrase. Loosely based on his own misfortunes, this film chronicles the story of David Copperfield's life, from a child to a young man. Also, like classic Dickens, heavily mirrors the disparity of economic circumstances within society.

It’s a fun family frolic with so much colour and vibrant visuals. All whilst remaining faithful to the original story. The book itself is a dense 650 pages and the film is a solid 2 hours. As a result, the filmmakers needed to make clever creative choices. Decisions like projecting past events on a sheet behind characters. This gives the storytelling almost stage-like qualia whilst managing to tick several boxes (a flashback, exposition and a glance into the mind of the character whilst they undergo memory recall). All of which helps to push the narrative forward as linearly as possible. This together with chapter headings make it feel like a true blend of book, film and theatre storytelling.

The locations could either be serene by the sea or the bustling London streets but regardless, are always full of energy. Set designers have done well to recreate the era. A really incredible array of skills from actors that really know their craft. The approach to casting has been described as colour-blind or as I like to call it, talent focussed. Tilda Swinton playing Betsey Trotwood doesn’t swoon away from physical comedy. Hugh Laurie, yet again, fits perfectly within another role. Nikki Amuka-Bird depicts a toughness in her character. Benedict Wong’s animated single-minded alcohol-driven Mr Wickfield is always amusing. Rosalind Eleazar as his daughter Agnes makes a great feature film debut. Peter Capaldi's Mr Micawber plays a version of a Fagin(Charles Dickens Oliver Twist) that’s lovable. Ben Whishaw's Uriah Heep, it seems, had the most fun playing the initially ambiguous bad person. Dev Patel adds another hit to his filmography and critically acclaimed wins.

Generally, I struggle with period dramas, but this feels fresh and contemporary, lending itself faithfully to a source material written all the way back in the 1850s. Sigmund Freud was a fond reader of Charles Dickens and David Copperfield is said to be his favourite. Regardless, this is not so much a deep-dive into the psychological effects and despair that comes with growing up during this era. Instead, we get much-needed innovation in story-telling while maintaining the hopelessness and optimism of the period. Sad and angry moments are given the appropriate amount of affection for an emotional punch while leaving the back door open for a correctly calculated laugh…Iannucci gets it.