IT'S A COLOURFUL LIFE (THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD)

 

Seven years ago, The Guardian newspaper compiled a list of the 100 greatest novels written in the English language.

Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield' was the only one of his novels to make the list.

Ranked at number 15, the novelist Robert McCrum argued the book marked the moment when Dickens became one of literature's greatest entertainers while he toyed with the darker themes that would characterise his later work.

Adored by Sigmund Freud, who gifted the book to his fiancé Martha Bernays on their engagement in 1882, the novel chronicled the difficult childhood of a principled young man and his eventual blossoming in adulthood as a writer.

Viewing 'David Copperfield' as the gateway novel for Dickens' darker masterpieces like 'Bleak House,' 'Hard Times' and 'Great Expectations', McCrum observed it "becomes the antechamber to his subsequent mastery.. The young man daydreaming about literature among his father's old books has been replaced by the best selling writer, 'the Inimitable'.

"Perhaps this was the poignant truth about creativity that so moved Freud."

Dickens' novel has been adapted for the big and small screen around 13 times with the likes of WC Fields, Laurence Olivier, Daniel Radcliffe, Bob Hoskins, Paul Bettany and Sally Field appearing in various versions.

Armando Iannucci, however, would not be the first filmmaker to spring to mind as the director of another big screen adaptation.

The acerbic satirist behind TV shows like 'The Day Today,' 'The Thick of It' and 'Veep' has brought that sharp comedic bite to two feature films - the sweary 2009 Anglo-US politics satire 'In The Loop' with Peter Capaldi and James Gandolfini and the 2017 Soviet Union tale 'The Death of Stalin' with Steve Buscemi and Jason Isaacs.

But boy does he do a magnificent job with this joyous and brilliantly crafted adaptation of Dickens' novel.

'The Personal History of David Copperfield' sees Iannucci and his fellow screenwriter Simon Blackwell magnify the comedic elements of Dickens' book.

But they do this without ever sacrificing the darker aspects of the novel.

Iannucci and Blackwell begin the film with Dev Patel's Copperfield onstage delivering a reflection on his life to a packed theatre audience.

Like Buster Keaton's cinema projectionist in 'Sherlock Jr', Copperfield literally walks into a painted backdrop behind him which transforms into a projection screen depicting the lush East Anglian countryside.

And then we're off on a colourful romp through the life of one of Dickens' most endearing heroes.

We watch Jairaj Varsani's younger David enjoy an initially idyllic childhood under the care of Daisy May Cooper's protective and warm hearted nanny Peggoty and revel in a magical visit to a beach house fashioned out of an upturned boat in Yarmouth in a sequence shot with childish glee.

However David's halcyon childhood days abruptly come to an end with the arrival of Darren Boyd's cruel Mr Murdstone who marries his widowed mother, Morfydd Clark's Clara and often beats the boy.

David is sent away to Murdstone's factory in London and ends up lodging with the family of Peter Capaldi's not so artful dodger Micawber and his well meaning wife, played by Bronagh Gallagher whose sole purpose is to keep one step ahead of their creditors.

Informed of his mother's death, David flees the factory and turns up at the countryside estate of his wealthy aunt, Tilda Swinton's Betsey Trotwood to solicit her support and favour.

Betsey is persuaded and soon he is living with her and her eccentric lodger, Hugh Laurie's Mister Dick.

David's life is back on track and a bright path opens up again through education and a career as a legal clerk.

However his life is not plain sailing and the people dear to him suffer setbacks - not least with the rise of Ben Whishaw's unctuous Uriah Heap.

Iannucci takes a playful approach to adapting Dickens' novel, sugar coating its moments of cruelty with absurd wit and some fantastic cinematography from Zac Nicholson and superb production design and sets from Cristina Casali and Charlotte Dirickx.

The colourful sets and costumes often recall the vibrant flourish of a Tim Burton movie, Terry Gilliam's fantastical screen adventures or even Peter Jackson's forays into the world of Tolkien.

Nicholson cleverly deploys wide angled lenses to convey the sense of wonder of the young David.

And like Michael Winterbottom's playful adaptation of 'Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story' Iannucci tears through the meaty novel that inspires his work at a deft pace.

Like any Dickens' adaptation, a lot depends on the quality of the screenplay and the actors bringing it to life.

Patel brings a dignity to the lead role, showing  a flair for physical comedy and pathos that is reminiscent of the great silent movie performers like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

But he is aided and abetted by a superb cast who know how to wring every laugh from Iannucci and Blackwell's script and every ounce of tragedy.

Laurie and Swinton are a delight as the eccentric Mr Dick and Betsey Trotwood, as are Capaldi and Gallagher as the Micawbers.

The star of the BBC3 sitcom 'This Country,' Daisy May Cooper makes a terrific transition to the big screen as Pegotty and is complemented by Paul Whitehouse as her fisherman brother, Anthony Welsh as her nephew and Aimee Kelly as his impressionable fiancé Emily. 

Clark doubles not just as David's mother but as Dora Spendlow, the daughter of his boss and object of his affections - adding a clever Oedipal casting twist. 

Rosalind Eleazar is terrific as David's friend and confidante Agnes Wickifield, with Benedict Wong enthusiastically grabbing the chance to play her father.

Boyd and Gwendoline Christie are note perfect as the nasty Mr Murdstone and his equally horrible mother, while Ben Whishaw is very effective as the creepy Uriah Heep - bringing a Hammer horror style quality to Dickens' oily, cunning villain.

Anna Maxwell Martin turns up as Mrs Strong, while Aneurin Barnard oozes rakish charisma as James Steerforth, David's dashing but very flawed friend.

Each of these performances - including Nikki Amuka-Bird's prickly appearance as Steerforth's mother - stand out on their own terms.

But together they contribute enormously to a rich and hugely entertaining visual, narrative feast that is every bit as satisfying as Christopher Willis' gloriously layered musical score.

As Dickens adaptations go, 'The Personal History of David Copperfield' must be one of the most inventive.

It isn't just Iannucci's finest film.

It is one of the cinematic highlights of 2020 and a film you will want to revisit again and again for years to come.

('The Personal History of David Copperfield' opened in UK and Irish cinemas on January 24, 2020 and was made available on DVD and streaming services on June 15, 2020)